The effect of EEG neurofeedback on lowering the stress reaction level depending on various stressors on the biochemical, muscular and psychomotor sphere: A preliminary randomized study.

BACKGROUND: The human body is exposed to stressors on a daily basis. Short-term exposure to a particular stressor can cause the release of inflammatory markers - including c-reactive protein (CRP). EEG neurofeedback is a noninvasive form of therapy that aims to improve brain function. Neurofeedback is a type of feedback based on brain activity. METHODS: The research process was performed by a group of 80 men who were divided into 2 research groups and 2 control groups. In the first research group and the first control group, the stressor of high temperature was applied, while in the second research group and the second control group, the stressor was physical exertion to refusal. Meanwhile, blood samples were taken to visualize inflammatory markers. These were taken before and after the stressor, as well as before and after the application of EEG neurofeedback. RESULTS: In research group after EEG neurofeedback intervention, the level of CRP significantly dropped in the measurement after stressor implementation. Analysis of the SMK test revealed a significant influence of both factors (time F = 13.525, P = .035; state F = 10.658, P = .047) and their interaction (F = 16.709, P = .026). Same statically significant decrease was observed in the level of rect. abdom. EMG was after physical work after neurofeedback. In all tests, a decrease in the EMG amplitude of upper trap. was observed after physical work before neurofeedback with its further increase after neurofeedback. After neurofeedback training, the results of the 3 tested parameters of the sensorimotor coordination test performed after the second heat stressor improved statistically insignificantly compared to the values obtained before. CONCLUSION: This article shows the effect of EGG neurofeedback on reducing the negative effects of stress exposure in humans. The study showed that the level and a pattern of EEG neurofeedback influence and significance is different depending on the applied stressor. Furthermore, the level of EEG neurofeedback influence and significance in decreasing the stressor effect is different depending on the examined sphere.

Gender and Work Experience as Moderators of Relations between Management Level, Physical Activity, Eating Attitudes, and Social Skills of Managers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Being employed in a managerial position is often associated with maintaining high standards in many aspects of life. Many leaders pay attention to their physical activity, eating habits, and social skills. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought additional difficulties to the already-demanding job of managing people and forced managers to make many changes to their daily functioning at work. The main goal of this study was to establish whether Gender, Experience, and Management Level influenced respondents' healthy behaviors (eating attitudes and physical activity) or soft skills during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic with a sample of 348 managers from a variety of companies (n = 222 women, n = 126 men) with different levels of experience and responsibility. The authors used the 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), four questions from the Physical Activity Objectives Questionnaire, and a self-authored soft skills questionnaire. The results showed that, compared to females, males were characterized by lower levels on all three EAT-26 scales: Bulimia and Food Preoccupation, Oral Control, and Dieting. On the other hand, male respondents who held high managerial positions were characterized by high levels of Dieting, Oral Control, Bulimia, and Food Preoccupation. This analysis provides insights that may help improve the quality of life of employees; however, further research is needed to investigate the direct influence of managers on employees in different industries.

Stress is not so bad-cortisol level and psychological functioning after 8-week HIIT program during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Amid extensive pregnancy exercise research, the impact of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on pregnant women's mental health is underexplored. Despite exercise benefits, it can trigger stress responses like elevated cortisol. This study fills the gap by investigating correlations between hair cortisol levels, mental health, and HIIT effects in pregnant women. Methods: We conducted a randomized control trial among 38 Caucasian women in uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy (age 31.11 ± 4.03 years, 21.82 ± 4.30 week of gestation; mean ± SD). The experimental group comprised 22 women engaged in an 8-week high-intensity interval training program (HIIT). The comparative group consisted of 16 pregnant women undergoing an 8-week educational program (EDU). Before and after the interventions, all women were evaluated using the following tools: Hair cortisol level measurements, Beck Depression Inventory - II for depressive symptoms assessment, Childbirth Attitudes Questionnaire for childbirth fear measurement, 12-item Short Form Health Survey to gage health-related quality of life, International Physical Activity Questionnaire for physical activity level estimation, and a Progressive maximal exercise test to evaluate maternal exercise capacity. Results: The key finding of our study reveals that women engaged in the HIIT intervention exhibited a distinct cortisol production pattern in contrast to the EDU group practicing standard moderate intensity physical activity. In the HIIT group, there was an increase in hair cortisol levels, while the EDU group showed a notable decrease. Remarkably, HIIT stimulated cortisol production without adversely impacting fear of childbirth and psychophysical condition during pregnancy. In fact, only the HIIT group showed a significant enhancement in mental health. Conclusion: No links were discovered between hair cortisol levels and the severity of depressive symptoms, psychophysical well-being, or fear of childbirth. Hence, based on our research, employing cortisol levels during pregnancy as an indicator of negative stress or depression risk appears unwarranted.

