Effect of aeromedical training on anxiety levels of ab initio pilots

Purpose Aeromedical training is meant to train aircrew in combating physiological problems that they might face in flight. Given the importance of the training, there are limited studies in the literature investigating the anxiety levels during aeromedical training along with training outcomes. This study aims to assess the untrained participants’ anxiety levels before and after aeromedical training, investigate the differences in anxiety levels across different physiological training devices and determine whether participants’ anxiety levels affect their G tolerances. Design/methodology/approach This study was carried out on 61 healthy male subjects (n = 61) who had applied for initial aeromedical training. Anxiety surveys and visual analog scales were administered before and after the practical aeromedical training. In addition, blood pressure and heart rate measurements were carried out. Findings Participants had significantly higher anxiety levels before human centrifuge training (pre-Glab) than before the altitude chamber training (pre-hypobaric). Participants who experienced G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) had slightly more anxiety reported than the non-G-LOC group. There was a significant decrease between pre-Glab and post-Glab (after the human centrifuge training) and between pre-hypobaric and post-hypobaric (after the altitude chamber training) anxiety levels. The incidence of G-LOC was lower in participants having higher pre-G-Lab blood pressure. However, the difference in anxiety levels between the G-LOC group and the non-G-LOC group was not statistically significant. Research limitations/implications In this study, state anxiety inventory was not performed after human centrifuge training as centrifuge training lasted for around 5 min only, and it is not advisable to repeat state anxiety inventory in such short periods. Blood pressure was not measured after G-Lab training because human centrifuge training is hard training and has an impact on blood pressure. Hence, it would have been difficult to distinguish whether the blood pressure change was due to anxiety or hard physical activity. These limitations, especially for the G-Lab, caused us to evaluate state anxiety only with VAS. It would be worthwhile to repeat similar studies with objective measurements before and after the training. Practical implications This information suggests that instructors who train the applicants on aerospace medicine be ready for the possible consequences of anxiety. Originality/value There are only a few centers in the world that include all the physiological training devices (practical aeromedical training laboratories) together. To the best of authors’ knowledge, there are no studies in the literature investigating the differences in anxiety levels across various physiological training devices. The studies about the effect of anxiety levels on aeromedical training outcomes and anxiety levels before and after the training are scant.

The Effect of an Online Live Group Program with Greek Traditional Dances on State Anxiety and Self-Esteem

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of an online live group program with Greek traditional dances on the self-esteem and anxiety of the participants. The research involved 147 people, 43 men and 104 women, aged 49,73±8,141 years old, members of Cultural Clubs. The participants were randomly divided into the experimental group (N=75) and the control group (N=72). The experimental group participated in online live group lessons of Greek traditional dances, through the online platform ZOOM, twice a week. Each lesson had a 45-minute duration and the program lasted 12 weeks, during the quarantine imposed due to COVID-19. During the same period of 12 weeks, the control group continued its daily life in quarantine. The participants in both groups completed the Heatherton and Polivy (1991) State Self-Esteem Scale to measure performance self-esteem, social self-esteem and appearance self-esteem, as well as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-FORM X-1 by Spielberger et al. (1970) for the measurement of state anxiety, before and after the 12-week period. The processing of the data showed that after participating in the online live group program of Greek traditional dances, the participants in the experimental group significantly increased their performance self-esteem (t=-7,75, p<0,001), social self-esteem (t=-5,23, p<0,001), and appearance self-esteem (t=-5,67, p<0,001), but they significantly reduced their state anxiety (t=7,33, p<0,001). Regarding the participants in the control group, after the 12-week period, the studied variables moved in the undesirable direction, as evidenced by the reduction in self-esteem factors and the increase in state anxiety. The results show that participating in Greek traditional dance group programs, which are conducted live online, affects positively the self-esteem and state anxiety of the participants. Consequently, during these difficult health times that the whole world is experiencing, participating in online live group programs of Greek traditional dance may improve the participants’ psychological state, offering at the same time the solution on the one hand to distance oneself from other people and on the other hand to come in contact with people.

