Anxious Individuals Research Articles

Relationship between stress, anxiety and family environment in Turkish married individuals

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to determine how the family environment affects the stress and anxiety levels of married women and men living in the city center of Antalya. The study was defined as a descriptive quantitative research and 455 married individuals attended. Between 20 February and 20 April 2022, data were gathered at parks, bazaars, markets, streets, restaurants, and private workplaces in the Antalya city center’s Kepez, Konyaaltı, and Muratpaşa districts. The findings showed that there was a positive and weak correlation (r = 0.306) between stress and anxiety that the participants felt. The family environment had a weak and negative correlation with anxiety. The increase in the perceptions of the participants about the anxiety state elevated their stress levels (R2=.093). The increased perceptions of the family environment also decreased anxiety levels (R2=.052). It can be asserted that the family environment had a direct effect on the anxiety level of individuals and an indirect impact on their stress levels. Psychosocial interventions offer important and valuable insight for helping married individuals reduce their anxiety and stress levels.

Using electrodermal activity to estimate fear learning differences in anxiety: A multiverse analysis

Meta-analyses indicate differences in Pavlovian fear responses between anxious and non-anxious individuals using electrodermal activity (EDA). Recent research, however, has cast doubt on whether these effects are robust to different analytic choices. Using the multiverse approach conceived by Steegen et al. (2016), we surveyed analytic choices typically implemented in clinical fear conditioning research by conducting 1240 analyses reflecting different choice permutations. Only 1.45% of our analyses produced theoretically congruent statistically significant effects, and the strength and direction of the estimated effects varied substantially across EDA processing methods. We conclude that EDA-estimated fear learning differences are vulnerable to researcher degrees of freedom and make recommendations regarding which analytical choices should be approached with a high degree of caution.

The Roles of Social Perception and AI Anxiety in Individuals’ Attitudes Toward ChatGPT in Education

Public attitudes are essential for technology promotion and policy formulation. The present study investigated the Chinese public’s knowledge of ChatGPT, as well as examined the roles played by Big-Five personality traits, social perception, and AI anxiety in shaping the public’s attitudes toward ChatGPT using the questionnaire method. Results showed that: (1) Nearly, 1/3 of teachers surveyed did not know ChatGPT at all, and all of them were primary and secondary school teachers. (2) The level of knowledge about ChatGPT was significantly related to gender, educational level, teaching stage (in teacher samples), and major (in student samples). (3) The public’s positive attitude is higher significantly than the negative attitude. (4) Social perception positively predicted positive attitudes and negatively predicted negative attitudes. Moreover, a notably higher predictive power for positive attitudes compared to negative attitudes was demonstrated by social perception. There is an equally predictive effect of competence perception and warmth perception on attitudes, without any domain effect observed. (5) AI anxiety only positively predicted negative attitudes but did not impact positive attitudes. In explaining negative attitudes, AI anxiety exhibited a higher explanatory power compared to the Big-Five personality traits, primarily correlating with neuroticism. The findings indicate that it’s inappropriate to consider attitude evaluation toward AI as a single dimension. There are relatively independent components for positive and negative attitudes toward AI. The roles played by other predictive variables in attitudes are discussed.

Social Appearance Anxiety, Self-Esteem, and Life Satisfaction Relationship in Individuals Who Have Undergone Aesthetic Procedures

Objective: The study aims to determine the relationship between social appearance anxiety, self-esteem, and life satisfaction of individuals who have had aesthetic procedures. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on individuals who applied to a private clinic in Samsun. The study involved 284 people who received aesthetic surgery services. The data of the study were collected online between August 2022 and October 2022. Study data were collected by questionnaire forms prepared on Google Forms. Study data were collected through four forms, namely, the personal introduction form, social appearance anxiety scale, life satisfaction scale, and Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Results: As a result of the study, there is a significant negative relationship between life satisfaction and social appearance anxiety (r=-0.393). There is a weak positive correlation between social appearance anxiety and self-esteem (r=0.168). There is a weak negative relationship between life satisfaction and self-esteem (r=-0.173). Conclusion: It has been determined that individuals with high social appearance anxiety have low life satisfaction. It may be appropriate for individuals with high social appearance anxiety to receive professional support to improve their quality of life.

