Levels Of Mental Stress Research Articles

Looking at One's Self Through Facebook Increases Mental Stress: A Computational Psychometric Analysis by Using Eye-Tracking and Psychophysiology.

The aim of this study was to investigate if Mental Stress was superior, inferior, or equal navigating on Facebook own profile or others profiles. An experimental manipulation would invalidate the results since it would force the participants to navigate in only one condition each time. To overcome this problem, we used an eye-tracker to get clear time markers that identified the areas where the participants focused during all of the Facebook navigation. While the gazes were being recorded for 30 participants, we simultaneously recorded their psychophysiological signals, which were extracted and paired with each specific focus area. Consequently, we obtained the psychophysiological correlates of Facebook navigation for both the conditions related to "own" and "others." The areas related to own were about the own profile (such as exploring and focusing on one's own information, posting one's own news, and similar activities). The areas related to others were about Facebook friends (e.g., exploring others' profiles and reading comments). The results showed that, based on cardiovascular measures (strong measurements of psychological stress), looking at one's own profile increased mental stress level. Bayesian analyses showed that these differences between the two conditions were not due to the cognitive load or the different attentional and emotional content in the two conditions. The study posed new questions about the expression of one's self to others, and indicated potential detrimental effects of chronic stress deriving from being more oriented to the self than the others.

Measuring Mental Stress During Otologic Surgery Using Heart Rate Variability Analysis.

Healthy individuals have significant beat-to-beat variability in heart rate, and this variability decreases with mental stress. We aim to use heart rate variability (HRV) to objectively compare mental stress levels in otologic surgeons at rest and during key portions of procedures. Pilot study. Operating room and laboratory. Two neurotology fellows performed six mastoidectomy and facial nerve (FN) dissections in the operating room and six in a cadaver lab while continuous electrocardiograms were measured wirelessly. Five-minute samples were recorded during resting, preoperative, mastoidectomy, and FN dissection. Beat-to-beat time intervals were analyzed in time and frequency domains. The standard deviation of normal beat-to-beat intervals (SDNN) and the ratio of low frequency to high frequency power (LF/HF, measure of sympathetic tone) were calculated. Decreases in SDNN and increases in LF/HF indicate elevated mental stress. Mean resting SDNN was 43.9 ± 9.2 ms, not statistically different from preoperative SDNN (34.1 ± 8.2 ms, p = 0.13). SDNN decreased during mastoidectomy (29.4 ± 11.7 ms) and FN dissection (22.8 ± 3.1 ms), which was significant compared to preoperative values (p = 0.03). Intraoperative LF/HF increased for FN dissection (6.8 ± 2.6) compared to resting (2.2 ± 0.7, p = 0.004), indicating increased sympathetic tone. Mastoid and FN cadaveric procedures resulted in SDNN of 33.6 ± 3.8 and 32.9 ± 4.7 ms, respectively, not statistically different from preoperative values (p = 0.82 and p = 0.94, respectively). Cadaveric FN dissection did not result in increased LF/HF (2.4 ± 0.9) compared to resting (p = 0.94). Decreased HRV and increased sympathetic tone were observed intraoperatively, indicating high levels of mental stress, particularly with FN dissection. Similar changes were not found during cadaveric dissections.

Information Dynamics of the Brain, Cardiovascular and Respiratory Network during Different Levels of Mental Stress.

