Towards a VR Environment for Desensitization of Ecological Anxiety
The therapeutic use of virtual reality (VR) is well established in the treatment of anxiety disorders. As an early step to develop a VR environment to desensitize people suffering from eco-anxiety, we created an “emotion-to-picture match” task to characterize their behavioral and physiological responses during exposure to neutral and threatening environmental stimuli. Twenty-nine participants who were identified as “high” or “low” scorers in the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (Hogg et al. 2021) were exposed to three blocks of randomized “eco-anxiety” and “neutral” images, while their electrocardiogram and skin conductance level was recorded. In each trial, participants had to choose from six emotions the one that would closely match their feelings towards the image. During “eco-anxiety” images, the “high” scorers addressed significantly more “anger” than the “low” scorers, whereas “seeking” emotions were more frequent among the latter. In addition, “neutral” images also evoked significantly more “panic” among the “high” eco-anxiety participants, whereas “seeking” emotions were more frequently experienced by the “low” eco-anxiety participants. Surprisingly, “high” eco-anxiety participants displayed higher heart rate variability and lower electrodermal activity than “low” eco-anxiety participants throughout the task, a finding that is at odds with the current understanding of physiological symptoms of anxiety. The design of therapeutic VR environments should forecast all sorts of discomfort that patients are willing to tolerate during VR exposure therapy.
Prospective Observational Study of Sympathetic Failure as a Mechanism Associated with Bradycardia During Induction of General Anesthesia in Children with Down Syndrome
Prospective Observational Study of Sympathetic Failure as a Mechanism Associated with Bradycardia During Induction of General Anesthesia in Children with Down Syndrome – The Journal of Pediatric Research
The competitive esports physiological, affective, and video dataset
Esports refers to competitive video gaming where individuals compete against each other in organized tournaments for prize money. Here, we present the Competitive Esports Physiological, Affective, and Video (CEPAV) dataset, in which 300 male Counter Strike: Global Offensive gamers participated in a study aimed at optimizing affect during esports tournament1. The CEPAV dataset includes (1) physiological data, capturing the player’s cardiovascular responses from before, during, and after over 3000 CS: GO matches; (2) self-reported affective data, detailing the affective states experienced before gameplay; and (3) video data, providing a visual record of 552 in-laboratory gaming sessions. We also collected (affect-related) individual differences measures (e.g., well-being, ill-being) across six weeks in three waves. The self-reported affective data also includes gamers’ natural language descriptions of gaming affective situations. The CEPAV dataset provides a comprehensive resource for researchers and analysts seeking to understand the complex interplay of physiological, affective, and behavioral factors in esports and other performance contexts.
Measuring and Explaining Situational Fear of Crime: An Experimental Study Into the Effects of Disorder, Using Virtual Reality and Multimodal Measurement
The current study combines an experimental research design, Virtual Reality (VR) and multimodal (survey and physiological) measurements to measure and explain situational fear of crime. 159 participants completed our VR experiment in which we focused on the role of physical and social disorder in engendering situational fear of crime. Drawing on our survey measures, we find significant effects of disorder on a variety of outcome variables: situationally experienced safety, fear of theft, fear of verbal aggression, fear and physical aggression and fear of sexually transgressive behaviour. Most of our physiological measures rendered null findings. Hence, we also conclude that the results from our two data sources (survey measures vs. physiological measures) diverge in important ways.
Maximizing expectancy violation and exposure outcomes in patients with PTSD
Background: It has been proposed that maximizing expectancy violation enhances the efficacy of exposure therapy. The clinical utility of expectancy violation remains unclear and it has not yet been studied in PTSD.Objective: We aimed to test whether explicitly focusing on expectancy violation leads to superior exposure outcomes.Method: Adult treatment-seeking patients with PTSD (N = 60) were randomly assigned to one 90-minute exposure session focusing on either expectancy violation or a control condition without an expectancy focus. Assessments occurred before the session and one week later, measuring changes in fear responses during a script-driven imagery task, and PTSD symptoms.Results: Using multilevel analyses, we found no between-condition differences. On average, fear responses to the imagery and PTSD symptoms decreased over time. The expectancy violation condition exhibited a greater decrease in threat appraisal, which appeared to mediate symptom reduction.Conclusions: We found no evidence that explicitly focusing on expectancy violation led to superior immediate effects. However, it may lead to more changes in expectancies which could affect symptom improvement over an extended period. Further research is needed to determine whether emphasizing expectancy violation in exposure therapy for PTSD is advantageous.