Condition notification assisted by virtual reality technology reduces the anxiety levels of parents of children with simple CHD: a prospective randomised controlled study

Purpose: This study explored the effects of condition notification based on virtual reality technology on the anxiety levels of parents of children with simple CHD. Methods: The subjects of the study were the parents of 60 children with simple CHD who were treated in our centre. The state anxiety scale was used to assess the anxiety status of the parents of the children before and after the condition notification in different ways (based on virtual reality explanations and written explanations). Results: In this study, a total of 55 parents of children with CHD successfully completed the survey. At the time of admission, there was no significant difference in the state anxiety scale scores of the parents between the two groups. The anxiety status of the virtual reality group was relieved after the condition notification assisted by virtual reality technology, and there was a significant difference compared with the control group. Conclusion: Condition notification based on virtual reality technology can effectively alleviate the anxiety of parents of children with simple CHD, which is worthy of clinical application.

The role of state and trait anxiety in the processing of facial expressions of emotion

State anxiety appears to influence facial emotion processing (Attwood et al . 2017 R. Soc. Open Sci. 4 , 160855). We aimed to (i) replicate these findings and (ii) investigate the role of trait anxiety, in an experiment with healthy UK participants ( N = 48, 50% male, 50% high trait anxiety). High and low state anxiety were induced via inhalations of 7.5% carbon dioxide enriched air and medical air, respectively. High state anxiety reduced global emotion recognition accuracy ( p = 0.01, η p 2 = 0.14 ), but it did not affect interpretation bias towards perceiving anger in ambiguous angry–happy facial morphs ( p = 0.18, η p 2 = 0.04 ). We found no clear evidence of a relationship between trait anxiety and global emotion recognition accuracy ( p = 0.60, η p 2 = 0.01 ) or interpretation bias towards perceiving anger ( p = 0.83, η p 2 = 0.01 ). However, there was greater interpretation bias towards perceiving anger (i.e. away from happiness) during heightened state anxiety, among individuals with high trait anxiety ( p = 0.03, d z = 0.33). State anxiety appears to impair emotion recognition accuracy, and among individuals with high trait anxiety, it appears to increase biases towards perceiving anger (away from happiness). Trait anxiety alone does not appear to be associated with facial emotion processing.

Level of Anxiety-State as a factor in changing eating patterns in college students: NUTSAU Study

With the purpose of identifying eating patterns of university students at a federal university in the state of Rio de Janeiro, a cross-sectional analysis of food consumption data was stratified by anxiety symptom scores of 147 students enrolled in the second semester of several undergraduate courses in the second semester of 2015. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory determined the anxiety symptoms scores. A food frequency questionnaire was applied to obtain food consumption data. Students were stratified into two groups, using the median state anxiety score as cutoff point. For each group, some dietary patterns were derived by the application of the principal component analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS software. The university students presented a median state-anxiety score of 43 points, and it was significantly higher in women. Three dietary patterns were identified for each group according to their nutritional characteristics, among which “Mixed 1”, “Healthy” and “Rice and Beans” for the less anxious students and “Western”, “Mixed 2” and “Rice and Beans” for the most anxious students. The results showed that it was possible to identify consistent food patterns for both, using a factorial analysis method. Students with the highest anxiety-state scores had a pronounced Western eating pattern, and those least anxious students had higher consumption of healthier food groups and lower consumption of caffeinated beverages. Although this is a cross-sectional analysis, it can contribute to optimize nutritional intervention for this population.

Perceived Similarity of the Self to Animals, Creativity, and Anxiety—: A Terror Management Analysis

According to terror management theory, humans avoid death anxiety by embedding themselves within cultural worldviews that allow them to perceive themselves as more than mortal animals. However, individuals also differ in their trait-like tendency to dissociate from other animals. In six studies, we tested whether individuals who perceive themselves as more similar to animals (high-perceived similarity of the self to animals [PSSA]) invest more in creativity for terror management than low-PSSA individuals, but are also more vulnerable to experiencing anxiety and existential concerns. Supporting our hypotheses, PSSA was associated with investment in creativity and arts, especially after death primes (Studies 3 and 4). High-PSSA individuals had heightened trait anxiety and death-thought accessibility (Studies 5 and 6), and showed increased state anxiety following a negative feedback about their creativity (Study 6). Findings highlight the role of PSSA as a personality variable predicting human motivation and emotion.