Anxiety In Undergraduate Students Research Articles

A study of association between early menarche and anxiety in undergraduate students.

Anxiety has been reported to be one of the most common epidemics in recent years. The present study focused on understanding the association between early menarche and the prevalence of anxiety and anxiety symptoms among adult undergraduate students. This was an observational, case-control study. The sample included 146 young female adults aged more than or equal to 18 years pursuing the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Sciences (BDS). Using an online questionnaire, participants were asked to recall and enter the age at which they attained menarche. We used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7- Item Questionnaire (GAD-7) to measure the severity of their present anxiety symptoms. The results showed a significant increase in anxiety symptoms in participants who had early menarche compared to those who did not have early menarche. The mean score on the GAD-7 Questionnaire for the cases was 9.93 and the control group was 6.89. The GAD-7 scores among the cases group were significantly higher in the GAD-7 scores than in the control group. This study concluded that early menarche is associated with higher anxiety levels in young adults.

A study of association between early menarche and anxiety in undergraduate students

Background Anxiety has been reported to be one of the most common epidemics in recent years. The present study focused on understanding the association between early menarche and the prevalence of anxiety and anxiety symptoms among adult undergraduate students. Methods This was an observational, case-control study. The sample included 146 young female adults aged more than or equal to 18 years pursuing the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Sciences (BDS). Using an online questionnaire, participants were asked to recall and enter the age at which they attained menarche. We used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7- Item Questionnaire (GAD-7) to measure the severity of their present anxiety symptoms. Results The results showed a significant increase in anxiety symptoms in participants who had early menarche compared to those who did not have early menarche. The mean score on the GAD-7 Questionnaire for the cases was 9.93 and the control group was 6.89. The GAD-7 scores among the cases group were significantly higher in the GAD-7 scores than in the control group. Conclusions This study concluded that early menarche is associated with higher anxiety levels in young adults.

Joint structure learning and causal effect estimation for categorical graphical models.

The scope of this paper is a multivariate setting involving categorical variables. Following an external manipulation of one variable, the goal is to evaluate the causal effect on an outcome of interest. A typical scenario involves a system of variables representing lifestyle, physical and mental features, symptoms, and risk factors, with the outcome being the presence or absence of a disease. These variables are interconnected in complex ways, allowing the effect of an intervention to propagate through multiple paths. A distinctive feature of our approach is the estimation of causal effects while accounting for uncertainty in both the dependence structure, which we represent through a directed acyclic graph (DAG), and the DAG-model parameters. Specifically, we propose a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm that targets the joint posterior over DAGs and parameters, based on an efficient reversible-jump proposal scheme. We validate our method through extensive simulation studies and demonstrate that it outperforms current state-of-the-art procedures in terms of estimation accuracy. Finally, we apply our methodology to analyze a dataset on depression and anxiety in undergraduate students.

Effects of a group-based music imagery program on promoting coping resources among undergraduate students: a pilot randomized controlled trial.

Music is well-known for its stress-reducing effects. Little is known about the potential effect of music interventions in fostering internal coping resources for stress management among undergraduate students in Hong Kong. This pilot study aimed to examine the efficacy of the Group-based Focus Music Imagery Program (GFMI) in promoting a stress-is-enhancing mindset, sense of coherence, and self-compassion among undergraduate students. We used a two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial (RCT). The experimental arm received 6 weeks of GFMI with measures taken at two time points after completing baseline assessments (Weeks 6, 10). The control arm received 6 weeks of an active control program and completed the outcome measures at time points similar to the GFMI group. Data were collected using the Chinese versions of the Sense of Coherence Scale (C-SOC-13), the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (C-SCS-SF), the Stress Mindset Measure (C-SMM), the Perceived Stress Scale (C-PSS-10), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (C-GAD-7). Sixty-four participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 32) or the control group (n = 32) between July 2021 and September 2022. The experimental group exhibited a retention rate of 71.9% at T1 (23 out of 32 participants), which slightly decreased to 65.6% (21 out of 32) at T2. The control group displayed a retention rate of 75% (24 out of 32) at T1, which dropped to 43.8% (14 out of 32) at T2. The GEE analyses showed insignificant differences between groups at any time point in C-SOC-13, C-SCS-SF, and C-SMM. Instead, the control group had a higher reduction in stress scores (C-PSS-10) at T1, and anxiety (C-GAD-7) at T2 than the experimental group. The pilot trial provided valuable information in examining the feasibility of the trial design and intervention. Future studies with larger samples are needed to validate if GFMI can reliably promote coping resources to manage stress and anxiety in undergraduate students. https://www.researchregistry.com/, researchregistry8209.

