Positive Self-statements Research Articles

An Action Research for Implementing Affective Teaching Strategies for Reducing Anxiety and Increasing Motivation in EFL Beginner Learners at Campus Liberia of Universidad Nacional (UNA) in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

This study explores the impact of teacher feedback and behavior on student motivation and performance in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. It highlights the negative effects of harsh feedback and emotional abuse, contrasted with the positive outcomes of supportive teacher-student interactions. Using a mixed-methods approach involving surveys and classroom observations of 64 beginner EFL students, the research identifies various self-motivation techniques students use, such as positive self-statements and relaxation methods. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of a pedagogic proposal incorporating five affective teaching strategies, which significantly enhance student engagement and learning. The findings underscore the importance of a positive and empathetic classroom environment, recommending that teachers and educational institutions adopt supportive and innovative teaching methods to improve EFL education outcomes.

The Impact of a Brief Educational Seminar on Pediatric Pain-focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for School Providers.

Pediatric chronic pain is common and can be detrimental to children's social, emotional, and school functioning. Nonpharmacological approaches to chronic pain, like cognitive- behavioral therapy (CBT), can be effective. Schools could provide children with chronic pain access to these interventions. However, school professionals (ie, nurses and mental health providers) are seldom trained in CBT, creating a barrier to accessing such help. A seminar was created to introduce CBT strategies for chronic pediatric pain to school professionals. Feasibility, acceptability, and self-reported knowledge gained from the seminar were examined. Two introductory seminars (~2.5 h each) were held separately for the Michigan Association of School Nurses and the health department of Northwest Michigan (n = 71 total). The seminar provided an understanding of pain and pain-focused CBT strategies (eg, activity pacing, positive self-statements, and psychoeducation). Fifty-two school nurses, 16 mental health professionals, and 3 participants (unidentified title) rated program acceptability and self-reported knowledge of CBT before and after training (1 = strongly disagree, 5 = strongly agree). Of the respondents, 89.6% agreed the training was helpful, and 87.5% were interested in additional training. For all questions relating to knowledge of CBT, a mixed-model interaction showed a meaningful, increase of at least 1 point (on a 5-point Likert Scale), F(2, 69.83) = 3.93, P = 0.024. This study underscores the feasibility and acceptability of training school health providers in CBT for pediatric chronic pain. This project also established key partnerships in Michigan to expand future work in this realm with more comprehensive training and assessment of outcomes.

Association of Fear of Negative Evaluation with Performance Anxiety: Mediation by Negative Self-Statements and Moderation by Positive Self-Statements During Performance in Adults

Association of Fear of Negative Evaluation with Performance Anxiety: Mediation by Negative Self-Statements and Moderation by Positive Self-Statements During Performance in Adults

Autobiographical memories cued by self-statements in patients with alcohol use disorder: linking self-conceptions to past events

ABSTRACT The study examined the personal sense of identity in alcohol use disorder (AUD) through the relation between autobiographical memories and individuals’ self-conception. The AUD detoxified patients and control participants were asked to create a list of self-statements to which they associated for the three main autobiographical memories illustrating them. The group variable was not associated with the number of positive self-statements, but it was associated with the number of negative self-statements. Furthermore, for the autobiographical memories cued by a positive self-statement, the group was related to the number of positive memories and general memories, while no relation was observed for the memories cued by a negative self-statement. Our results also support that AUD patients’ memories cued by self-statements are older and more alcohol-related. Hierarchical regression analyses in the AUD patients demonstrated that the use of adaptive emotional regulation strategies was the only significant predictor of the use of positive or negative self-statements.

The Level of Self-Esteem May Influence the Effect of Positive Self-Statements. An EEG Alpha Asymmetry Pilot Study

(1) Background: Affirmative statements are widely recognized as a reliable tool that enhances personal resources to manage life demands, including stress-coping and emotional adaptability. However, recent data suggest that contrary effects can be obtained regarding the global self-esteem level. The current study focused on an approach for recognizing affirmation-induced responses in electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha asymmetry. (2) Methods: EEG data were collected from a total of 45 males (16–20 years) on a baseline condition and compared to EEG data produced when listening to positive self-statements, regarding self-esteem as a covariate. (3) Results: The study revealed relative left-frontal alpha asymmetry, indicating an approach-related motivational state, and right alpha asymmetry in parieto-temporal regions, indicating lower anxiety. This increased with higher self-esteem scores, with a more prominent moderation effect in experimental conditions. These results support and extend previous reports suggesting an adverse effect of positive self-statements for people with lower global self-esteem. (4) Conclusions: Positive self-statements may produce a differing physiological effect regarding an individual’s global self-esteem level, with an adverse effect for people with lower self-esteem scores. These data highlight the need to consider differentiation of psychological approaches between people with higher and lower self-esteem levels.