In this study, an analysis of brain, cardiovascular and respiratory dynamics was conducted combining information-theoretic measures with the Network Physiology paradigm during different levels of mental stress. Starting from low invasive recordings of electroencephalographic, electrocardiographic, respiratory, and blood volume pulse signals, the dynamical activity of seven physiological systems was probed with one-second time resolution measuring the time series of the , , and brain wave amplitudes, the cardiac period (RR interval), the respiratory amplitude, and the duration of blood pressure wave propagation (pulse arrival time, PAT). Synchronous 5-min windows of these time series, obtained from 18 subjects during resting wakefulness (REST), mental stress induced by mental arithmetic (MA) and sustained attention induced by serious game (SG), were taken to describe the dynamics of the nodes composing the observed physiological network. Network activity and connectivity were then assessed in the framework of information dynamics computing the new information generated by each node, the information dynamically stored in it, and the information transferred to it from the other network nodes. Moreover, the network topology was investigated using directed measures of conditional information transfer and assessing their statistical significance. We found that all network nodes dynamically produce and store significant amounts of information, with the new information being prevalent in the brain systems and the information storage being prevalent in the peripheral systems. The transition from REST to MA was associated with an increase of the new information produced by the respiratory signal time series (RESP), and that from MA to SG with a decrease of the new information produced by PAT. Each network node received a significant amount of information from the other nodes, with the highest amount transferred to RR and the lowest transferred to , , and . The topology of the physiological network underlying such information transfer was node- and state-dependent, with the peripheral subnetwork showing interactions from RR to PAT and between RESP and RR, PAT consistently across states, the brain subnetwork resulting more connected during MA, and the subnetwork of brain–peripheral interactions involving different brain rhythms in the three states and resulting primarily activated during MA. These results have both physiological relevance as regards the interpretation of central and autonomic effects on cardiovascular and respiratory variability, and practical relevance as regards the identification of features useful for the automatic distinction of different mental states.

Построение макроцикла подготовки студенческой команды по гандболу

The relevance of the study is due to the need to effectively develop the preparation of student sports teams in team sports. Team sports require a special approach to year-round training development, since within the framework of a single training process, it is necessary to solve prob-lems of individual, group and team sports improvement. The different level of initial preparedness of student-athletes dictates the need to create a monitoring system of preparedness level and the current state of each student who combine handball with intense educational activities. Due to the high level of academic workload, high physical and mental stress in the session period, students have little time left for training activities. At the same time, even in the absence of significant dif-ferences with the competitive activities of professional sports teams, the training of student-athletes has similar common features in the structure and content of the training process. There-fore, the purpose of our study is to identify the optimal training structure and content of student handball team. We analyze the development features of a macrocycle for preparing a student handball team for competitions. We pay attention to the main content and structure of each of the year-round macrocycle periods. General and partial volume indicators and intensity dynamics of training loads are presented and substantiated. We suggest a scheme for the use of means of restoring and improving the athletic performance of student handball players. We provide an option for the most effective training loads distribution in the year-round training cycle of the student male handball team.

Prevalence of overweight, obesity and hypertension among school going children in District Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India: a longitudinal study

Background: India is undergoing a rapid epidemiological transition with increased urbanization and socio-economic development which has resulted in a dramatic change in lifestyle, consisting of physical inactivity, diet rich in fat, sugar and salt coupled with a high level of mental stress. Obesity is one of the most common diseases worldwide and the prevalence in school aged children appears to be increasing. Thus, the present study was planned to establish an association between body mass index (BMI) with hypertension among 10-16 years children.Methods: Present longitudinal study was conducted on 350 children in private schools of District Kanpur and children 12-16yrs of age have included in the study. BMI for age charts was used to assess the obesity and blood pressure was measured by sphygmomanometer and Blood pressure values were compared to the values given by the update of 1987 task force report of the National high blood pressure Education Programme Co-ordinating Committee and children who were found prehypertensive or hypertensive were followed up after 4 weeks duration.Results: In present study the prevalence of overweight and obesity was found 4%,2% respectively. Prevalence of Pre-hypertension and hypertension was found 1.14%, 2.57% respectively and pre-hypertension and hypertension were found more in overweight and obese participants.Conclusions: Prevalence of pre-hypertension and hypertension is more among overweight and obese children. Overweight and obesity are not only risk factor for hypertension but also other diseases, so health education should regularly give about the obesity and its deleterious effects in later part of life.

An Analysis on the State of Wellness of Engineering Undergraduate Students

This paper describes a study performed to gather an overall understanding of the state of wellness inthe engineering undergraduate student population at the University of British Columbia. The study consisted of conducting an anonymous online survey asking students to respond on areas related to their physical and mental health, levels of stress, and belonging and inclusivity in their community. The results indicate discrepancies in perceived mental health, stress levels and sense of belonging between genders and year levels.