Exploring the Relationship between Insecure Attachment Styles and Social Anxiety in Undergraduate Students

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the correlation between Avoidant and Anxious Attachment Styles and Social Anxiety, contributing to a deeper understanding of these interconnected factors among undergraduate students.
 Methodology: Convenient Sampling was used to recruit 350 participants aged 18-26 from Forman Christian College (FCCU) in Lahore, Pakistan. The study administered the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (R-AAS) for close relationships and the Social Anxiety Scale (SAS). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS v.20, with Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient, Simple Linear Regression, and Independent Sample t-Test applied.
 Findings: A statistically significant positive correlation was found between Anxious Attachment Style and Social Anxiety. Anxious Attachment Style was revealed to positively predict 19% variance in Social Anxiety with p value <.001. A significant gender difference was found among Social Anxiety and Anxious Attachment Style, but none among Avoidant Attachment Style.
 Implications: Practical implications include tailored clinical interventions and support groups for holistic treatment. Recognizing attachment styles can improve intimate relationships. Gender differences in social anxiety suggest women may need gender-sensitive therapy to address social challenges in education and careers.

Opportunities for libraries to address research anxiety in undergraduate students in STEM fields

Opportunities for libraries to address research anxiety in undergraduate students in STEM fields

Forest bathing diminishes anxiety in undergraduate students: a pilot study in the Valdivian temperate rainforest

ABSTRACT Urban life has generally resulted in lifestyles characterised by high stress and anxiety, all which has increased the pervasiveness of mental disorders. University students, a group highly vulnerable to these problems, are likely to develop mental pathologies associated with anxiety and substance abuse. Forest bathing is one nature-oriented intervention aimed at improving physical as well as psychological well-being by reducing anxious symptomatology and stress. Here we evaluated the healing impact of forest bathing on the stress and anxiety of undergraduate students at one local university. We also included others key aspects of psychological mental health that have received scarce attention in forest bathing research like mindfulness, wellbeing and self-regulated learning. Twenty-one students belonging to the Universidad Austral de Chile were randomly assigned to the city or forest groups and took part in an intervention consisting in a low-impact 30 minute walk and a 15-minute contemplation afterwards. Five instruments to evaluate overall mental health (and blood pressure) were applied before and after the intervention. Our results showed that a rather short session of forest bathing is enough to reduce anxiety in undergraduate university students. The other measures of psychological or physiological health showed no statistical differences before and after the intervention (between city and forest) or time effects (within the forest or city treatment). A potential reason for this might be related to the short duration of the intervention itself. Our results are encouraging regarding mental health therapy, as this type of intervention could easily be implemented on campus.

An investigation of relationships between body compassion, social physique anxiety and physical appearance perfectionism in young people from Iran

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that physical appearance perfectionism could play an important role in social physique anxiety; however, the moderating role of body compassion has not been studied. The current study aims to explore the moderating role of body compassion in the relationship between physical appearance perfectionism and social physique anxiety in undergraduate students.MethodsA sample of 418 undergraduates (n = 418; 217 female and 201 males) from three universities in Tehran, Iran completed online questionnaires measuring physical appearance perfectionism, body compassion and social physique anxiety.ResultsThe results of structural equation modeling showed that physical appearance perfectionism (β = 0.68, p < 0.001) positively predicted the social physique anxiety and body compassion negatively predicted (β = − .56, p < 0.001) the social physique anxiety in undergraduate students. A multi-group analysis showed that body compassion acted as a moderator between physical appearance perfectionism and social physique anxiety.ConclusionsThe results suggested that individuals with greater levels of physical appearance perfectionism are more likely to experience social physique anxiety. Also, the results suggested that individuals who were at a high level of the body-compassion group experienced lower levels of social physical anxiety if they also had high levels of physical appearance perfectionism. Therefore, body-compassion acted as a protective role in the relationship between physical appearance perfectionism and social physique anxiety.

Self-efficacy, mindfulness, and self-compassion as predictors of math anxiety in undergraduate students

Many undergraduate students avoid mathematics classes due to math anxiety. This curtails options, particularly STEM majors where workers are needed and jobs are prevalent. This study aimed to investigate whether self-efficacy, mindfulness, and self-compassion predicted math anxiety. Participants of this study were undergraduate students (N = 345) from the Mathematics Department at a large Southeastern U.S. university. There was a significant difference in math anxiety scores between students pursuing STEM and non-STEM degrees. Non-STEM majors had higher scores on a measure of math anxiety. Hierarchical multiple regression results suggested that self-efficacy and self-compassion predicted math anxiety. There was a significant correlation, but not a predictive relationship, between mindfulness and math anxiety.