Uncritical use of non-evidence-based self-help materials induces victim-blaming on depressed individuals

ABSTRACT Popular self-help materials claim that reading and internalizing positive self-statements promotes well-being. Four studies were conducted to examine how these materials may instead heighten individuals’ tendency to lay blame on those who suffer from depression. Study 1 showed positive correlation between usage of positive self-statement and victim-blaming tendency. In Study 2, participants who were only told about the benefits of positive self-statements showed more victim-blaming than those who were informed about their mixed effects. Study 3 revealed that participants who read non-evidence-based positive self-statements tended to show higher victim-blaming than those who read other statements, and the statistical significance of this effect was verified in the better-powered replication Study 4. These findings showed that uncritical use of non-evidence-based self-help materials has small but robust effect on inducing victim-blaming, r =.17, 95% CI [.11,.23]. Detailing the conditional effects of these materials to users may alleviate this negative impact.

Management of Fear of Negative Evaluation among Adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria: Implications for Positive Psychology

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of reality therapy (RT) and Positive Self-statement (PST) on Fear of negative evaluation (FNE) of adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria. The study was based on Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological and Epstein’s Cognitiveexperiential self-theories provided the framework, while the pretest-posttest control group, quasi-experimental design. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 50 male and 53 female participants were screened and assigned for treatments. Data were analysed using ANCOVA and Scheffe post hoc test at 0.05 level of significance. Results show that adolescents in reality therapy group performed better than those is positive self-statement and control groups. It was concluded that positive self-statement training and reality therapy were effective in the reduction of fear of negative evaluation among adolescents in Ibadan metropolis. Counselling and clinical psychologists should make use of these therapies in the remediation of fear of negative evaluation among adolescents.

A COMPARISON OF TWO METHODS FOR REDUCING TEST-ANXIETY AND IMPROVING ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

This study examined the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and study skills training (SST) in reducing test-anxiety and improving academic performance. Eighty one high test-anxious male students in the tenth grade were randomly assigned to three groups: CBT, SST and waiting-list control (WLC). CBT aimed to help participants become aware of the anxiety-producing self-statements they emitted both before and during exams, and to train them to develop positive self-statements that would facilitate task attending; whereas SST aimed to teach participants the skills necessary for effective learning, namely SQ3R method of studying, techniques of time management, note-taking methods, test preparation techniques and test-taking techniques. All participants receiving treatment met for a total of six 50-minute treatment sessions spanning over six weeks. The data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA and one way MANOVA. The results indicated that both treatment groups made significant improvements from pretest to posttest in test-anxiety when compared to the WLC group. However, only the CBT group was superior to the WLC group in improving academic performance. Overall, the results were interpreted as giving support to the interference model of the debilitating effect of anxiety on performance.

\u2018Who Am I?\u2019: An Exploratory Study of the Relationships Between Identity, Acculturation and Mental Health in Autistic Adolescents

Autistic adolescents are at increased risk of mental health difficulties. One potential factor contributing to this is identity development, although this hypothesis has been little explored. These adolescents also have to consider how autism forms their identity, a process called acculturation. This exploratory study examined the relationships between identity, acculturation and mental health in autistic adolescents. Twenty-four participants completed measures investigating identity, acculturation and mental health. Findings suggested mental health was not related to personal identity. Mental health scores did not differ between acculturation groups, however those aligned to non-autistic culture tended to generate more positive self-statements than those aligned to neither culture. These findings suggest autistic adolescents should be encouraged to explore autistic culture and supported in constructing their identity.

The Effects of Overt Head Movements on Physical Performance After Positive Versus Negative Self-Talk.

Research on self-talk has found that what athletes say to themselves influences their performance in sport settings. This experiment analyzed the relationship between positive and negative self-talk and physical performance in light of another variable: overt head movements. Participants were randomly assigned to first generate and then listen to either positive or negative self-statements. They were then randomly assigned to nod (up and down) or to shake (side to side) their heads while being exposed to the self-statements they had previously generated. Finally, physical performance was assessed using a vertical-jump task, a squat test, and a deadlift task. As expected, positive self-statements led to better performance than negative self-statements in 2 out of 3 physical tasks. Most relevant, the main effect of self-talk was significantly qualified by head movements. Consistent with the authors' hypothesis, athletes' self-statements were significantly more impactful on physical performance in the head-nodding condition than in the head-shaking condition.

