View clinical trials related to Stress, Physiological.
Filter by:The new technologies may facilitate the teaching-learning process through the ubiquitous and active approach. However, stress from academic exams remains being high among undergraduate students. Although new technologies could be useful to simulate and control academic stressful situations through immersive virtual reality, no studies to date have evaluated its effectiveness. This study is designed to evaluate the effects of a virtual reality program to visualize stressful academic situations like exams on the level of psychological and physiological stress and academic performance of Physiotherapy and Nursing undergraduate students. To this end, an experimental study with two experimental groups and one control group is designed: experimental group 1 (EG1) will complete a 4-weeks program of guided visualization of exams through immersive virtual reality; experimental group 2 (EG2) will complete a 4-weeks program of traditional guided visualization of exams (through audio); control group (CG) will not receive any visualization program, as the most habitual strategy to cope with exams among students. Before and after the intervention period, all students will fulfill an online questionnaire to inform about their level of academic stress (SISCO inventory) and perceived stress from the last month (Perceived Stress Scale). Also, just before starting the exam they will have been visualizing, level of stress (0 to 10 points), blood pressure (mmHg), maximal heart rate (ppm) and salivary cortisol level will be assessed in all students. Qualifications of the exam will be also collected. Intra-group differences and between-group differences at post-intervention time will be obtained.
Healthcare teams often encounter challenging circumstances where they must deliver high-quality care. For a team to function effectively, its members must not only be individually competent, but they also need to collaborate and cooperate using their respective expertise. Such teams often work under high stress situations, where they need to make high stakes decisions under conditions of uncertainty, time-sensitivity and variable levels of control. Research shows that such emergency situations provoke stress responses in individuals, which can impair attention, memory, reasoning, and decision-making. However, it remains unclear how individual-level stress responses influence team communication, coordination, and performance. The aims of this study are to a) compare team coordination, communication, and performance in low stress versus high stress simulated emergency situations; and b) characterize the relationship between teams' stress profiles and the teams' performance and coordination. The study will be a within-subject experimental design, with teams serving as their own controls. Teams of emergency medicine residents and nurses will participate in two simulation scenarios: one in a low stress condition, and the other in a high stress condition (counterbalanced across the teams).
Rationale: Surgical trauma and post-surgical pain induce a physiological stress response that can be detrimental to the patient. Non-pharmacological interventions aimed at stress reduction are known to reduce pain scores and opioid consumption. The effect of these interventions on the surgical stress response are unknown. Objective: To assess the effect of a bundle of non-pharmacological interventions implemented in the post-anesthesia care unit on the total serum cortisol levels after intermediate and major surgery. Study design: This is a prospective before-after study. Study population: Patients scheduled for intermediate or major oncological surgery in a tertiary referral cancer center. Intervention: The implementation of a bundle of four non-pharmacological interventions aimed at stress reduction in the post-anesthesia care unit. The bundle consists of: access to music, aromatherapy, natural images on the walls and ceiling and communication techniques aimed at reduction of stress and pain. Main study parameters/endpoints: Serum cortisol levels on the first postoperative day.
This pilot randomised controlled trial aims to compare the effectiveness of a 12-week music and movement intervention in older adults in care homes compared to a waitlist control group. The main questions it aims to answer are: - Do salivary cortisol and DHEAS levels improve after the intervention, compared to the waitlist control group? - Do feelings of anxiety and depression improve after the intervention, compared to the waitlist control group? - Does the quality of life improve after the intervention, compared to the waitlist control group? - Does physical function improve after the intervention, compared to the waitlist control group? Participants will engage in music and movement sessions three times per week for 12 weeks. Researchers will compare the intervention group to the waitlist control group to see if any effects occur.
The purpose of this study is to determine if physiological measures of stress, measured by the non-invasive OTO device, are significantly correlated with IVF outcome.
The goal of this pilot SKY (Sudarshan Kriya Yoga) Breath Meditation study is to establish feasibility and acceptability of the intervention; and investigate preliminary effectiveness of the intervention at the DNA methylation, RNA and protein levels in blood samples collected from participants before and after the 8 week SKY intervention. Primary outcomes also include preliminary effectiveness at the physiological level using a wearable device used for continuous monitoring. Secondary outcome measures include behavioral inventories.
