View clinical trials related to Stress, Psychological.
Filter by:To investigate the effects of cortisol on alcohol craving and stress reactivity in alcohol addicted subjects. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over, single administration of study medication. Study hypothesis: Cortisol has an inhibiting effect on alcohol craving and stress reactivity in alcohol dependent subjects.
Background: - Researchers want to see if people with alcohol dependence have more trouble learning to feel calm, or learn to fear things more easily, than non-alcoholics and to study how early life stress (ELS) affects these things. Objective: - To see if people with alcohol dependence and/or ELS have a harder time learning to feel calm than people without these conditions. Eligibility: - Adults age 21 65 with diagnosed alcohol dependence, with/without ELS. - Healthy volunteers age 21 65 with/without ELS. Design: - All participants will be screened with medical history and physical exam. They will have blood and urine tests, and a psychological assessment. - Participants with alcohol dependence will: - be at the NIH Clinical Center for 4 weeks. Then they will have weekly telephone calls and 3 in-person visits over 3 months. - follow the NIH alcohol treatment program during the study. They cannot take psychiatric medications. - rate their alcohol craving, depression, and anxiety throughout the study. - have fear conditioning and extinction sessions that use noise and mild electric shock. Some take place during a functional MRI (fMRI) scan. Participants will lie in a machine that takes images, while they perform tasks. - listen to recordings that describe stressful events. They will rate their feelings and have blood drawn through an intravenous (IV) line. - have their hormone response to stress tested. They will take a pill and get a hormone via an IV, then have blood drawn. - Healthy volunteers will: - have 2 inpatient stays, each lasting a few days. They will answer questions about how they feel. - have fear conditioning and extinction sessions, including fMRI. - have blood drawn several times.
This protocol proposes a well-being program based on meditation and Positive Psychology principles such as human development, the improvement of virtues, quality of life and well-being. The investigators hypothesize that this program may promote well-being and reduce stress related problems in the participants. Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of a well-being program in a sample of managers who work in a company (Natura Inovação/Cosméticos ) and health care professionals who work in a hospital (Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein) as well as its implication in the work environment. Methods: Sixty managers from Natura Inovação/Cosméticos and 60 health professionals from Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein will be recruited. The participants will be randomized in two groups of 30 participants each one, half of them in the control group (GC) and the other half to the intervention group (GI).
The purpose of the study is to investigate health-promoting and stress-reducing psychological, physiological and hormonal effects of a 9-week meditation-based course in personal health and to examine potential baseline factors for any such effects. Thus, the investigators will investigate the course format (individual course or group-based course) as a potential factor the course outcome, and also individual background factors such as demographics and genetic variations.
This study aims to discuss whether the combined treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medicine for Mental Stress Induced Myocardial Ischemia (MSIMI) does effect, namely the conventional therapy for Coronary Heart Disease( CHD) combining with TCM - Xinkeshu tablets.