Psychometric properties of the Functional Disability Inventory for assessing Pain-related disability in children from the community

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Functional Disability Inventory for assessing pain-related disability in a community sample of children and adolescents.Materials and methods: Five hundred and sixty-one schoolchildren (aged 8–18 years) completed the Functional Disability Inventory. They were also administered measures assessing anxiety sensitivity, internalizing pain coping behaviors, social support seeking, and positive self-statements. A subset of 107 participants completed measures of quality of life.Results: The results confirmed the two-factor structure solution for the Functional Disability Inventory items. The measure’s scales scores demonstrated adequate to good internal consistencies. Convergent validity was supported by significant positive correlations between FDI scores and anxiety sensitivity and internalizing pain coping behaviors, and negative correlations with quality of life. Discriminant validity was supported by weak and non-significant correlations between disability scores and the social support seeking and positive self-statements pain coping strategies scores. Differences in the disability scores between participants who did not experience pain in the last 3 months and those that experienced at least some pain provided additional evidence for construct validity.Conclusions: The findings support the Functional Disability Inventory as a reliable and valid measure for assessing pain-related disability in children and adolescents from the community.Implications for rehabilitationChronic pain is a common health problem in youths and is associated with disability (which implies difficulties in physical, psychological, social or school functioning).The FDI is one of the most used measures to assess disability in youths with chronic pain. However, its psychometric properties have not been studied in a community sample.This study shows new and important findings demonstrating that the FDI provides reliable and valid scores when used to assess pain-related disability in a community sample of schoolchildren.These findings support the use of the FDI as a measure of the benefits of community-based pain treatments or the benefits of disability prevention programs over time.

Validation of the Pain Coping Questionnaire in Finnish.

The Pain Coping Questionnaire (PCQ), the first validated pain coping measurement developed specifically for children, has lacked proper validation in Finnish. The original PCQ by Reid etal. (Pain 1998; 76; 83-96) comprises eight-first-order and three higher-order scales. The aim herein was to determine the factor structure and validity of the Finnish PCQ translation in Finnish children. Exploratory factor analysis was used for the first-order and higher-order classification of 91 recruited patients aged 8-15. Cronbach's alpha was used for reliability. Relationships between the Children's Depression Inventory, patient-reported pain frequency and pain coping strategies were examined. Analyses were executed with 38 items; one was excluded. A structure of eight-first-order (Internalizing/Catastrophizing [IC], Positive Self-Statements [PSS], Information Seeking [IS], Seeking Social Support [SSS], Cognitive Distraction [CD], Externalizing [EXT], Behavioural Distraction [BD], Problem Solving [PS]) and three higher-order scales (Approach [APP], Emotion-Focused Avoidance [EFA], Distraction [DIS]) proved the most consistent. Four first-order scales (PSS, CD, EXT, BD) emerged as identical to the original solution. Internal consistency reliability coefficients for all individual first- and second-order scales were satisfactory. A higher CDI score was positively related to EFA and negatively to DIS, and pain frequency positively related to APP and EFA. The exploratory factor analysis of the PCQ provided a both culturally and statistically satisfactory structure in the Finnish translation. This supports the reliability and validity of the PCQ in future national use and the value of the questionnaire also outside English-speaking countries. This study showed both culturally and statistically satisfactory factor structure of PCQ in the Finnish translation. This result supports reliability and validity of the PCQ in the national use in the future. The result shows that the PCQ is a reliable method to be used in different linguistic and cultural surroundings and, thus, encourages using it in various countries. The data consist of two patient groups, adolescents with JIA and musculoskeletal pain. Pain and specifically coping with pain are important aspects of clinical work. A valid pain coping scale may enhance distinguishing vulnerable pain coping style in children and adolescent before pain becomes chronic.

The longitudinal association of cognitive appraisals and coping strategies with physical functioning in older adults with joint pain and comorbidity: a cohort study.