Can we hit prenatal depression and anxiety through HIIT? The effectiveness of online high intensity interval training in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In recent years high intensity interval training (HIIT) has grown in popularity. However, it rarely represents training interventions in experimental studies in pregnant populations. Therefore, in this study we aimed to assess changes in depressive symptoms, fear of childbirth, fear of Covid-19 and quality of life after an 8-week supervised online HIIT program, compared to an educational (self-performed physical activity) program. METHODS: We conducted a randomized control trial among 54 Caucasian women in uncomplicated, singleton pregnancy (age 32 ± 4 years, 22 ± 4 week of gestation; mean ± SD). There were 34 women in the experimental group, who participated in an 8-week high intensity interval training program (HIIT group). The comparative group was constituted of 20 pregnant women who attended 8-week educational program (EDU group). RESULTS: The most important finding was that mental health improved somewhat in both groups after the intervention, but only the HIIT group improved statistically significantly. The positive trends in lowering the severity of depressive symptoms, fear of childbirth, and fear of Covid-19 were observed in both groups. However, the positive response to the intervention was stronger in the EDU group. As a secondary outcome, there was a significant decrease in cardiorespiratory fitness level in the EDU group, while the HIIT group maintained unchanged level of maximal oxygen uptake. CONCLUSIONS: HIIT seems to be beneficial for women with uncomplicated pregnancies to maintain adequate quality of life and mental health. However, more research is needed to determine the effectiveness of prenatal HIIT in pregnant women in various psychological conditions. TRIAL REGISTRATION: We conducted this study in Poland, in 2021. It was approved by the Bioethics Commission at the District Medical Chamber in Gdansk (KB-8/21). The full study protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05009433).

Individual Characteristics and Pain Sensitivity during Pregnancy-A Cross-Sectional Study in Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women.

The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics and factors related to pain perception in pregnant women, such as optimism, personality traits, and fear of developing COVID-19 consequences. Sixty-six pregnant women aged 23 to 42 years participated in the study, and the comparison group consisted of n = 59 non-pregnant female students aged 19 to 23 years. Pressure pain threshold and pain tolerance were measured with an algometer. To assess psychological characteristics, the Life-Orientation Test-Revised was used to assess optimism, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale was used to assess COVID-19 anxiety, and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory was applied to assess personality traits in a five-factor model. The main results of the study showed that pain tolerance was significantly lower in both dominant and non-dominant hand pregnant women than in the comparison group. The studied pregnant women had higher scores for conscientiousness, fear of COVID-19, and optimism compared with the non-pregnant women. Regression analysis showed that the variability in pain perception among pregnant women could not be explained by individual differences in personality traits, optimism, and fear of COVID-19.

Burnout and Mental Interventions among Youth Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Studies.

(1) Background: The subject of athlete burnout is often discussed among sports psychologists. Interventions to reduce this phenomenon are still under investigation with follow-ups. Thus, the purpose of the current meta-analysis is to examine psychological interventions that was carried out to decrease or eliminate burnout syndrome in young athletes. (2) Methods: Scientific electronic databases were searched, and five published studies published between January and June 2022 that met the criteria were selected. The systematic review and meta-analyses followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The Cochrane collaboration tool for assessing the risk of bias was used to assess the studies' quality. Metafor, a package of the R statistical program, was used to perform the analysis. (3) Results: Cognitive behavioral therapy- and mindfulness-based interventions effectively reduced most dimensions of burnout. Moreover, online interventions were significantly more beneficial in this reduction. (4) Conclusions: There should be more high-quality studies on the effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing burnout, mainly because it leads to tremendous physical and psychological problems for athletes and their coaches; therefore, it requires particular interventions and prevention strategies.