Feasibility Study the Effectiveness of Self-care Promoting Program on Self-care Behavioral and Clinical Outcomes in People with Corneal Transplantation: A Quasi-experiment Study

Corneal transplantation is the most effective treatment for visual impairment caused by corneal blindness and can improve patients’ quality of vision. However, pre- and post-operative self-care is necessary to reduce the risk of complications and graft rejection. This one-group, quasi-experimental design with repeated measures aimed to determine the feasibility and effectiveness of self-care promoting programs on self-care behavior, anxiety, and clinical outcomes in individuals with corneal transplantation. Thirty participants who met the inclusion criteria were purposively recruited from a corneal excellence center in Bangkok, Thailand, from October 2021 to August 2022. The data collection instruments included the Demographic and Health Data Forms, the Self-Care Behavior Questionnaire, and the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The program was found to be feasible, with all participants able to attend for 30 days postoperation. In terms of effectiveness, participants demonstrated improved self-care behavior and reduced anxiety compared to pre-program levels. Visual acuity also showed improvement 30 days postoperation, with 83.3% of participants having a clear corneal graft. These findings are significant for nursing practice, as they suggest that this program could be a promising tool for enhancing self-care behavior in individuals undergoing corneal transplantation. Nurses could potentially use this program to promote self-care behavior, alleviate anxiety, and enhance clinical outcomes. However, further research with randomized control is necessary before widespread implementation can be recommended.

I say a little prayer for my singlehood: exploring the role of prayer for single adults’ mental health

ABSTRACT Past research has suggested that religion plays an important role in single individuals’ functioning. However, little is known about the role of prayer in single adults’ mental health. Therefore, the present investigation examined whether adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication, and reception prayer concerning singlehood would moderate the changes in anxiety, depression, and emotional and psychological well-being of Polish single individuals (N = 335 at Time 1) over six months. The analyses showed that among single religious followers, none of the five types of prayer were related to changes in anxiety and depression; however, confession, thanksgiving and reception prayer were related to increased emotional well-being among those who did not pray, and confession prayer was related to decreased psychological well-being among those who prayed. In a sample of nonreligious followers, the analysis suggested the possibility that adoration prayer might be related to decreased anxiety. The study implies that prayer concerning singlehood can be particularly important for single religious followers’ changes in emotional and psychological well-being compared to nonreligious followers and that the temporal effect of prayer concerning singlehood is characterised by high selectiveness and uniqueness depending on the type of prayer, whether prayer is practiced, indicators of mental health and religious identity.

Mediating role of right superior corona microstructural changes in linking attentional control and trait anxiety among youth with childhood maltreatment.

This study explores the neural correlates between attentional control and trait anxiety among youth with a history of childhood maltreatment. Using diffusion tensor imaging, we investigated the microstructural integrity of brain white matter, particularly focusing on the right superior corona radiata (SCA-R). A total of 173 university students with experiences of childhood maltreatment underwent behavioral assessments using the Attentional Control Scale and trait anxiety measurements via the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Our analysis found significant correlations between fractional anisotropy values in the SCA-R and trait anxiety levels, controlled for age and sex. Notably, SCA-R fractional anisotropy values partially mediated the relationship between attentional control and trait anxiety, suggesting a potential pathway through which attentional control could mitigate trait anxiety. These insights highlight attentional control as a potential mitigating factor against trait anxiety, particularly noting the partial mediation role of the SCA-R. Importantly, this study is descriptive and correlative, highlighting associations rather than causal relationships among the variables studied. These findings enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying anxiety in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment.

Investigating the Relationship Between Individual Innovativeness and Programming Anxiety

This study investigates the levels of anxiety among university students regarding programming and examines the factors influencing this anxiety. The research explores the relationships between students’ characteristics such as, risk-taking, leadership qualities, openness to experience, and resistance to change with their programming anxiety. The study’s participants were 427 university students who had undergone programming education prior to 2023. Individual innovativeness and programming concerns of the research participants were analyzed primarily with descriptive statistical methods. Afterwards, the relationships between the sub-dimensions of individual innovativeness and levels of programming anxiety were investigated using relational screening models. Results indicate a slight positive correlation between reluctance towards change and receptiveness to new experiences with programming anxiety, whereas a modest negative correlation is observed between willingness to take risks and leadership qualities. The combination of these factors moderately and significantly predicts students’ levels of programming anxiety. The research offers valuable perspectives for educators and developers of programs seeking to create methods to ease the anxiety students face in programming education.

Incidence and Influencing Factors of Anxiety and Depression in Individuals with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Retrospective Study.