Breaking the cycle: the effects of therapeutic intervention techniques on cognitive and affective processes in individuals vulnerable to depressive relapse
Effects of hearing acuity on psychophysiological responses to effortful speech perception
In recent studies, psychophysiological measures have been used as markers of listening effort, but there is limited research on the effect of hearing loss on such measures. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of hearing acuity on physiological responses and subjective measures acquired during different levels of listening demand, and to investigate the relationship between these measures. A total of 125 participants (37 males and 88 females, age range 37–72 years, pure-tone average hearing thresholds at the best ear between -5.0 to 68.8 dB HL and asymmetry between ears between 0.0 and 87.5 dB) completed a listening task. A speech reception threshold (SRT) test was used with target sentences spoken by a female voice masked by male speech. Listening demand was manipulated using three levels of intelligibility: 20 % correct speech recognition, 50 %, and 80 % (IL20 %/IL50 %/IL80 %, respectively). During the task, peak pupil dilation (PPD), heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and skin conductance level (SCL) were measured. For each condition, subjective ratings of effort, performance, difficulty, and tendency to give up were also collected. Linear mixed effects models tested the effect of intelligibility level, hearing acuity, hearing asymmetry, and tinnitus complaints on the physiological reactivity (compared to baseline) and subjective measures. PPD and PEP reactivity showed a non-monotonic relationship with intelligibility level, but no such effects were found for HR, RSA, or SCL reactivity. Participants with worse hearing acuity had lower PPD at all intelligibility levels and showed lower PEP baseline levels. Additionally, PPD and SCL reactivity were lower for participants who reported suffering from tinnitus complaints. For IL80 %, but not IL50 % or IL20 %, participants with worse hearing acuity rated their listening effort to be relatively high compared to participants with better hearing. The reactivity of the different physiological measures were not or only weakly correlated with each other. Together, the results suggest that hearing acuity may be associated with altered sympathetic nervous system (re)activity. Research using psychophysiological measures as markers of listening effort to study the effect of hearing acuity on such measures are best served by the use of the PPD and PEP.
Validation Study of the Empatica EmbracePlus Wristband for Measuring
Wearable technology for EDA monitoring has gained significant attention, yet validation studies remain inconclusive. This preliminary study assessed the EmbracePlus wristband’s validity using a VR protocol and explored the effects of dynamic factors and temperature among 21 participants aged 18–32 with a BIOPAC system as the reference. Our findings challenged previous assumptions regarding the detection capabilities of wrist-worn EDA devices for significant stressors. While the EmbracePlus wristband demonstrated limitations in capturing EDA signals, parameters, and event-related effects compared to the reference device, it provided valuable insights into the sensitivity of wrist EDA to different stressors. Palm EDA exhibited greater responsiveness to both the VR stressor and dynamic factors, suggesting a synergistic effect. Wrist EDA, however, appeared less sensitive to both, highlighting the need for further research to understand the impact of stressor type on wrist EDA. Future research could focus on validating wearable devices across diverse stressors, incorporating advanced thermoregulatory indicators, and conducting long-term studies in real-world settings to optimize wearable technology for stress monitoring.
