Development and Feasibility Assessment of Virtual Reality-Based Relaxation Self-Training Program

Diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) are an effective way for relaxation training and anxiety control, but their use is not common to the general public. Today, as the need for non-face-to-face contact increases, virtual reality (VR)-based self-training is gaining attention in public health. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of the newly developed VR-based relaxation training program. Both diaphragmatic breathing and PMR can be trained without an assistant using this VR application in three steps: 1) learning in a virtual clinic, 2) review in a comfortable virtual environment, and 3) practice in outdoor virtual environments. Self-training is recommended on a 3-weeks schedule with a total of 4–6 trials per day for 4 days a week. Thirty-one healthy volunteers were divided into the VR (n = 15) and worksheet (n = 16) groups, and participated in self-training under similar conditions as much as possible. Multiple evaluations were performed before, during, and after self-training. The change rates of all psychological and psychophysiological measures before and after self-training did not significantly differ between the two groups. The levels of tension after breathing practices showed no group difference, whereas those after PMR practices were significantly lower in the VR group than in the worksheet group. In the VR group, trials of outdoor practices tended to induce a decrease of the tension level, particularly after outdoor breathing trials. The VR group gave a practicable score of 70 points or more, average 43.5, and average 180.3 for usability, cybersickness, and presence of this program, respectively. These results suggest that the VR-based relaxation self-training program can be used by healthy people as a means of relaxation. In the use of this program, diaphragmatic breathing may be used more easily, but the benefit of using VR is higher in PMR. These findings provide justification for a randomized controlled study of whether this program can be used for stress relief in the general population and, furthermore, treatment of patients with anxiety disorders.

Phytotherapeutic agents on anxiety control in dentistry: a literature review

The aim of this work is to review the literature on the use of herbal medicines to control dental anxiety. For this purpose, articles were searched in the databases ScienceDirect, Pubmed and The Cochrane Library. 57 articles were included in this study. The research evidence points to Valeriana officinalis and Passiflora incarnata as the most studied herbal medicines for the control of anxiety, and their adverse effects are also investigated. Studies prove the relative safety of these medications, as well as their effectiveness, low cost, lower concentration of active ingredients with better effects and fewer side effects when compared to benzodiazepines. The use of these medicinal plants requires further clarification as to their real effectiveness, correct dosage and side effects in conscious sedation in Dentistry.

The relationship between dental anxiety and other kinds of anxiety: a naturalistic, cross-sectional and comparative study

Background Dental anxiety is of public health importance because it leads to postponed dental treatment, which comes with health complications. The present study investigated whether there is a correlation between the degree of dental anxiety and other kinds of anxiety and whether there are prognostic factors for the different kinds of anxiety. Method In the sample (N = 156) from a dental practice in a large German city, 62% of patients received a check-examination and 38% received dental surgery. The target variables were recorded with validated questionnaires: dental anxiety (IDAF-4c+), subclinical anxiety (SubA), anxiety of negative evaluation (SANB-5), current general anxiety (STAI state), loneliness (LS-S) and self-efficacy (GSW-6). The applied statistics were: t-tests for 31 variables, correlation matrix and multivariate and bivariate regression analyses. Results The dental surgery patients displayed more dental anxiety and more dental interventions than the check-examination group. The main result was a positive correlation of all kinds of anxiety with each other, a positive correlation of loneliness and neuroticism with all forms of anxiety and a negative correlation between all forms of anxiety and self-efficacy. Especially dental anxiety is positively associated with other kinds of anxiety. In multivariate regression models only neuroticism is associated with dental anxiety, but feelings of loneliness are positively associated with with the other kinds of anxiety assessed in this study. The higher the self-efficacy, the lower the level of general anxiety. Conclusions In dentistry, anxiety from negative experiences with buccal interventions should be distinguished from anxiety caused by personality traits. Self-efficacy tends to protect against anxiety, while loneliness and neuroticism are direct or indirect risk factors for anxiety in this urban dentistry sample. Dental anxiety seems to be independent from biographical strains but not from neuroticism. In practice, more attention must be paid to anxiety control, self-management and efforts to improve the confidence of patients with emotional lability, less self-confidence and propensity to shame.