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is the most common type of stroke in clinical practice, and individuals with stroke are more prone to psychological disorders than healthy individuals. This study aims to explore the incidence of anxiety and depression and related influencing factors in individuals with AIS. In brief, 680 individuals with AIS admitted to Chun'an County First People's Hospital from January 2021 to January 2023 were selected as the research subjects, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were evaluated with the Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) to observe the occurrence of anxiety and depression, and single-factor and multi-factor logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of anxiety and depression. Among the 680 individuals with AIS, there were 63 cases of mild anxiety (9.26%), 25 cases of moderate anxiety (3.68%), and 8 cases of severe anxiety (1.18%), with a total of 96 cases (14.12%) with anxiety symptoms. Additionally, there were 74 cases of mild depression (10.88%), 28 cases of moderate depression (4.12%), and 10 cases of severe depression (1.47%), with a total of 112 cases with depression (16.47%). The results of univariate analysis showed that there was a weak correlation between age, body mass index, disease duration, marital status, and the development of anxiety and depression in individuals with AIS (p > 0.05). Educational level, underlying diseases, family income, and place of residence were found to influence the development of anxiety and depression in individuals with AIS (p < 0.05). The results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that educational level (no higher education), underlying diseases (with), family income (<50,000 yuan/year, the average exchange rate of RMB to USD was 6.7261), and place of residence (rural area) were influencing factors for the development of anxiety and depression in individuals with AIS (p < 0.05). Depression and anxiety are common psychological disorders in patients with AIS. The level of education (no higher education), underlying diseases (with), family income (<50,000 yuan/year), and place of residence (rural area) were risk factors that may lead to anxiety and depression in individuals with AIS. For those with risk factors for anxiety and depression, reasonable intervention should be continually provided to guide early disease prediction and treatment of anxiety and depression in individuals with AIS.

Emotion and anxiety interact to bias spatial attention.

Emotional expressions are an evolutionarily conserved means of social communication essential for social interactions. It is important to understand how anxious individuals perceive their social environments, including emotional expressions, especially with the rising prevalence of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Anxiety is often associated with an attentional bias for threat-related stimuli, such as angry faces. Yet the mechanisms by which anxiety enhances or impairs two key components of spatial attention-attentional capture and attentional disengagement-to emotional expressions are still unclear. Moreover, positive valence is often ignored in studies of threat-related attention and anxiety, despite the high occurrence of happy faces during everyday social interaction. Here, we investigated the relationship between anxiety, emotional valence, and spatial attention in 574 participants across two preregistered studies (data collected in 2021 and 2022; Experiment 1: n = 154, 54.5% male, Mage = 43.5 years; Experiment 2: n = 420, 58% male, Mage = 36.46 years). We found that happy faces capture attention more quickly than angry faces during the visual search experiment and found delayed disengagement from both angry and happy faces over neutral faces during the spatial cueing experiment. We also show that anxiety has a distinct impact on both attentional capture and disengagement of emotional faces. Together, our findings highlight the role of positively valenced stimuli in attracting and holding attention and suggest that anxiety is a critical factor in modulating spatial attention to emotional stimuli. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The generalization of threat beliefs to novel safety stimuli induced by safety behaviors

Safety behaviors are responses that can reduce or even prevent an expected threat. Moreover, empirical studies have shown that using safety behaviors to a learnt safety stimulus can induce threat beliefs to it. No research so far has examined whether threat beliefs induced this way generalize to other novel stimuli related to the safety stimulus. Using a fear and avoidance conditioning model, the current study (n=116) examined whether threat beliefs induced by safety behaviors generalize to other novel generalization stimuli (GSs). Participants first acquired safety behaviors to a threat predicting conditioned stimulus (CSthreat). Safety behaviors could then be performed in response to one safe stimulus (CSsafeShift) but not to another (CSsafe). In a following generalization test, participants showed a significant but small increase in threat expectancies to GSs related to CSsafeShift compared to GSs related to CSsafe. Interestingly, the degree of safety behaviors used to the CSsafeShift predicted the subsequent increase in generalized threat expectancies, and this link was elevated in trait anxious individuals. The findings suggest that threat beliefs induced by unnecessary safety behaviors generalize to other related stimuli. This study provides a potential explanation for the root of threat belief acquisition to a wide range of stimuli or situations.