Police officers are exposed to hazardous, disturbing events that impose stress and long-term trauma. Upwards of 15-26% of public safety personnel (PSP) report one or more mental health symptoms. Accumulated stress and posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSI) result in chronic physical and mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and cardiovascular disease. PTSI are related to reduced occupational performance, absenteeism, and risky behaviour, with implications for both police and public safety. Recent empirical evidence and government reports highlight a mental health and suicide crisis among various PSP sectors in Canada. Prior research forms an urgent call for evidence-based programs that build resilience and wellness capacity to prevent PTSI symptoms before they manifest as severe, chronic, diagnosable disorders. The current study addresses the limited effectiveness issues associated with existing interventions for PTSI among PSP and also considers sex and gender as central determinants of health. Advances in physiology and neuroscience demonstrate that resilience is maintained by the healthy functioning of psychophysiological systems within the body. Objective biological measures have shown that chronic stress and trauma disrupt both psychological and physiological functioning, eroding resilience and reducing wellness capacity. Traditional interventions to build resilience among PSP have not adequately addressed the physiological underpinnings that lead to mental and physical health conditions, as well as burnout and fatigue following trauma. Together with previous empirical research lead by the NPA, the current proposal addresses this gap in PSP intervention research by employing Autonomic Modulation Training (AMT), a biological approach to building resilience and wellness capacity among PSP exposed to PTSI. Prior research shows that core AMT techniques effectively reduce psychophysiological stress and mental health symptoms in clinical and non-clinical populations. Further, research has shown that AMT techniques improve police health and occupational performance when completed during scenario-based, in-person training. The aim of the proposed study is to test if a web-based delivery of AMT for police officers can build resilience and wellness capacity, and reduce symptoms of PTSI with similar effectiveness as in-person training. An additional novel scientific contribution of the current proposal includes an examination of sex and gender in baseline biological presentation of PTSI among police, and in response to a resilience building intervention.
Chronic low water intake may raise the risk of morbidity and mortality by influencing key water regulating hormones (e.g., AVP), which are known to modulate glucoregulation and renal function. For example, AVP stimulates the HPA axis to release the glucocorticoid stress hormone cortisol with potentially far-reaching effects on metabolism, immunity and inflammation. One study observed elevated blood cortisol in a group of low water drinkers, albeit cortisol was measured at one time of day only. However, in the field of psychobiology, researchers have traditionally related more dynamic assessments of cortisol with health outcomes; by evoking cortisol responses to acute standardised laboratory stressors, such as The Trier social stress test. More recently, researchers have appreciated the importance of circadian variability in cortisol levels, by examining influences on, and consequences of individual differences in the diurnal variation of cortisol. The major measurable parameters of the diurnal variation are; the cortisol awakening response (CAR), which is the rise in cortisol during the first 30-45 minutes following awakening, and the diurnal cortisol slope, which is the rate of decline in cortisol levels across the day, from morning to evening. These parameters are considered to reflect different aspects of HPA axis function; with the CAR best reflecting the adrenal capacity to respond to stress and awakening and diurnal slope more indicative of daily cortisol exposure. Although distinct, both blunted CAR and a flattened diurnal cortisol slope appear to be consistent markers of HPA axis dysfunction and related to a variety of poor health outcomes. Therefore, it has been recommended that contemporary research should simultaneously estimate an individual's awakening cortisol responsiveness, and diurnal slope, thereby capturing distinct and important components of HPA axis function. The shared pathways that regulate body water, diurnal variation in cortisol and our response to stress underpin the broad aim of this research programme: to investigate the influence of low and high fluid intake on diurnal cortisol variation and the cortisol response to acute stress. The aims of this study are to investigate: 1. The influence of a change in water intake behaviour on diurnal saliva cortisol variation as assessed by the CAR (primary outcome) 2. The influence of a change in water intake behaviour on biomarkers of hydration and thirst as assessed by urine osmolality, urine colour and thirst sensation. 3. The influence of habitual low and high total fluid intake on saliva cortisol response to an acute psychological stress (secondary outcome) 4. Investigate the influence of a change in water intake behaviour on plasma biomarkers of hydration as assessed by plasma osmolality and plasma copeptin (exploratory outcome)
Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is a newly implemented evaluation standard for medical students and is a determinant part of the national competition they have to undergo. Exam periods are significantly associated with increased stress and anxiety which led to reduced performance, impaired memorization and impaired workload capacities. Cardiac biofeedback and mindfulness techniques are efficient methods for stress reduction. Interventions that aim to mobilize competence, such as mobilization of inner strength and resources techniques, should improve the level of preparation of medical students. These three procedures could influence the stress level and improve performance during the OSCE. There is currently no study exploring the effect of these physiological and psychological procedures on the performance during OSCE for medical students.
Stress and rumination are linked with the development of many mental disorders. The ECOSTRESS study has shown that poor OSCE performance has a positive effect on the occurence of state-rumination among 4th year medicine students in the context of mock exams. The goal of IMSR study is to assess the effectiveness of a post-OSCE meditation intervention to decrease psychological stress and rumination.