Can anxiety in undergraduate students in a high-fidelity clinical simulation be predicted? A randomized, sham-controlled, blinded trial

IntroductionHigh-fidelity clinical simulation has implied a revolution in health science training. Despite its benefits, some drawbacks could hinder the learning process, especially the anxiety produced during such scenarios. ObjectivesThe aim of the present work is to develop a predictive model capable of determining which students will present high levels of anxiety. DesignWe performed a randomized, sham-controlled, blinded trial in which students were randomly assigned to four scenarios and played one of two possible roles. MethodsBefore and after the simulation we assessed the anxiety level along with physiological and analytical parameters. The main analyzed outcome was an increase of ≥25% in anxiety compared with baseline. ResultsThe type of scenario or the role played had no effect on anxiety. The predictive model presented an Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristics of 0.798 (95% CI: 0.69–0.90; p < 0.001), with age and systolic blood pressure being protective factors against anxiety. ConclusionsOur results showed that the anxiety level developed during simulation could be predicted. The application of this predictive model when associated to appropriate techniques to deal with increased anxiety levels could improve the learning process of medical students during simulations.

Anxiety, depression, and health anxiety in undergraduate students living in initial US outbreak “hotspot” during COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Evidence of the psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including depression, anxiety, and health anxiety, has been documented globally. College students are a unique sub-set of the population with consistently elevated psychological distress associated with the pandemic, and well-informed intervention is urgently needed. The current study is the first, to our knowledge, to document the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of undergraduates in a heavily impacted area in the United States. Cross-sectional, self-report data on psychological distress and COVID-19 exposure were collected from a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 641 undergraduates between April 7–9 May 2020. Nearly half of the students reported elevated psychological distress, including health anxiety, general anxiety, and depression. Heightened risk of psychological distress was associated with female sex, a COVID-19 case in one’s immediate social network, underlying medical vulnerabilities, and recent experience of ≥3 viral symptoms. Vigilance to viral symptoms and worry about coronavirus were also factors associated with more severe psychological distress. The current study highlights some of the factors associated with a greater risk of developing psychological distress due to COVID-19 and can be used to inform the dissemination of psychological interventions.

A review on psycho physiological impacts of yoga on Anxiety in undergraduate students

Undergraduate students are defenseless against a basic period in formative development, confronting thorough scholastic work, and figuring out how to work autonomously. Physical exercises, for example, running and bicycling have been appeared to improve temperament and alleviate pressure. In any case, understudies regularly have low degrees of physical movement. Yoga is an antiquated physical and mental movement that influences temperament and anxiety. Be that as it may, considers looking at the psycho physiological impacts of yoga are uncommon in peer-checked on diaries. The point of this examination is to build up fundamental proof for the psycho physiological impacts of yoga on worry in youthful grown-up understudies. The current investigation proposes that yoga effect sly affects a psycho physiological level that prompts diminished degrees of worry in undergrad. Further research is expected to look at the degree to which various kinds of yogic practices address the necessities of various school subpopulations.

Investigate the anxiety between undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students and its relation to their socio-demographic characteristics

Objective: Anxiety is a warning sign for an upcoming risk and is a common reaction of most people reacting to stressful events. The purpose of this study was to investigate anxiety between undergraduate and postgraduate students in nursing and its relation to their socio-demographic characteristics.Methods: This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study with a study sample of comprised of n = 177 nursing students, n1 = 121 undergraduate students and n2 = 56 postgraduate students. The collection of the empirical data was carried out using a fully structured and Self-reported questionnaire which recorded their individual characteristics and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The statistical analysis was conducted using the software package SPSS.Results: State anxiety was not found to differ significantly between undergraduate and postgraduate students. While Trait and Total Anxiety differed significantly, showing higher mean levels for undergraduate students. Moreover, the students of the last two years of study had a higher mean level of State Anxiety compared to the students of the first year of study.Conclusions: The majority of undergraduate and postgraduate students showed relatively low levels of anxiety. Animportant factor to predict anxiety in undergraduate students was the year of study, while for the postgraduate students were age and marital status.