BackgroundSubstantial variation exists in physical functioning (PF) among patients with comparable pain severity, which may be partly explained by underlying psychological processes, like cognitive appraisal of pain and coping with pain. It remains unclear to what extent such determinants contribute to changes in PF over time, especially in older populations. Therefore, we examined longitudinal associations of cognitive appraisals and coping strategies with PF, in older adults with joint pain and comorbidity.MethodsA prospective cohort study among 407 older adults with joint pain and comorbidity provided data over 18 months, with 6 month time-intervals. We measured PF (RAND-36), five cognitive appraisals (consequences, concerns, emotional representations, self-efficacy, catastrophizing), four coping strategies (ignoring pain, positive self-statement, increasing activity levels, activity avoidance) and three time-dependent covariates; pain intensity, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Longitudinal associations were analyzed with Generalized Estimated Equations (GEE), by testing auto-regressive models, adjusted for covariates.ResultsMore negative thoughts about consequences of pain (β = -0.54, 95 % CI = -1.02; -0.06), more catastrophizing (β = -0.67, 95 % CI = -1.26; -0.07) and more activity avoidance (β = -0.32, 95 % CI = -0.57; -0.08) were significantly associated with subsequent deterioration in PF, whereas higher perceived self-efficacy (β = 0.22, 95 % CI = 0.12; 0.31) was associated with subsequent improvement in PF. Neither concerns, emotional representations, ignoring pain, positive self-statement nor increasing activity levels were longitudinally related to PF.ConclusionsMore negative thoughts about consequences of pain, more catastrophizing and more activity avoidance contributed to deteriorated PF, whereas higher perceived self-efficacy contributed to improved PF. This knowledge may contribute to future management of functional limitations in older adults with joint pain and comorbidity.

StressModEx--Physiotherapist-led Stress Inoculation Training integrated with exercise for acute whiplash injury: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

Whiplash associated disorders are the most common non-hospitalised injuries following a road traffic crash. Up to 50% of individuals who experience a whiplash injury will not fully recover and report ongoing pain and disability. Most recovery, if it occurs, takes place in the first 2-3 months post injury, indicating that treatment provided in the early stages is critical to long-term outcome. However, early management approaches for people with acute whiplash associated disorders are modestly effective. One reason may be that the treatments have been non-specific and have not targeted the processes shown to be associated with poor recovery, such as post-traumatic stress symptoms. Targeting and modulating these early stress responses in the early management of acute whiplash associated disorders may improve health outcomes. Early aggressive psychological interventions in the form of psychological debriefing may be detrimental to recovery and are now not recommended for management of early post-traumatic stress symptoms. In contrast, Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) is a cognitive behavioural approach that teaches various general problem-solving and coping strategies to manage stress-related anxiety (ie, relaxation training, cognitive restructuring and positive self-statements) and provides important information to injured individuals about the impact of stress on their physical and psychological wellbeing. While referral to a psychologist may be necessary in some cases where acute stress disorder or other more significant psychological reactions to stress are evident, in the case of acute whiplash injuries, it is neither feasible nor necessary for a psychologist to deliver the early stress modulation intervention to all injured individuals. The feasibility of using other specially trained health professionals to deliver psychological interventions has been explored in conditions such as chronic low back pain, chronic whiplash and cancer, but few trials have studied this approach in acute musculoskeletal conditions with the aim of preventing the development of chronic pain. As physiotherapy is the most common intervention received by individuals with a whiplash injury, physiotherapists are ideally placed to provide SIT in conjunction with standard physical rehabilitation. This study (StressModEx) will target individuals in the acute stage of injury and address the stress responses associated with the accident or injury (event-related distress) with the aim of improving both physical and mental health outcomes. Is SIT integrated with standard physiotherapy exercise and delivered by physiotherapists more effective than physiotherapy exercise alone in reducing neck pain and disability in individuals with acute whiplash associated disorders? Parallel randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment. 100 individuals with grade II or III (no fracture/dislocation or neurological loss) acute whiplash associated disorder<4 weeks duration and at least moderate neck pain-related disability and hyper-arousal symptoms will be recruited for the study. Participants will be assessed via online surveys or in-person at a university research laboratory. Interventions will be provided at community physiotherapy practices in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Toowoomba and Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Clinical-guideline-recommended supervised physiotherapy exercise sessions (10 sessions) integrated with six (once per week) SIT sessions. Clinical-guideline-recommended supervised physiotherapy exercise sessions (10) only. Primary (Neck Disability Index) and secondary (Acute Stress Disorder Scale; Post-traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale; Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale; Pain Catastrophisingo Scale; Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire; Coping Strategies Questionnaire; Global impression of recovery; pain intensity; SF36) outcomes will be measured at baseline, 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months after randomisation. Data analysis will be blinded and by intention to treat. Outcomes will be analysed using linear mixed and logistic regression models that will include baseline scores as covariates, participants as random effects and treatment conditions as fixed factors. This study will be the first to address early stress responses following acute whiplash injury through a novel intervention that integrates SIT and physiotherapy exercise.