This research is a continuation of the Youth Readiness Intervention (YRI) randomized clinical trial by adding additional pre and post intervention data collection upon treatment of the control group (N=222) with the intervention which was proven effective in the larger trial. The overall research has investigated whether participation in the YRI intervention will improve emotional regulation, prosocial attitudes/behavior, social support and daily and functioning among war-affected 15-24 year olds in Sierra Leone. In this sub-study which will involve treatment of the control group with the effective YRI intervention, the investigators will add an additional measure of self-regulation as observed via DNA methylation in buccal cells collected via cheek swabs. As before, after the YRI intervention, youth will be offered a free educational opportunity at the EducAid program in Freetown or in one of its upline/provincial sites. This stage of the research, as in the treatment with the main group, will test whether youth enrolled in the YRI psychosocial intervention go on to demonstrate improved attendance and behavior in a subsidized education program. In the previous phase of the trial, the investigators did observe significant effects for the YRI intervention and evidence that the program is indeed effective. For instance, post-intervention, YRI youth reported greater improvements in emotion regulation (β=0.109, 95%CI 0.026 to 0.191, δ=0.31), prosocial attitudes/behaviors (β=0.149, 95%CI 0.057 to 0.240, δ=0.38), and social support (β=0.119, 95%CI 0.009 to 0.229, δ=0.26) than controls, and greater reductions in functional impairments (β= -0.175, 95%CI -0.299 to -0.050, δ= -0.35). Differences in symptoms were non-significant at six-month follow-up for the full sample; moderator analyses showed that, for individuals in the top quartile of baseline symptoms, YRI youth had greater improvements in emotion regulation and social support than controls. At eight-month follow-up, teachers reported that YRI participants were 8.9 times more likely to be in school (28.8% v. 4.7%) and showed better attendance (β=3.553, 95%CI 0.989 to 6.118, OR=34.93) and academic performance (β= -0.954, 95%CI -1.807 to -0.102, δ= -1.31). In this final phase of the trial as the investigators treat the wait list control group, the investigators will test whether intervention effects observed in self-report data on improved emotion-regulation are also upheld in biomarker data. Thus, the investigators will now provide YRI treatment to the wait list control group and employ the use of biomarkers as a measure of the intervention's effectiveness. The objective of the study will be to assess whether DNA methylation (collected via cheek swabs of buccal cells) is associated with changes in emotion regulation pre- and post- intervention. The aim is to test the hypothesis that the YRI is associated with improvements emotion-regulation evidence both in self-report data on emotion-regulation and in buccal cell DNA methylation. This study will add to the evidence base for effective, culturally sensitive mental health services for youth and young adults affected by war and other forms of adversity.
More than 530,000 individuals work as US Correctional Officers (COs) responsible for overseeing the approximately 1.6 million offenders who are incarcerated at any given time in the United States. Prison work is regarded as one of the most difficult occupations with CO's having one of the highest nonfatal injury rates of all U.S. occupations. The few studies done on CO's show high levels of stress, cardiovascular disease, high job burnout, increased sick leave rates and absenteeism, and decreased quality of life leading to premature illness/injury and high employer healthcare costs. Many of these conditions could be prevented by specific training activities and healthier lifestyles. The investigators wish to test a worksite-based, health promotion curriculum in COs with the overall hypothesis that the program will improve health and decrease injuries. The program proposed would be the first occupational intervention to improve the safety, and emotional and physical health of those who are charged with the complex task of prison work protecting the investigators communities. If successful, this proposal would result in an exportable, practical occupational safety and health program applicable for use by local, state, and federal correctional facilities.
Psychosocial stress increases the risk for a multitude of diseases, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Stress may also result in increased utilization of health care services. In the workplace, stress leads to emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, lower productivity and impaired performance. Stress management programs and those based on mindfulness meditation have gained popularity in recent years. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of an 8-week web-based mindfulness stress reduction program and its effectiveness in reducing work related stress and improving well-being in a large corporate call center.
The purpose of this study is to describe biological stress (cortisolemia) and perceived stress in Emergency Call Center Operators and Doctors while processing a center 15 call.
Psychological interventions for cancer patients have been tested and found to reduce stress and improve quality of life. These interventions have been tested at academic medical centers but have not been available for use by community mental health professionals. One such intervention is the Biobehavioral Intervention (BBI), developed by Professor Barbara L. Andersen and colleagues at Ohio State (OSU). Current funding has enabled the investigators to train mental health professionals from across the country to deliver the BBI at their institution. Recently diagnosed cancer patients who are participating in the BBI group at these institutions may participate in a research study completing self report measures asking about psychological and behavioral outcomes (for example, mood, stress, diet and physical activity). The investigators hypothesize that individuals participating in the intervention will report improvements in outcomes, such as reduced stress and improved mood, reduced symptoms of the disease and treatment, etc., after completing the intervention and continue to report these improvements up to 6 months after the group ends. OSU will coordinate this data collection project but information about participating sites is listed in http://clinicaltrials.gov.