Modelling the route choice behaviour under stop-&-go traffic for different car driver segments

A stop-&-go (S&G) wave phenomenon refers to the traffic situation where vehicles experience cyclic patterns of deceleration followed by acceleration. Driving in these conditions is a nuisance as drivers need to be more focussed, which leads to an increase in the level of frustration and mental stress. This study aims at evaluating the effect of the number of S&Gs experienced on the route choice behaviour of drivers. An online stated choice experiment was conducted on a sample of regular car drivers residing in Sydney and its neighbouring suburbs. The collected data is analysed using a latent class choice modelling framework which provides characteristics and choice preferences of subgroups of individuals, thus making it attractive to policy makers. Results show that nearly three-quarters of the sample have a negative and significant disutility towards the number of S&Gs experienced. The outcomes from this would potentially be useful in formulating new policies aiming at reducing congestion and the resulting S&G traffic.

Stress assessment by means of heart rate derived from functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Many studies have been carried out in order to detect and quantify the level of mental stress by means of different physiological signals. From the physiological point of view, stress promptly affects brain and cardiac function; therefore, stress can be assessed by analyzing the brain- and heart-related signals more efficiently. Signals produced by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) of the brain together with the heart rate (HR) are employed to assess the stress induced by the Montreal Imaging Stress Task. Two different versions of the HR are used in this study. The first one is the commonly used HR derived from the electrocardiogram (ECG) and is considered as the reference HR (RHR). The other is the HR computed from the fNIRS signal (EHR) by means of an effective combinational algorithm. fNIRS and ECG signals were simultaneously recorded from 10 volunteers, and EHR and RHR are derived from them, respectively. Our results showed a high degree of agreement [r > 0.9, BAR (Bland Altman ratio) <5 % ] between the two HR. A principal component analysis/support vector machine-based algorithm for stress classification is developed and applied to the three measurements of fNIRS, EHR, and RHR and a classification accuracy of 78.8%, 94.6%, and 62.2% were obtained for the three measurements, respectively. From these observations, it can be concluded that the EHR carries more useful information with regards to the mental stress than the RHR and fNIRS signals. Therefore, EHR can be used alone or in combination with the fNIRS signal for a more accurate and real-time stress detection and classification.

The impact of climate change and natural disasters on vulnerable populations: A systematic review of literature

ABSTRACTClimate change is acknowledged as being a crucial determinant of public health. The United States is experiencing an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters as a result of climate change activity, influencing the ways federal, state, and local governments are addressing the growing issue. Individuals who are vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, namely the poor, the elderly/disabled, children, prisoners, and substance abusers have experienced heightened levels of mental, emotional, and bodily stress due to natural disaster exposure. Researchers from a variety of disciplines, public health, social science, and environmental studies, in particular, are examining how natural disasters are impacting mental and physical health functioning while noting the demographic factors leaving certain groups more susceptible to harm. A systematic literature review was conducted on the past 12 years of research that examined natural disaster-related experiences and psychological and physiological health outcomes on populations who are more vulnerable to adverse weather impacts. It was found that the mental and physical health of marginalized populations during and after a natural disaster were elevated and/or exacerbated by circumstances pertaining to the weather event and the lack of disaster-response actions. It was also found that fostering social capital is a way to combat stressors in disadvantaged communities. It is imperative that clinicians and policy makers confront the issue of climate change and natural disasters, developing relief efforts and preventative measures to secure the well-being of underserved groups who may not have many resources at their disposal.