Who is at risk? Applying the biopsychosocial model to explain non-violent and violent delinquency in youth
Research has highlighted the relevance of biological measures in explaining antisocial behavior, but the inclusion of such measures in clinical practice is lagging behind. According to the integrative biopsychosocial model, biological measures should be studied together with psychological and social-environmental factors. In this data-driven study, we applied this comprehensive model to explain non-violent and violent delinquency of 876 at-risk youth (715 male, 9-27 years), by combining nine biological (autonomic-nervous-system; endocrinological), nine psychological, and seven social-environmental measures. Using latent-class-regression analysis we uncovered four distinct psychologically-driven biological clusters, which differed in non-violent and violent delinquency-risk, moderated by social-environmental variables: a biological-psychopathic traits; low problem; high problem; and biological-reactive group. Individual vulnerabilities to (non-)violent delinquency depended on social-environmental context that differed between clusters. These findings highlight the importance of biological and psychological factors, in the context of social-environmental factors, in explaining (non)-violent delinquency.
Exploring autonomic dysfunction in functional dysphonia: A protocol for a case-control study and a randomized controlled trial
Background Although psychological factors have been implicated in patients with functional dysphonia (FD), conventional voice therapy (CVT) typically targets the aberrant voice symptoms exclusively. Yet, CVT is not always successful, and in view of the significant adverse quality of life impact combined with the financial burden on the healthcare system and society, research is needed to elucidate the underlying psychophysiology of FD and improve treatment outcomes. Objectives The first objective of this research project is to compare the occurrence and frequency of symptoms and/or disorders related to autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in patients with FD with gender- and age-matched vocally healthy controls, using a case-control study. The second objective is to compare the effects of a novel therapy for FD based on ANS regulation (i.e., ANS therapy: heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback) on both autonomic function and voice function versus CVT alone or in combination with ANS therapy (i.e., ANS therapy + CVT), using a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Methods Case-control study: Autonomic (dys)function of patients with FD will be compared with gender- and age-matched vocally healthy controls, using both physiological measures (e.g., HRV, skin conductance level) and psychological patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs, e.g., Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale). RCT: The FD group will be randomly assigned to the innovative ANS therapy group, the CVT group or the ANS therapy + CVT group. All patients received 1 month of treatment with 20 min of daily practice. Both the autonomic assessment and the voice assessment will be performed pretherapy and immediately after therapy by assessors blinded to group allocation and study phase. Expected results Higher occurrences of symptoms and/or disorders related to autonomic dysfunction are expected in patients with FD compared with vocally healthy controls. Physiological outcomes: lower HRV, lower cardiac pre-ejection period, higher respiration rate and higher skin conductance level are hypothesized in patients with FD compared with vocally healthy controls. Psychological PROMs: higher self-report of feelings/symptoms related to autonomic dysfunction (e.g., perceived stress, anxiety) is expected in patients with FD compared with vocally healthy controls. The autonomic function is hypothesized to improve more after the ANS therapy and the ANS therapy + CVT compared with the CVT only. Voice function is expected to improve more after the ANS therapy + CVT compared with the ANS therapy and the CVT alone. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS What is already known on the subject Autonomic dysfunction is well recognized in the field of psychology but remains understudied in the area of voice. Given that the vagus nerve, innervating the larynx, also helps to regulate the ANS, and psychological symptoms commonly observed in patients with FD may reflect ANS dysregulation, research in this area is needed. There is some preliminary evidence that autonomic dysfunction might indeed be associated with FD. However, physiological ANS measures are needed, as well as validated psychological PROMs. What this paper adds to the existing knowledge The first objective of this study is to investigate the occurrence and frequency of symptoms and/or disorders related to autonomic dysfunction in patients with FD as compared with a gender- and age-matched vocally healthy control group. Autonomic (dys)function will be determined by employing both physiological measures (e.g., HRV, skin conductance level) and psychological PROMs (e.g., Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale, Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale). The second objective is to compare the effects of a novel therapy for FD based on ANS regulation (HRV biofeedback) versus CVT alone or in combination with ANS therapy. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work? Success rates of symptomatic CVT for FD are highly variable. This study is expected to lead to innovative results related to the pathogenesis and psychophysiology of FD, a prevalent voice disorder associated with a significant adverse quality of life impact and a substantial financial burden on the healthcare system and society. The results of this study will lead to crucial new insights into both the diagnosis and treatment of FD, contributing to evidence-based practice in the field of voice.
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