The Effect of Educational Intervention on Anxiety and Quality of Life Among Individuals Referring to Healthcare Centers in the Face of COVID-19

Educational interventions are helpful strategies to empower communities encountering the threat of pandemics like Covid-19. This study was carried out to examine the effect of educational intervention on anxiety control and improvement in public quality of life. A quasi-experimental study. The study was conducted among individuals referred to healthcare centers of Qazvin province, Iran, in 2020. Given that Qazvin consists of nine urban healthcare centers, two centers were selected by a simple random selection method. After considering inclusion and exclusion mentioned criteria, 240 individuals were selected to participate in the research and were randomly assigned into two groups of experimental and control. Following the educational intervention, all study variables, including knowledge score, anxiety level, and quality of life, improved significantly in the experimental group compared to the pre-intervention phase (P<0.05). The most significant change was in knowledge score with a nearly large effect size (0.63), presenting an increase of 40.09% from 11.1 to 18.8 exactly after intervention and 12.2 after passing one month from the date of educational intervention; while the quality of life presented a 3.2% increase with a small effect size (0.28). Our findings have implications for the development and implementation of psychological interventions, particularly educational programs. During the outbreak, such strategies can empower the public and diminish the negative emotional effects of the pandemic, helping people to cope with the current situation, and decrease the risk of suffering future psychological disorders.

Complementary therapies in controlling side-effects during cancer treatment

This systematic review evaluated whether reiki had an impact on patients undergoing chemo-therapy, with possible improvement of the following outcomes: fatigue, pain, anxiety and quality of life. Method: Systematic review study with meta-analysis conducted at a tertiary care center. The following databases were searched until July 2020: MEDLINE, LILACS and CENTRAL. Two re-viewers independently examined eligible articles, extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using the Cochrane tool. Results: The analyzes included eight studies and showed that there was a sta-tistically significant for anxiety control (MD = -2-09; 95% CI: -3.00 to -1.19; I2 = 51%) and Quality of life (MD = -5.97; 95% CI: -10.70 to -1.25; I2 = 97%) but no statistically significant difference was found for the other outcomes analyzed. An analysis of the risk of bias has uncertain methodological limitations in the studies. Conclusions: Although there is anxiety control and improved quality of life, there is a need for the elaboration of randomized clinical trials with larger populations to verify their real performance in controlling some side effects during chemotherapy.

The Coach–Athlete Relationship and Self-Talk in Turkish Athletes

Background: The first purpose of the study was to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire for Sports (ASTQS) in the Turkish language and the secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between the quality of the coach–athlete relationship and athletes’ self-talk. Methods: 477 athletes (females = 252, males = 225) completed the Turkish versions of the Coach–Athlete Relationship Questionnaire (CART-Q) and the ASTQS. Results: ASTQS showed good psychometric properties in the Turkish language. Findings on the construct validity of the scale were consistent with the original scale’s 8-factor structure. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from 0.65 to 0.91. Furthermore, path analysis results showed that closeness had a direct effect on disengagement, psych-up, and anxiety control. The commitment had a direct effect on somatic fatigue, and complementarity had a direct effect on worry, confidence, and instruction. Conclusions: Finally, the results from the present study indicated that the Automatic Self-Talk Questionnaire provided a reliable and valid measure for Turkish athletes. The results revealed the importance of the coach–athlete relationship in sport and its’ role in shaping athletes’ self-talk.

The Psychological Skill Level of Bengkulu Athletes During the Covid-19 Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a tremendous impact on sporting events. This research aimed to determine the psychological skill level of Bengkulu PON athletes during the Covid-19 pandemic. The research method used in this study was a quantitative descriptive method with a survey approach. The subjects of this research were all athletes of PON Bengkulu, with a total of 83 athletes. The data of the research variable was collected using a questionnaire, "The Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports (PSIS)," adopted from (Mahoney, Gabriel & Perkins, 1987). The validity of this instrument was 0.797-0.801, while the reliability was 0.795. The researcher used the mean ideal and standard deviation to analyze the research data. The result of this research showed that: (1) aspect of motivation was a high category with 57.8%; (2) aspect of self-confidence was a high category with 66%; (3) aspect of anxiety control was a high category with 67.3%; (4) aspect of mental preparation was a high category with 56.6%; (5) aspect of team emphasize it was high category with 51.8%; (6) aspect of concentration with 48%. This research concluded that the psychological skill level of PON Bengkulu athletes during the Covid-19 pandemic was in the high category.