Level of anxiety and results of psychomotor tests in young soccer players of different performance levels.

The aim of the current study is to determine how the level of state and trait anxiety differs between youth athletes of different performance levels and furthermore whether there are correlations between performance levels and psychomotor variables in the selected tasks. A sample of 97 boys, aged 11-12 years, practising soccer represented two groups: A - high performance level and B - lower performance level. Participants completed a state and trait anxiety inventory and performed selected psychomotor tests. The analyses demonstrated that the higher the levels of anxiety were, the shorter was the response time and more accurate were the responses in selected psychomotor tests. For the whole group, r = -0.224, p < 0.05, and for group B, r = -0.333, p < 0.05. Moreover, the findings showed a moderator effect of level (group A vs B) on reaction time, which was almost significant in state anxiety and significant in trait anxiety. For group B, trait anxiety was negatively related to reaction time (b = -0.002, SE = 0.001, t = -2.93, p = .004, 95% CI [-0.004, -0.001]). This means that the higher the trait anxiety was, the shorter was the reaction time in group B, but there was no significant effect in group A. The results of the study confirmed the negative correlation between the trait and state anxiety and reaction time. The higher the anxiety was, the shorter was the response time of child soccer players. Future research should determine whether athletes' performance levels do affect performance under stress and replicate the study with different samples such as girls and different sport disciplines.

The Role of Religion and Religiosity in Health-Promoting Care for the Body During the Lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Egypt, Poland and Romania.

The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), as a widespread health threat, has triggered an increase in health-related behaviours, both pro-and anti-health, especially with regard to diet and physical activity. One of the factors modifying the intensity of such activities may be the religious doctrine and religiosity with which a person is associated. A total of 1502 people (1147 women) from countries that feature one dominant religion, took part in the study. Participants represented Sunni Islam (Egypt, n = 798), Roman Catholicism (Poland, n = 443) and Orthodox Christianity (Romania, n = 261). The Coronavirus Anxiety Scale, the Eating Attitudes Test and the Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives were used in the study. Fear of COVID-19 is associated with engagement in pro-health activity, although not to such a significant extent as might be expected. The type of religion in question was revealed to moderate this relationship, but the intensity of religiosity was not found to serve as a moderator.

Protozoan Intestinal Parasitic Infection in Patients with Hematological Malignancies.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of gastrointestinal protozoan infection in patients with hematological malignancies (HMs) undergoing intensive hemato-oncological treatment and to determine the influence of certain biological factors on the incidence of intestinal parasite infection. Stool samples were collected from hematological malignancy patients (n = 50) hospitalized at the Department of Hematology and Transplantology of the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin. The control group consisted of 50 healthy participants. We used a direct smear examination and a commercial immunoenzymatic test. Intestinal protozoans were detected in 16% of patients with hematological malignancies and in 6% of individuals in the control group. In stool samples from patients with HM, cysts of Giardia intestinalis (2%), oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp. (10%), vacuolar forms of potentially pathogenic Blastocystis spp. (2%), and cysts of nonpathogenic Entamoeba coli (2%) were found. Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia intestinalis coproantigens were detected in 5 (10%) and 1 (2%) patients with HM, respectively. In three participants from the control group, vacuolar forms of Blastocystis spp. were found. In the patients with HM, a significantly higher prevalence of intestinal parasite infection was found in individuals working in the garden without protective gloves and those in contact with animals. In patients with hematological malignancies, intestinal parasites should be excluded, even during intensive chemotherapy treatment.

A Moderated Mediation Model of Wellbeing and Competitive Anxiety in Male Marathon Runners.

