To Assess the Psychological Impact (Stress and Anxiety) of Social Media on Quarantine People Related to COVID 19

Need of Study: The quarantine would impact day-to-day employees and companies with daily profits. Confining abnormally reduced social and physical contact with others whereas loss of habits is direct linked to distress, monotony, social isolation and disappointment. Hence the investigator plans to assess the effect of social media on the mental health of quarantined people related to covid-19. Objectives: To assess the psychological impact (stress and anxiety level) on quarantine people. Methodology: The study was based on an evaluative approach. The population was about all adults, above 18 – 60 years of age who were quarantined. The sampling technique used in the study was probability convenient sampling and the tool was PSS scale and GAD-7 checklist. The data gathering process began based on the objectives and the hypothesis the data were statistically analyzed with various tests such as descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Results: The majority 60% of the subjects had moderate levels of stress regarding social media on quarantine people due to covid-19 and 91% of subjects had mild anxiety regarding social media. Conclusion: Research study concludes that clients of the community were suffered from stress and anxiety during the covid pandemic as per their occupation and lack of knowledge regarding stress and anxiety management brought resulted in increasing disturbance in performing a daily activity with an increase in the death rate due to overuse of social media.

Virtual Reality for Hypertension in Tooth Extraction: A Randomized Trial

Tooth extraction is one of the most common causes of dental anxiety and pain, leading to the elevation of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Such effects may be exaggerated and cause life-threatening accidents in patients with hypertension. Therefore, the pain and anxiety management of these patients is imperative. Virtual reality (VR) has been demonstrated to be a distraction method to relieve anxiety and pain in clinical operations. Thus, we hypothesized that VR can control the elevation of BP and HR in patients with hypertension. In this study, 96 eligible patients with controlled hypertension who needed tooth extraction were randomized to the VR or standard care group by stratified randomization of anxiety grade and gender. Their BP and HR were dynamically monitored. The corresponding systolic and diastolic BP and HR values were selected when systolic BP was at the highest point of the process. BP was converted into mean arterial pressure (MAP) for comparison per the following formula: MAP = (systolic BP + 2 × diastolic BP)/3. Statistical analyses were by intention to treat and conducted in SPSS. Nonparametric rank sum tests were used to compare the difference of ΔMAP and ΔHR between the VR and standard care groups. Multivariate linear regression was applied to evaluate the effect of VR on ΔMAP and ΔHR. The results showed that the VR technique significantly decreased the elevation of MAP ( P < 0.001) and HR ( P < 0.001), and this effect was found even after adjusting for baseline characteristics and additional surgical procedures (ΔMAP, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.276; ΔHR, P < 0.001, R2 = 0.152). VR did not increase the incidence of adverse events ( P = 0.677). In conclusion, the VR technique was effective in controlling BP and HR within an acceptable range and can help manage BP and HR during tooth extraction for patients with hypertension (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2100042132).

Dental Anxiety Management by Full Spectrum CBD Formulations: Dual Dosing (AM/PM) Protocol in A Real-World Setting

Background: Dental Anxiety (DA) may produce a vicious cycle where dental problems are not adequately serviced. Chronic non-compliance with prescribed dental care and maintenance is associated ultimately with poor dental health. Current pharmacologic treatments such as benzodiazepines for DA are associated with poor efficacy and significant side effects.The anxiolytic effects of the most studied cannabinoid, cannabidiol (CBD) in the Dual Dosing (AM/PM) Full Spectrum Protocol are detailed here (DDFSP). Materials and methods: Our recently developed PhytoDental Solutions Dental Anxiety Scale (PDSDAS) composed of eight self-reported psychic, somatic and sleep indicators was utilized for scoring a subject’s DA level for three Time Groups (TG): the night before (T0); immediately after (T1); and 24 hours (T2) after a dental procedure or visit. Results: In this series of subjects completing at least one post-dosing time point, the Dual Dosing AM/PM Full Spectrum CBD (DDFSCBD) Protocol significantly reduced both psychic (43% to 67%) and somatic (51%) dental anxiety. Additionally, 87% of study patients reported substantially improved sleep the night before their dental visit. Kruskai-Wallis one-way ANOVA analysis of the three Time Group data sets yielded significant 1-tail statistical differences (p-values< 0.05) with p-values of 0.020 and 0.041 substantiating the role of the DDFSP to modify DA. Further, validation of the PDSDAS as a scoring measure developed for DA was extended by paired t-test comparisons to multiple smaller Paired Data sets across these Time Groups yielding 1-tail p-values of 0.010, 0.050 and 0.024 respectively. Conclusion: Determination of significance by both ANOVA and paired t-tests of PDSDAS scoring strongly suggest the Dual-Dosing (AM/PM) Full Spectrum Protocol is an effective Dental Anxiety anxiolytic.