The effect of acupuncture on exam anxiety in medical students: a randomized crossover study

ObjectiveAcupuncture (AC) has been used for treatment of chronic and pre- operative anxiety. However, no study has evaluated the effect of AC on exam anxiety in undergraduate students. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether AC reduces pre-examination anxiety compared to placebo (PL) and non- intervention (NI). MethodsTwenty students from the first terms of physiotherapy and dentistry courses were randomized to receive AC, PL and NI in a crossover manner and subsequently completed three anatomy exams with an interval of 1 month between exams/interventions. AC was performed on acupoints PC-6 (Neiguan), HT-7 (Shenmen), LV-3 (Taichong) and Yintang one day prior to each exam. The PL was performed outside the meridians and the needles were inserted superficially without obtaining De Qi. Levels of anxiety were measured using a visual analogue scale before and after each intervention as well as before each exam. ResultsAnxiety levels were reduced after AC and PL intervention compared to NI on the day before the exam, as well as on the day of the exam. ConclusionThese results suggest that AC can be used as an anxiolytic method in students under conditions of situational stress.

Behavioral inhibition/approach systems constitute risk/protective pathways from ADHD symptoms to depression and anxiety in undergraduate students

Despite the strong positive association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and depression or anxiety, little is known about the underlying mechanism that links ADHD symptoms to internalizing problems. We aimed to examine the contribution of behavioral inhibition/approach systems (BIS/BAS) in explaining ADHD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and their relationships. A sample of Japanese non-clinical undergraduate students (N = 419) completed the BIS/BAS Scales, Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Scale. Spearman's partial rank correlation coefficients were calculated to describe the direct association between each of the measured variables. Mann-Whitney's U tests were conducted to compare ADHD symptoms and internalizing problems according to BIS and BAS activation. The results indicated that, although the simple correlation between inattention and anxiety was positive, it turned negative when the BIS was controlled for. Hyperactivity/impulsivity showed a simple positive correlation with all three BAS components: reward responsiveness (RR), drive, and fun seeking (FS). The RR showed negative partial correlation with anxiety. Furthermore, Mann-Whitney's U tests in the high-BIS group indicated that the high-BAS RR group exhibited less depressive symptoms compared with the low-BAS RR group. Further research focusing on interaction of environmental-social factors and neuro-biological factors are required.

The effectiveness of art therapy for anxiety in adults: A systematic review of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials.

BackgroundAnxiety disorders are one of the most diagnosed mental health disorders. Common treatment consists of cognitive behavioral therapy and pharmacotherapy. In clinical practice, also art therapy is additionally provided to patients with anxiety (disorders), among others because treatment as usual is not sufficiently effective for a large group of patients. There is no clarity on the effectiveness of art therapy (AT) on the reduction of anxiety symptoms in adults and there is no overview of the intervention characteristics and working mechanisms.MethodsA systematic review of (non-)randomised controlled trials on AT for anxiety in adults to evaluate the effects on anxiety symptom severity and to explore intervention characteristics, benefitting populations and working mechanisms. Thirteen databases and two journals were searched for the period 1997 –October 2017. The study was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42017080733) and performed according to the Cochrane recommendations. PRISMA Guidelines were used for reporting.ResultsOnly three publications out of 776 hits from the search fulfilled the inclusion criteria: three RCTs with 162 patients in total. All studies have a high risk of bias. Study populations were: students with PTSD symptoms, students with exam anxiety and prisoners with prelease anxiety. Visual art techniques varied: trauma-related mandala design, collage making, free painting, clay work, still life drawing and house-tree-person drawing. There is some evidence of effectiveness of AT for pre-exam anxiety in undergraduate students. AT is possibly effective in reducing pre-release anxiety in prisoners. The AT characteristics varied and narrative synthesis led to hypothesized working mechanisms of AT: induce relaxation; gain access to unconscious traumatic memories, thereby creating possibilities to investigate cognitions; and improve emotion regulation.ConclusionsEffectiveness of AT on anxiety has hardly been studied, so no strong conclusions can be drawn. This emphasizes the need for high quality trials studying the effectiveness of AT on anxiety.

Perceived Academic Control and Academic Emotions Predict Undergraduate University Student Success: Examining Effects on Dropout Intention and Achievement.