Exploring the Relationships Between Maternal Mental Health Symptoms and Young Children’s Functioning in a Low-Income, Minority Sample

Poor maternal mental health, including depression and high stress levels, can negatively impact many domains of child development, particularly among low-income, ethnic minority families experiencing multiple stressors. Low-income minority mothers, particularly Hispanic mothers, are also at increased risk of experiencing exposure to community violence and other types of trauma. However, studies exploring the additional impact of maternal trauma symptoms on children’s functioning are rare. This study aims to address this gap by examining the impact of maternal trauma symptoms on young children’s functioning in a low-income, predominantly Hispanic sample through the mechanisms of maternal depressive symptoms, and mother’s experiences of parenting stress and strain. The sample consisted of 158 biological mothers (58% Hispanic, 13% African American, 5.7% White American) who were participating in community-based mental health treatment for their children (MAGE = 3.7, SD = 1.2). Mothers completed questionnaires providing information on their children’s behaviors and their own mental health and stress levels at intake. Path analysis indicated that there was a significant indirect effect of maternal trauma symptoms on children’s behavior problems through maternal depressive symptoms and maternal stress in the parent-child relationship (β = 0.09, p < 0.01). In addition, there was a direct effect of maternal trauma symptoms on children’s behavior problems (β = 0.32, p < 0.001). The results suggest that maternal trauma symptoms, in addition to maternal depressive symptoms, contribute to poor maternal and child functioning.

Comparison of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia between Zen-meditation and Control Groups

(1) Background: This research is aimed to develop new methods to investigate the cardiorespiratory interaction of Zen-meditation practitioners (Zen-meditation group) and healthy ordinary young people (control group) by quantitatively evaluating the respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) behavior. (2) Methods: Twenty-five voluntary controls and seven Zen-meditation practitioners were recruited. Experimental protocol involves five sessions of different mental-stress levels (control group) and five sessions of Zen-meditation practice (experimental group). Forty-minute (thirty-minute) ECG and respiratory signals were recorded for each control (experimental) subject. By detecting R peaks, heart-rate sequence is constructed. Two methods are proposed to evaluate RSA behavior based on cycle-to-cycle synchronization between heart-rate and respiratory sequence. (3) Results: Based on the proposed method of computing RSA coefficient, control group average for each session is 0.70 (Rest I), 0.65 (CAT I), 0.75 (BC), 0.63 (CAT II) and 0.70 (Rest II); whereas Zen-meditation group average is 0.81 (S1), 0.84 (S2), 0.84 (S3), 0.86 (S4) and 0.81 (S5), all superior to which of the control group. Average RSA normal rate in Zen-meditation group (91.03%) remarkably surpasses which in the control group (80.48%) in the Rest sessions. (4) Conclusions: Using the time-domain HRV (heart-rate variability) as a reference, our methods, RSA coefficient and RSA normal rate, provide more reliable and direct estimate of RSA behavior than conventional peak-valley method computing the inspiratory–expiratory difference in R-to-R interval of ECG. Moreover, results of the proposed methods are confined in a specified range (RSA coefficient between 0 and 1, RSA normal rate between 0% and 100%) facilitates the interpretation of the quantitative RSA behavior. In the RSA analysis, breathing-control session using anthropic interventions induces more prominent RSA activity in control group. Nevertheless, HHIS Zen meditation, with excellent qi circulation activated by ten-mailuns system, naturally (in the way of do-nothing) elicits superior RSA performance better than sophisticated way of breathing control.

Classification of Mental Stress Levels by Analyzing fNIRS Signal Using Linear and Non-linear Features

Background: Mental stress is known as one of the main influential factors in development of different diseases including heart attack and stroke. Thus, quantification of stress level can be very important in preventing many diseases and in human health. Methods: The prefrontal cortex is involved in body regulation in response to stress. In this research, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals were recorded from FP2 position in the international electroencephalographic 10–20 system during a stressful mental arithmetic task to be calculated within a limited period of time. After extracting the brain’s hemodynamic response from fNIRS signal, different linear and nonlinear features were extracted from the signal which are then used for stress levels classification both individually and in combination. Results: In this study, the maximum accuracy of 88.72% was achieved in classification between high and low stress levels, and 96.92% was obtained for the stress and rest states. Conclusion: Our results showed that using the proposed linear and nonlinear features it is possible to effectively classify stress levels from fNIRS signals recorded from only one site in the prefrontal cortex. Comparing to other methods, it is shown that the proposed algorithm outperforms other previously reported methods using the nonlinear features extracted from the fNIRS signal. These results clearly show the potential of fNIRS signal as a useful tool for early diagnosis and quantify stress.