Examining the Effects of Integrating Anxiety Management Instruction Within a Reading Intervention for Upper Elementary Students With Reading Difficulties

We present findings from the first cohort of third- and fourth-grade students with reading difficulties (128 students from 31 classrooms) who participated in a 2-year intervention examining the effects of a reading intervention with and without anxiety management. Using a randomized controlled trial, students were assigned to one of three conditions: (a) small-group reading intervention with anxiety management instruction (RANX), (b) small-group reading intervention with math fact practice (RMATH), and (c) business-as-usual (BAU) comparison condition (no researcher provided treatment). Personnel from the research team provided participants in the RANX and RMATH the same reading intervention with the variation in the two treatments being whether the same amount of time per lesson was allocated to anxiety management (RANX) or practicing math facts (RMATH). Students in the RANX significantly outperformed students in the BAU on reading comprehension (effect size [ES] = 1.22) and students in the RMATH outperformed BAU on reading comprehension (ES = 0.77). Groups did not differ significantly on other reading outcomes. Reading anxiety moderated the main effect of the RANX intervention on Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE) word reading when contrasted against the BAU group indicating a significant difference favoring RANX where treatment’s effect decreased by 0.94 units (about 1 point on the outcome) on word reading for each additional point increase in reading anxiety.

Use of Virtual Reality to Improve the Quality of the Hospital Stay for Patients in Neurosurgery

Background: Virtual Reality (VR) technologies have numerous beneficial applications for patients during hospitalization (through complete immersion in a virtual, distant place allowing to “escape” from the context of hospitalization). Their positive effects in pain and anxiety management, neurorehabilitation and psychotherapy have been demonstrated. Here, we evaluated the effects of VR on the quality of hospitalization and postoperative pain after neurosurgery.Methods: Patients hospitalized in our department between 2019 and 2020 were prospectively enrolled and divided into a group that received a personal, 30-minutes-long, VR session using an Oculus Go ™ VR headset (VR group) or not (non-VR group). Surgeries were classified in simple or complex spinal and simple or complex cranial. Patient‘s overall satisfaction was considered as primary outcome, with secondary outcomes encompassing duration of hospitalization, pain reduction and patients’ opinion regarding VR.Results: 161 patients were enrolled (77 in the VR group and 84 in the non-VR group). There was no statistical difference between the two groups regarding satisfaction. The VR group presented with a significantly longer duration of hospitalization and higher maximal pain. Interestingly, pain reduction during hospitalization was significantly higher in the VR group, particularly in simple surgeries and spine surgeries. A vast majority of the VR group patients appreciated their VR experience (89.2%) and advocated for its systematic use (83.8%).Conclusion: VR can improve pain reduction during hospitalization after neurosurgery, particularly for simple spine surgeries. Furthermore, patients experiencing VR appear to appreciate it and advocate for its systematic use in neurosurgery. Further research is warranted to identify patients for whom addition of VR during hospitalization might bring the most benefit.