Combating geriatric depression: Pet therapy's revolutionary role and contributions to public health

This study aims to investigate the impact of pet therapy on the treatment of depression in elderly individuals and its implications for public health. The research explores the objective, observations, results, and conclusion, of the study. Research has shown that regular interaction with animals can decrease stress hormone levels among older individuals. Additionally, it promotes the release of hormones such as oxytocin, which are associated with increased positive emotions. The physical activities involved in pet therapy sessions also contribute to the overall physical health of elderly individuals by improving balance, and coordination, and reducing the risk of falls. Furthermore, interaction with animals encourages the use of social skills and helps in reducing social isolation among the elderly. The findings indicate that pet therapy significantly reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety in elderly individuals. The widespread adoption of pet therapy can potentially alleviate the burden on healthcare systems and decrease the reliance on medications, ultimately reducing treatment costs. However, it is essential to prioritize animal hygiene and welfare to ensure the effectiveness and safety of pet therapy practices. Overall, pet therapy presents a promising and innovative approach to addressing depression among the elderly. Existing research highlights its efficacy in reducing depressive symptoms and enhancing the quality of life for older adults. Further research is needed to explore the broader applications of pet therapy and to integrate this approach into elderly care programs. This will help establish pet therapy as a valuable component of holistic geriatric care, ultimately contributing to improved mental health and well-being for the elderly population. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the potential benefits of pet therapy in treating depression among the elderly. By further exploring and integrating pet therapy into elderly care programs, we can enhance the overall mental health and well-being of this population. This research underscores the importance of considering alternative and innovative approaches to address mental health issues in the elderly, ultimately contributing to a healthier and happier aging population.

A Comparative Study on Aggression and Performance Anxiety in Physical and Non-physical Sports in India

Understanding the interplay of aggression and anxiety in individuals who compete in physical sport against those who compete in non-physical sport is crucial to provide individuals with customized training programs, interventions, and coping strategies. Incorporating a comparative framework this study aims to investigate the correlation of aggression and performance anxiety in physical and non-physical sports. The study included a total 100 participants of which 51 were individuals competing in physical sports and 49 competing in non-physical sports, the distribution also included 64 males and 36 females. Both performance anxiety and aggression were measured through standardized assessment tools, Sports Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2) by Smith, Ronald E. et, al. (2006) and the Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) by Buss and Perry (1992). The scores of physical sport participants indicated a mean score of 78.3 (SD=16.5) in Aggressive behaviours and 29.7 (SD=9.9) in Anxious behaviours, mean scores for non-physical sport participants were 67.9 (SD=16.4) for aggression and 27.8 (SD=7.4) for sport anxiety. The findings of this study highlight that both groups physical sport and non-physical) sport had a moderate to good positive correlation of aggression and performance anxiety, and the need for further research dedicated to professional athletes in both domain.

Speech under Stress: Analysis and Recognition using KNN

This work examines how speech characteristics might be analyzed to tailor automated conversation recognition to illness diagnosis. Voice analysis, which is now performed by a skilled physician using techniques based on auditory analysis, enables the diagnosis of illnesses that impact the vocal apparatus. The suggested work offers a cutting-edge way to monitor a patient's pathology. It is stress-free to use, quick, and affordable for the physician, and safe for the patient. This technique practices a parametric methodology (jitter, shimmer, harmonic to sound, etc.) to assess the sick vocal sound. Additionally, the technique for this work rest on on the feature extraction of Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient (MFCC) and the feature matching of Dynamic Time Warping (DTW). This article provides a step-by-step breakdown of the speech analysis procedure used on anxious individuals. The degree of classification accuracy attained for each of the retrieved characteristics confirms that our method is effective in differentiating between stressed individuals. Thus, the speech analysis feature on the PRAAT platform has produced positive results and shown to be an effective tool for differentiating between those who are under stress and those who are not. Using MATLAB 2018b, the work displays several 2D and 3D displays of teaching and anticipated matters. Keywords: Dynamic Time Warping, Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficient, K nearest neighbor, Virtual Reality

Remote work arrangement: a blessing in disguise for socially anxious individuals.

This research examines the link between social anxiety disorder (SAD), psychological distance (PD), and burnout using survey data from 463 software development workers who are currently working remotely. According to the results of the study, SAD was associated with higher PD, but, in contrast to what had been shown in earlier studies, this higher PD had no effect on the participants' reported levels of burnout. Both psychological safety and workplace attachment orientation (WAO) were tested for their moderating effects in this study. According to the study's findings, the link between SAD and PD was moderated by WAO but not by psychological safety. The findings of this study underscore the importance of conducting additional research on the challenges faced by people with social anxiety in the workplace and the steps that can be taken by employers to better accommodate them.

Physical Activity, Anxiety, Depression, and Body Image in Trans Individuals: An Exploratory Study.