Effects of clinic and in-home treatment on consumption and feeding-associated anxiety in an adolescent with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.

The current study describes a combined behavioral and cognitive– behavioral treatment with an adolescent boy diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. Treatment included a clinic and an in-home component to increase his consumption of nonpreferred foods and eliminate feeding-associated anxiety. The behavioral treatment components included gradually increasing feeding demands and reinforcing consumption. Through cognitive– behavioral therapy, the boy was taught to use a relaxation procedure, guided imagery, and positive self-statements during meals. Results of changing criterion and multiple baseline designs indicated that treatment improved consumption of previously avoided foods and lowered subjectively perceived anxiety. These findings were maintained posttreatment, and both the participant and his mother rated the procedures and outcome favorably.

When self-help materials help: Examining the effects of self-discrepancy and modes of delivery of positive self-statements

Self-help materials inculcating individuals with positive self-statements are popular in recent years, although the effectiveness of such self-statements on improving individuals’ psychological well-being has not yet been confirmed. Using a control-group pre-test/post-test design, we examined how positive self-statements may or may not benefit individuals’ mood. Individual characteristics and modes of delivery were found to moderate mood changes resulting from positive self-statements. Specifically, we found that participants experienced negative mood change after reading positive self-statements, if they have low level of need satisfaction. However, we also found that participants experienced a mood boost after listening to positive self-statements, and this effect was unrelated to self-esteem or need satisfaction. These findings suggest that self-help materials with a focus on positive self-statements should be used with caution.

Running Head: Context-Specific Recall of Self-Cognitions: Language as a Prime for Positive Relational Self-Statements

Running Head: Context-Specific Recall of Self-Cognitions: Language as a Prime for Positive Relational Self-Statements

Pain, coping, and sleep in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease.

The study examined the relationships among pain, pain coping, and sleep, and assessed factors (age, gender, frequency, and intensity of pain) that affect pain, coping, and sleep in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). Participants (66) were 39 children (M = 11.5 years) and 27 adolescents (M = 15.5 years) with SCD who completed an electronic visual analog scale (eVAS), Pain Coping Questionnaire, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. About two-thirds of the children reported pain the previous month. No significant differences were found between pain and age, gender, pain intensity, or frequency. Most children coped with pain by seeking information, problem solving, seeking social support, and positive self-statements. There were significant negative correlations in males between worse pain severity and behavioral distraction and internalizing or catastrophizing. The majority (91.2%) had mild to severe sleep disturbances, with 18.2% requiring sleeping medication three or more times a week. There were no significant differences between sleep and age, gender, pain intensity, or frequency. Children with SCD experience pain that affects sleep patterns and the way they cope with pain. Nurses need to concurrently assess pain, coping, and sleep and promote sleep hygiene and positive coping strategies during pain episodes.

AB1113 Pressure pain threshold and pain coping strategies in juvenile idiopathic arthritis: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundPain is a primary symptom in juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and we have previously shown that children with JIA have a decreased pain threshold when compared with healthy age-related children....

Randomized Controlled Trial of Mindfulness Meditation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Mindfulness meditation has met increasing interest as a therapeutic strategy for anxiety disorders, but prior studies have been limited by methodological concerns, including a lack of an active comparison group. This is the first randomized, controlled trial comparing the manualized Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program with an active control for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), a disorder characterized by chronic worry and physiologic hyperarousal symptoms. Ninety-three individuals with DSM-IV-diagnosed GAD were randomly assigned to an 8-week group intervention with MBSR or to an attention control, Stress Management Education (SME), between 2009 and 2011. Anxiety symptoms were measured with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA; primary outcome measure), the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness and -Improvement scales (CGI-S and CGI-I), and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Stress reactivity was assessed by comparing anxiety and distress during pretreatment and posttreatment administration of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). A modified intent-to-treat analysis including participants who completed at least 1 session of MBSR (n = 48) or SME (n = 41) showed that both interventions led to significant (P < .0001) reductions in HAMA scores at endpoint, but did not significantly differ. MBSR, however, was associated with a significantly greater reduction in anxiety as measured by the CGI-S, the CGI-I, and the BAI (all P values < .05). MBSR was also associated with greater reductions than SME in anxiety and distress ratings in response to the TSST stress challenge (P < .05) and a greater increase in positive self-statements (P = .004). These results suggest that MBSR may have a beneficial effect on anxiety symptoms in GAD and may also improve stress reactivity and coping as measured in a laboratory stress challenge. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01033851.