Connecting the World of Healthcare Virtually: A Scoping Review on Virtual Care Delivery

Virtual care extends beyond the walls of healthcare organizations to provide care at a distance. Although virtual care cannot be regarded as a solution for all health-related inquiries, it provides another care delivery channel for specific patient populations with appointments that do not require in-person physical examinations or procedures. A scoping review was conducted to define the meaning of virtual care, understand how virtual care has influenced the healthcare industry and is being expanded to complement the existing healthcare system, and describe the outcomes of using virtual care for patients and providers. Findings from the scoping review suggest that virtual care encompasses the provision of care using advanced video conferencing technology to support remote care that takes place between patients and providers and the use of virtual reality technology to simulate care environments. Some of virtual care’s use in healthcare includes application to pain and anxiety management, virtual consultations and follow-up visits, rehabilitation and therapy services, outpatient clinics, and emergency services. Lastly, from a provider and patient perspective, while both saw benefits of virtual care and scored the service relatively high on satisfaction after using virtual care, the greatest barrier to using virtual care may be technological challenges.

An Integrative Model of Intercultural Interaction: A Qualitative Analysis Experience

The study of intercultural interaction has recently become one of the topical problems of social psychology. Considered often in the context of developing intercultural competence, they nevertheless ignore the mechanisms that underlie the causes of effective or ineffective communication. The mechanism by which intercultural competence contributes to intercultural efficiency is described in an integrative model of intercultural interaction, which unites a group of theories of communicativistic and socio-psychological approaches. This model substantiates the contribution of uncertainty and anxiety to the effectiveness of intercultural communication, which has been widely studied in quantitative studies. The aim of the study is to test the idea of the role of the situation of uncertainty and anxiety in the situation of intercultural interaction using qualitative analysis. The research was carried out based on a theoretical socio-psychological model of intercultural interaction. Using the in-depth interview method and subsequent phenomenological data analysis, a dense description of effective and ineffective intercultural communication was obtained from the point of view of each of the four aspects of the model: anxiety, uncertainty, social identity and intergroup anxiety. As a result of the analysis, data were obtained that reveal the content of some of the blocks of the model (intercultural abilities, communication efficiency, management of uncertainty), as well as a new block (emotion management) was identified and the properties of connections (between anxiety management and communication efficiency, between emotion management and anxiety management) were highlighted. Since the qualitative analysis made it possible to adjust the theoretical integrative model of intercultural interaction, and also revealed additional components of the model that develop theoretical ideas about the mechanisms underlying effective and ineffective communication, the results of this study can serve as a basis for the practice of the training of specialists working in the field of international relations: teachers of multicultural education, HRs in the field of international business, specialists in intercultural consulting, etc.

Anxiety and spatial navigation in Williams syndrome and Down syndrome

Individuals with Down Syndrome (DS) and individuals with Williams syndrome (WS) present with poor navigation and elevated anxiety. This study is the first to investigate the relationship between these two characteristics, using a cross-syndrome comparison approach. Parent report questionnaires were employed to measure navigation competence and anxiety in N=55 individuals with WS and N=42 individuals with DS. Anxiety was measured using the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale (SCAS) and a novel measure of navigation anxiety. Navigation was measured using the Santa Barbara Sense of Direction Scale (SBSOD) and a novel measure of navigation competence. Categorical questions were also asked regarding navigation behaviours and difficulties, independent travel and travel training received. Finally respondents answered open-ended questions regarding travel training needs and travel training received. The majority of individuals were not permitted to travel independently. A relationship between navigation anxiety and SBSOD scores (but not navigation competence) was observed for both groups. For the DS group only, separation anxiety was related to SBSOD and navigation scores. Additional impacts on independent navigating related to difficulties specific to road crossing situations, a higher tendency to ask for help in WS than in DS, as well as a strong impact of parental confidence for both groups. This first step to understanding the complex relationship between anxiety and navigation in WS and DS suggests that navigation training should take into account elevated anxiety in these groups, and thus should include training in dealing with unforeseen changes and anxiety management.