ОСОБЛИВОСТІ МОТИВАЦІЇ ВІЙСЬКОВОСЛУЖБОВЦІВ ДО САМОЗБЕРЕЖЕННЯ В ЕКСТРЕМАЛЬНІЙ СИТУАЦІЇ

The article presents the results of studying the motivation of the military personnel to self-preservation in the extreme situations. Usually an extreme situation is revealed in terms of disability, health, high negative levels of mental stress and tension. An extreme situation is a situation of the one’s vital activity in which the person acts by anyway, carrying out a certain activity.The analysis of domestic and foreign authors dealing with this problem is carried out in the article. The theoretical models of the self-preservation motivation of Freud, A. Maslou, G. Merrey are stated. The research studies the leading motivation of the military personnel in an extreme situation and the levels of the self-preservation motivation of the military personnel are analyzed. The research is conducted on the examples of people who served in the anti-terrorist operation zone in the east of Ukraine, the technique of incomplete offers, etc. was used. Two levels of the self-preservation motivation of the military personnel are revealed: individual and personal. It is revealed that the self-preservation motivation of the military personnel is the leading motivation in an extreme situation.

Impact of trajectory profiles on user stress in close human-robot interaction

Abstract The impact of different trajectory embodiments in terms of velocity profiles on users’ mental stress in close human-robot interaction is investigated. A cooperative assembly scenario is chosen using a standard industrial robot. Conditions are implemented in a repeated measures within-subjects design comparing linear with trapezoidal trajectories. Heart rate variability and galvanic skin conductance are chosen as objective stress markers and evaluated using the average standard deviation of the beat-to-beat intervals (SDNN) and the average skin resistance. Additionally, evaluations of user experience and acceptance are conducted based on evaluated subjective measures. The results of the user study reveal a significant increase of average heart rate variability and average skin resistance in the trapezoidal condition indicating a reduced mental stress level independent of demographical and dispositional factors.

HYGIENICAL ASSESSMENT OF FACTORS OF EDUCATIONAL AND PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT OF CADETS OF HIGHER MARINE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

The results of factors evaluation of educational and production environment of cadets training at higher marine educational institutions are presented in the paper. It was determined that in the process of professional assimilation of the marine specialties the combination of training and production environment factors affected the cadets organisms, which required considerable stress of adaptation mechanisms of body balance control and could influence the morbidity of this cohort. The complex of leading factors that determined the health state of students of higher marine educational institutions included: microclimate, artificial lighting, noise, vibration, harmful chemical substances in the air of working zones, an increased level of mental stress. The students of all faculties are characterized by a high level of mental stress, which indicates the negative transformation of their emotional and autonomic processes that complicate adaptation to the training environment of marine profession. It is shown that microclimate instability and jet lag when vessels passing to the different climatic areas of the World Ocean exacerbate negative effect of marine environment factors on students health. In the structure of General morbidity of cadets diseases of the respiratory system (62 %); traumas, intoxication and some other consequences of external causes (18.4 %); the nervous system diseases (7.5 %) are dominated. Factors analysis of educational and production environment shows that the cadets health is an indicator of the synergistic negative factors of the training environment that are to be considered while organizing educational and production process and carrying out of preventive measures.

Effects of Low-Intensity Contractions of Different Craniofacial Muscles in Healthy Participants - An Experimental Cross-Over Study.

