Anxiety Research

The effects of physical exercise on anxiety symptoms of college students: A meta-analysis

ObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effect of an exercise intervention on improving and alleviating anxiety symptoms in college students with a meta-analytical approach.MethodsSeveral databases (e.g., PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library) were used to search for randomized controlled trials (in short, RCTs) on interventions for physical exercise or aerobic exercise in college students with anxiety symptoms. Stata software, version 16.0, was applied sequentially for traditional meta-analysis, subgroup analysis, and publication bias analysis.ResultsA total of nine papers were included. The total literature effect [SMD = −0.55, 95% CI = −0.76 to −0.35, Z = 5.38 (P < 0.001)] indicated that physical activity had a significant effect on alleviating anxiety. Subgroup analysis also showed that exercise interventions using aerobic exercise or yoga were effective in relieving anxiety (SMD = −0.39, 95% CI = −0.74 to −0.04; SMD = −0.76, 95% CI = −1.14 to −0.39).ConclusionPhysical activity interventions were shown to have a positive effect on alleviating anxiety in college students. Aerobic exercise was found to be the optimal mode.

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Abnormal focal segments in left uncinate fasciculus in adults with obsessive–compulsive disorder

Although the specific role of the uncinate fasciculus (UF) in emotional processing in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) has been investigated, the exact focal abnormalities in the UF have not been identified. The aim of the current study was to identify focal abnormalities in the white matter (WM) microstructure of the UF and to determine

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Adolescents’ Multi-Layered Media Processing: A Panel Study on Positive and Negative Perceptions Toward Ideals and Adolescents’ Appearance Anxiety

Communication Research, Ahead of Print. Selective exposure literature indicates that not all users take away the same messages from their media exposure; it is suggested that viewers are not merely exposed but rather reactive to multiple—and possibly opposing—messages. The current study aims to introduce an active media-processing perspective, focusing specifically on the media-body image association among an early adolescent sample. Results of a three-wave longitudinal survey among 971 early adolescents (Mage = 11.14; SD = 1.13) show that media-focused peer interactions (W1), but not media exposure (W1), were associated with contradictory perceptions of attractiveness (i.e., perceived benefits and perceived costs for investing in appearance) (W2). Polynomial regression analyses pointed out that the association between these contradictory perceptions (i.e., interaction between benefits and costs; W2) was curvilinearily related to body image investment (W3). The findings emphasize the variable vulnerability of adolescents to the media effect and the importance of acknowledging multi-layered media messages.

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An exploration of happiness, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms among older adults during the coronavirus pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions of people worldwide. Because of the challenges associated with the pandemic, universal levels of happiness have likely depleted. We know little about how those with prior existing mental health concerns have responded to the pandemic. Using cross-sectional (study 1; N = 1,366) and longitudinal (study 2; N = 262) data, we utilized a stress and resilience perspective to explore mental health symptoms and happiness among older adults before and after the declaration of the pandemic. Results for both studies indicated higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms predicted lower levels of happiness; however, for those who indicated higher levels of mental health symptoms, post-pandemic declaration happiness levels were higher than pre-pandemic happiness levels. Findings suggest that resilience may be learned throughout a lifetime, and that experiences from prior stressors may show benefits in responding to future ones, even among vulnerable populations.

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Prevalence and variables .associated with depression, anxiety, and stress among Chilean higher education students, post-pandemic

Mental health among university students is a public health problem in Chile, understanding that this population is susceptible to mental disorders. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and variables influencing depression, anxiety, and stress in Chilean university students. A representative sample (n = 1,062) of Chilean university students and a cross-sectional study design were used.

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The impact of online office on social anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers—Considering online social support and work intensity

The COVID-19 has had a major impact on the global education system. In order to ensure the normal implementation of education courses, governments and education departments around the world have taken corresponding emergency measures. Based on data from 384 validated questionnaires, this study explored the effects of teleworking practices, work intensity, and online social support on social anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers. The results found that teleworking was more likely to cause social anxiety among teachers, while work intensity could promote social anxiety and online social support could reduce the probability of social anxiety. Work intensity can weaken the influence of partner support on social anxiety. Moreover, the model path coefficients differed across work styles. Based on the results, this study proposes some policy recommendations in order to provide theoretical guidance for improving social anxiety among primary and secondary school teachers and promoting the quality of educational work.

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Association between mental health symptoms and behavioral performance in younger vs. older online workers

The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with increased rates of mental health problems, particularly in younger people. We quantified mental health of online workers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and cognition during the early stages of the pandemic in 2020. A pre-registered data analysis plan was completed, testing the following three hypotheses: reward-related behaviors

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A Transdiagnostic group therapy for sleep and anxiety among adults with substance use disorders: Protocol and pilot investigation

Treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) is challenging with high rates of treatment dropout and relapse, particularly among individuals with comorbid psychiatric conditions. Anxiety and insomnia are prevalent among those with SUD and exacerbate poor treatment outcomes. Interventions that concurrently target anxiety and insomnia during the early stages of SUD treatment are lacking. To this

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Remote working and occupational stress: Effects on IT-enabled industry employees in Hyderabad Metro, India

In the present study, the researchers reported the results of an empirical study on remote working and occupational stress and their effects on employees’ job satisfaction, motivation, and performance. Remote working has three subscales: self-proficiency, technology, and teamwork. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation subscales were included to assess employee motivation. A simple random sampling method was used to select the subjects who are employees of the IT-enabled industries in Hyderabad Metro. A total of 513 responses were obtained on the remote working subscales—the effect on the independent variables, namely, employee self-proficiency, technology, teamwork, and occupational stress, on the dependent variables, namely, job satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and performance. The measured Cronbach’s alpha was in the range of 0.64–0.77, other reliability statistics split-half (odd-even) correlation was in the range of 0.62–0.84, and theSpearman–Brown prophecy was in the range of 0.70–0.91, demonstrating the reliability and internal consistency of the research instrument. The general linear model results indicated that all the independent variables, namely, self-proficiency, teamwork, and Occupational stress, are statistically significant and influence the outcome variables. The general linear model results also indicated statistically significant age differences in the dependent variables; however, there were no statistically significant gender differences. Of the independent variables, self-proficiency influences job satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and performance (p 

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Internalized homonegativity moderates the association between attachment avoidance and emotional intimacy among same-sex male couples

IntroductionThe present study aimed to examine dyadic associations between attachment insecurity and emotional intimacy in same-sex male couples, and to investigate whether and how each partner’s internalized homonegativity (IH) moderated these associations.MethodsThe sample included 138 same-sex male couples. Both dyad members completed self-report measures of attachment insecurity, emotional intimacy, and IH. The actor-partner interdependence model with moderation analysis was applied.ResultsIndicated that higher levels of actor’s and partner’s attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance were associated with lower actor’s emotional intimacy. IH moderated the partner effects of attachment avoidance on emotional intimacy. The partner’s higher attachment avoidance was associated with one’s own lower emotional intimacy at low (but not high) levels of one’s own IH and at high (but not low) levels of the partner’s IH.DiscussionFindings suggest that the partner’s attachment avoidance may differently affect one’s own emotional intimacy depending on the IH levels of both dyad members. Helping partnered sexual minority men decrease attachment insecurity while recognizing their own and their partners’ IH may promote relationship quality.

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