The present study addressed concerns over the high risk of university students' academic failure. It examined how perceived academic control and academic emotions predict undergraduate students' academic success, conceptualized as both low dropout intention and high achievement (indicated by GPA). A cross-sectional survey was administered to 883 undergraduate students across all disciplines of a German STEM orientated university. The study additionally compared freshman students (N = 597) vs. second-year students (N = 286). Using structural equation modeling, for the overall sample of undergraduate students we found that perceived academic control positively predicted enjoyment and achievement, as well as negatively predicted boredom and anxiety. The prediction of dropout intention by perceived academic control was fully mediated via anxiety. When taking perceived academic control into account, we found no specific impact of enjoyment or boredom on the intention to dropout and no specific impact of all three academic emotions on achievement. The multi-group analysis showed, however, that perceived academic control, enjoyment, and boredom among second-year students had a direct relationship with dropout intention. A major contribution of the present study was demonstrating the important roles of perceived academic control and anxiety in undergraduate students' academic success. Concerning corresponding institutional support and future research, the results suggested distinguishing incoming from advanced undergraduate students.

DETERMINING WORRIES OF FINAL YEAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ABOUT FINDING JOBS: TURKISH REPUBLIC OF NORTHERN CYPRUS (TRNC) AS AN EXAMPLE

Today the problem of “youth unemployment” is not only one of the most important problems in developing countries such as TRNC, but also it is a significant problem in the developed western nations. Determining the reasons that lead into anxiety in undergraduate students about finding jobs will be the initial step to solve this problem. In this regard, the aim of this study is to determine the opinions and identify worries of the final year undergraduate students about finding jobs. In this study the data were obtained by asking hundred final year undergraduate students at one of the private universities in TRNC to write a composition and by using face to face meeting technique. The obtained data were examined and interpreted depending on the descriptive analysis method by thematic approach.The opinions of the students on several different aspects, including their reasons for choosing their undergraduate programme of study, their expectations from their programme of study, whether they want to study another degree or not instead of their current programme of study, the quality of the education that they are provided, their worries about finding jobs and their job visions are involved in this study. According to the data obtained as a result of this study, the level of the anxiety of the final year undergraduate students about finding jobs is high and the reasons of the anxiety include financial difficulties, the quality of the provided education, presence of a considerable number of unemployed graduates and the problems related to their programme of study.&#x0D; Keywords: TRNC, unemployment, worries about finding jobs, reasons for unemployment, education

The effects of social factors on anxiety by logistic regression analysis in undergraduate students

Objective To explore the prevalence of anxiety and its related social factors in undergraduate student, in order to provide scientific evidence for the prevention of anxiety in undergraduate. Methods The cluster random sampling was adopted for this study, and 965 college students from Zhengzhou University were investigated by Personal Report of Communication Apprehension, Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire, Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Perceived Social Support Scale and Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. Results ①The anxiety detection rate of respondents was 19.3%. There were significant differences in the detection rate and severity of anxiety between genders(Male: 27.0%, Female: 10.2%) and grades(Freshman: 16.4%, Junior: 23.8%) in the college students(P 0.05). ②The scores of communication apprehension((69.31±12.32), (65.25±12.56)), positive coping style((20.84±5.10), (23.99±5.18)), negative coping style((11.03±4.15), (09.18±3.96)), Toronto alexithymia((74.97±6.93), (70.31±7.98)) and perceived social support((53.14±5.78), (57.02±5.79)) of the anxiety group were significantly different with those of the normal group (P<0.05). ③The significant relationship was found among anxiety emotions and gender, positive coping style, negative coping style, Toronto alexithymia and perceived social support by using Logistic regression analysis (P<0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of anxiety in undergraduate students is relatively high and it is related with multiple factors. In addition, social support, alexithymia and coping style have a close correlation with anxiety in undergraduates. Key words: Anxiety; Alexithymia; Social support; Logistic regression analysis

The Effect of Attentional Control and Heart-Period Variability on Negative Affect and Trait Anxiety

ABSTRACT In this study, the author examines the effect of attentional control and heart-period variability on measures of negative affect and trait anxiety in undergraduate students. Baseline heart rate was recorded from 119 participants within a laboratory setting. Spectral analysis was used on the heart-rate data to isolate the parasympathetic contribution to the cardiac pattern. Participants completed measures of negative affect, attentional control, and trait anxiety following the recording of heart rate. Regression analysis indicated that high negative affect, low attentional control, and reduced parasympathetic tone were significant predictors of high trait anxiety. Subsequent regression analysis pointed toward the interaction of attentional control and parasympathetic tone in influencing self-rated measures of negative affect. Results highlight the importance of attentional control and parasympathetic tone as regulatory mechanisms related to self-rated estimates of negative affect and trait anxiety.