Repetitive jaw-muscle activity characterized by clenching or grinding of the teeth and/or by bracing or thrusting of the mandible, ie, bruxism, is traditionally linked to pain and unpleasantness in the active muscles. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of standardized craniofacial muscle contractions on self-reported symptoms. Sixteen healthy volunteers performed six 5-minute bouts of 20% maximal voluntary contraction task of the jaw-closing (Jaw), the orbicularis-oris (O-oris), and the orbicularis-oculi (O-oculi) muscles. Participants rated their perceived pain, unpleasantness, fatigue, and mental stress levels before, during, and after the contraction tasks on 0-10 Numeric Rating Scales (NRS). Each muscle contraction task (= 1 session) was separated by at least 1 week and the order of the sessions was randomized in each subject. All muscle contraction tasks evoked significant increases in NRS scores of pain (mean ± SD: Jaw; 3.8 ± 2.7, O-oris; 1.9 ± 2.2, O-oculi; 1.4 ± 1.3, P < .014), unpleasantness (Jaw; 4.1 ± 2.5, O-oris; 2.1 ± 1.9, O-oculi; 2.9 ± 1.8, P < .001), fatigue (Jaw; 5.8 ± 2.0, O-oris; 3.2 ± 2.3, O-oculi; 3.6 ± 1.9, P < .001), and mental stress (Jaw; 4.1 ± 2.1, O-oris; 2.2 ± 2.7, O-oculi; 2.9 ± 2.2, P < .001). The Jaw contractions were associated with higher NRS scores compared with the O-oris and the O-oculi contractions (P < .005) without differences between the O-oris and the O-oculi (P > .063). All symptoms disappeared within 1 day (P > .469). The results showed that submaximal static contractions of different craniofacial muscle groups could evoke transient, mild to moderate levels of muscle pain and fatigue and increased stress scores. The fatigue resistance may differ between different muscle groups. Further studies are warranted to better understand the contribution of specific craniofacial muscle groups for the characteristic presentation of musculoskeletal pain conditions in the head.

Association of advanced glycation end products, evaluated by skin autofluorescence, with lifestyle habits in a general Japanese population.

ObjectiveAccumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) occurs during normal aging but markedly accelerates in people with diabetes. AGEs may play a role in various age-related disorders. Several studies have demonstrated that skin autofluorescence (SAF) reflects accumulated tissue levels of AGEs. However, very few studies have investigated SAF in the general population. The purpose of the present study was to more thoroughly evaluate the potential association among SAF, chronological age, and lifestyle habits in the general population.MethodsA large cross-sectional survey of 10,946 Japanese volunteers aged 20 to 79 years was conducted. Volunteers completed a self-administered questionnaire and underwent SAF measurement on their dominant forearms. The associations of SAF with age and lifestyle habits were analyzed using a multiple stepwise regression analysis.ResultsAge was independently correlated with SAF. Lifestyle habits such as physical activity, nonsmoking, adequate sleep, low mental stress level, eating breakfast, and abstaining from sugary food were each independently associated with lower SAF.ConclusionsSAF was associated with age and healthy lifestyle habits in this general Japanese population. The present study suggests that SAF measurement is a convenient tool for evaluating habitual lifestyle behaviors and may have potential for preventative health education.