In a cross-sectional study, 75 Portuguese transgender individuals (M = 23.68; SD ± 6.59) were recruited to participate in this study. The participants completed three questionnaires related to the assessment of physical activity (IPAQ), depressive and anxious symptomatology (HADS), and satisfaction with body image (BISQp). Trans individuals showed a total energy expenditure of 3316.40 metabolic equivalent tasks (METS), had a moderate level of anxiety symptomatology, and low levels of satisfaction with body image. Satisfaction with body image was negatively associated with anxiety (r = -0.441, p < 0.01) and depression symptomatology (r = -0.600, p < 0.01). The implementation of inclusive programs that promote body acceptance and coping strategies, particularly within the context of physical exercise, may help alleviate distress related to body image dissatisfaction while also addressing underlying anxiety and depression symptoms.

Wearable Technology Insights: Unveiling Physiological Responses During Three Different Socially Anxious Activities

Wearable technology holds promise for monitoring and managing Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), yet the absence of clear biomarkers specific to SAD hampers its effectiveness. This paper explores this issue by presenting a study investigating variances in heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance between socially anxious and non-anxious individuals. One hundred eleven non-clinical student participants participated in groups of three in three anxiety-provoking activities (i.e., speech, group discussion, and interview) in a controlled lab-based study. During the study, electrocardiogram (ECG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) signals were captured via on-body electrodes. During data analysis, participants were divided into four groups based on their self-reported anxiety level (“None”, “mild”, “moderate”, and “severe”). Between-group analysis shows that discriminating ECG features (i.e., HR and MeanNN) could identify anxious individuals during anxiety-provoking activities, while EDA could not. Moreover, the discriminating ECG features improved the classification accuracy of anxious and non-anxious individuals in different machine-learning techniques. The findings need to be further scrutinized in real-world settings for the generalizability of the results.

Counterfactual thinking induces different neural patterns of memory modification in anxious individuals

Episodic counterfactual thinking (eCFT) is the process of mentally simulating alternate versions of experiences, which confers new phenomenological properties to the original memory and may be a useful therapeutic target for trait anxiety. However, it remains unclear how the neural representations of a memory change during eCFT. We hypothesized that eCFT-induced memory modification is associated with changes to the neural pattern of a memory primarily within the default mode network, moderated by dispositional anxiety levels. We tested this proposal by examining the representational dynamics of eCFT for 39 participants varying in trait anxiety. During eCFT, lateral parietal regions showed progressively more distinct activity patterns, whereas medial frontal neural activity patterns became more similar to those of the original memory. Neural pattern similarity in many default mode network regions was moderated by trait anxiety, where highly anxious individuals exhibited more generalized representations for upward eCFT (better counterfactual outcomes), but more distinct representations for downward eCFT (worse counterfactual outcomes). Our findings illustrate the efficacy of examining eCFT-based memory modification via neural pattern similarity, as well as the intricate interplay between trait anxiety and eCFT generation.

Electric and magnetic field pollution in near substations and investigation of anxiety and depressive effects on adult individuals living in this area

ABSTRACT Exposure to electromagnetic fields causes a variety of health problems in living systems. We investigated EMF pollution in Şanlıurfa city center and also investigated anxiety-depression symptoms in individuals (18–40 years old) exposed to this pollution. For this purpose, electric field and magnetic field measurements were taken at Electricity Distribution Center and 44 substations (for each transformer), at 0 points, 1 meter away, 2 meters away and the house/office closest to the transformer. The experimental group was individuals living in electricity distribution center residences and individuals living near transformers (n = 55). The control group was selected from individuals who lived outside the city center of Şanlıurfa, did not have transformers or high transmission lines near their homes, and did not have any chronic diseases that could cause stress (n = 50). Anxiety and depression symptoms of the groups were measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory Scale (BDI). The relationship between EMF pollution and anxiety-depression was evaluated statistically. Maximum MF and EF values were recorded as 0.22 mT and 65.9 kV/m, respectively. All measured MF values were below standards, but EF values were above standards at some points. In conclusion, there is no statistically convincing evidence of a relationship between EMF exposure and anxiety-depression (p > 0.05). This result shows that there may be more meaningful results in places with higher EMF levels. We interpreted the fact that exposure to electromagnetic fields does not cause anxiety and depression in individuals, as the measured values are below the limit values.

Does social media use help individuals with social anxiety form romantic relationships?

AbstractThe goal of this study was to examine how social anxiety contributes to romantic relationship formation and whether technology may be used to assist this process. Participants completed an online survey (N = 242); individuals who scored moderate or higher in social anxiety on the Liebowitz social anxiety scale were invited to participate in an anonymous online chat (N = 41). Quantitative and qualitative data revealed that socially anxious individuals reported more confidence speaking to romantic interests virtually than in person. Social media appears to be a tool for socially anxious individuals to ease stress associated with romantic relationship formation.