РІВЕНЬ НЕРВОВО-ПСИХІЧНОЇ НАПРУГИ У СТУДЕНТІВ-МЕДИКІВ I–III КУРСІВ НАВЧАННЯ

Мета роботи – оцінити рівень та провідні симптоми нервово-психічної напруги у студентів-медиків початкових курсів навчання, проаналізувати спектр стресогенних чинників, що діють на них.Основна частина. У 300 студентів-медиків Вінницького національного медичного університету ім. М. І. Пирогова I–III курсів навчання проаналізовані рівень та провідні симптоми нервово-психічної напруги, а також спектр стресогенних чинників, що діють на них (за допомогою тесту-опитувальника А. В. Батаршева “Діагностика граничних психічних розладів особистості”).Високий рівень нервово-психічної напруги виявлений у кожного четвертого студента-медика початкових курсів навчання (зокрема, у (31±4,62) % студентів I курсу, (29±4,54) % студентів II курсу і (26±4,39) % студентів III курсу). Провідними стресогенними чинниками в осіб із високим рівнем нервово-психічної напруги є: нестача часу для відпочинку ((93,42±2,93) %), неприємності у навчання ((61,84±5,57) %), проблеми в особистому житті ((55,26±5,71) %). Кожен другий студент вказує на необхідність запам’ятовувати великий обсяг матеріалу як на стресогенний для них фактор ((52,63±5,73) % опитаних) – при цьому у студентів I курсу даний фактор є провідним (100 % опитаних), тоді як у студентів II та III курсів провідним стресогенним фактором є нестача часу для відпочинку (100 %). Студенти-медики чоловічої статі частіше зазначають конфлікти з викладачами як стресогенний фактор ((37,21±7,37) % осіб чоловічої статі проти (15,15±6,24) % осіб жіночої статі, p&lt;0,05), тоді як у студенток таким фактором є великий обсяг матеріалу для запам’ятовування ((66,67±8,21) % дівчат проти (41,86±7,52) % хлопців, p&lt;0,05). Серед проявів нервово-психічної напруги переважають психосоматичні: погіршення сну ((70,0±2,65) %), неприємні відчуття з боку шлунково-кишкового тракту ((63,3±2,78) %) та серцево-судинної системи ((63,3±2,78) %), м’язова напруга ((63,3±2,78) %), тоді як емоційні прояви нервово-психічної напруги є менш вагомими.Висновки. Високий рівень нервово-психічної напруги має місце в кожного четвертого студента-медика, що навчається у Вінницькому національному медичному університеті ім. М. І. Пирогова. Зафіксовані вірогідні статеві відмінності як середніх значень тесту (в осіб чоловічої статі вони вищі, ніж в осіб жіночої статі, p&lt;0,01), так і стресогенних чинників, що викликають значну нервово-психічну напругу. Серед проявів нервово-психічної напруги переважають: погіршення сну, підвищена чутливість до дії зовнішніх подразників, неприємні відчуття з боку шлунково-кишкового тракту та серцево-судинної системи, м’язова напруга, відчуття невпевненості в собі (зафіксовані більше ніж у 50 % респондентів). Провідними стресогенними чинниками в студентів із високим рівнем нервово-психічної напруги є: нестача часу для відпочинку (93,42 %), неприємності в навчання (61,84 %), проблеми в особистому житті (55,26 %).

Associations of Perceived Mental Stress, Sense of Purpose in Life, and Negative Life Events With the Risk of Incident Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia: The SHEZ Study.

In the present population-based prospective study, we examined the associations of psychosocial factors with the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Data were collected from 12,359 participants (≥50 years of age) who answered a self-completed health questionnaire in the Shozu County of Kagawa Prefecture in Japan. During a 3-year follow-up between December 2008 and November 2012, HZ and PHN were diagnosed in 400 and 79 subjects, respectively. We used Cox regression analysis to estimate hazard ratios of incident HZ and PHN according to psychosocial factors, adjusting for age, sex, histories of HZ, cancer, and diabetes, smoking and drinking habits, and time from disease onset to treatment. Men with high levels of mental stress were twice as likely to be at risk for incident HZ. The risk of incident HZ was approximately 60% lower among men and women who reported a high sense of purpose in life. Women who experienced negative life events-particularly changes in their work, living environment, and relationships-had a 2- to 3-fold higher risk of incident PHN. Psychosocial factors such as perceived mental stress, sense of purpose in life, and negative life events may contribute to the development of HZ and PHN in the general population.

Examining the Effects of a Novel Training Paradigm for Vigilance on Mental Workload and Stress

Vigilance research often utilizes training to prepare observers for the monotony associated with these types of tasks. Although performance benefits have been shown previously for training, little evidence exists for the subjective effects training for vigilance can impose. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of two types of training, practice and knowledge of results (KR), on observers’ perceived levels of mental workload and stress. The study makes use of the NASA-TLX and Dundee Stress State Questionnaire (DSSQ) to measure these effects. The results indicate that observers benefit subjectively from both types of training, but in potentially different manners. We discuss the differences in the effects on mental workload and stress, as well as the potential impact on training for vigilance in the future.