Running marathons is an increasingly popular activity with an ever-increasing number of events and participants. Many participants declare that they pursue a variety of goals by running, namely, the maintenance of good health, the development of strength and improvement of fitness, the management of emotions, and the achievement of resilience and psychological wellbeing (PWB). The research has examined marathon running, like many other sports, and has studied various factors that reduce athletic performance, such as the experience of anxiety, and that enhance such performance, such as an increase in general wellbeing. This article reports the results of a study on the experience of competitive anxiety among 238 male marathon runners who participated in Seville's (Spain) 26th Marathon race on February 23, 2020, and investigates the relationship between anxiety and key dimensions of wellbeing as measured by the Spanish-adapted 20-item PWB Scale. We hypothesized that participating athletes who rated high on the dimensions of PWB would experience lower levels of competitive anxiety with respect to this race. We also proposed that PWB would function as a mediating factor with respect to the experience of anxiety. The results show, as hypothesized, that marathon running enhances wellbeing and reduces anxiety. The data showed significant negative correlations between four of five wellbeing dimensions and the three types of anxiety measured, namely, somatic anxiety, worry, and concentration-impairing anxiety. Other findings supported our hypothesis that wellbeing, as measured, functions as a mediating factor for the moderation of competitive anxiety. Generalization of these findings is limited by the fact that the low number of female participants recruited did not permit valid statistical analyses in this respect. It is known that both anxiety and wellbeing are subjects to variation by gender. The future inclusion of male and female subjects in equivalent studies will undoubtedly add valuable information concerning the dynamics of anxiety and wellbeing. The implications of these findings and the limitations of the study will be discussed.

Dimensions of Athlete-Coach Relationship and Sport Anxiety as Predictors of the Changes in Psychomotor and Motivational Welfare of Child Athletes after the Implementation of the Psychological Workshops for Coaches.

(1) Background: Coach workshops based on seven principles (inspiration, explanation, expectation, support, reward, appreciation, growth, and winning) enhance the sport experience of adult athletes. Here, we report effects of such workshops with coaches of child athletes and the predictors of those changes. (2) Methods: Study participants were 8 coaches of 57 children aged between 9 and 12 years old (girls practicing gymnastics and boys practicing football). Three coaches of 28 children attended three workshops over 12 weeks, while a control group of 5 coaches of 29 children attended no workshops. Measures of motivation, relationships, anxiety, and psychomotor performance were taken on children before and after the intervention. (3) Results: There were significant effects of the workshop on motivation and psychomotor performance. The analysis of the predictors the intervention used in this study might be effective for enhancing psychomotor performance and motivation while considering components of Athlete-Coach relationship and anxiety levels as moderators. (4) Conclusions: The beneficial effects of the workshop are encouraging but need to be investigated with higher numbers of coaches and children from various sport disciplines.

The positive impact of 12 weeks of dance and balance training on the circulating amyloid precursor protein and serotonin concentration as well as physical and cognitive abilities in elderly women.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of 12-weeks dance training with balance training on fall risk, physical and cognitive functions. The study's second aim was to evaluate the association between physical and cognitive functions with circulating markers of neurodegeneration and cognitive impairments in elders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 30 older women (aged 73.3 ± 4.5) were randomly assigned into three groups: balance training (BG), dance training (DG) and control group (CG). To assess the study aims Time up and go test (TUG), 6 minute walk test (6MWT), determination test (DT), blood amyloid precursor protein (APP) and serotonin concentration were performed. RESULTS: The results showed an improvement in 6MWT (p = 0.0001 for DG and BD), walking speed (p = 0.0001 for DG and BG) and TUG, only for DG (p = 0.0013). The number of correct responses in DT increased in both groups (p = 0.014 and p = 0.005, for DG and BG, respectively). In DG the increase in the total number of reactions was observed (p = 0.013). The improvement in cognitive and physical functions was associated with an increase in APP (p = 0.036 and p = 0.014) and a decrease in serotonin concentrations (p = 0.042 and p = 0.049), respectively in DG and BG. CONCLUSION: Dance training intervention could have more benefits on elders' physical and cognitive functions. However, both trainings may be important factors modifying the concentration of circulating proteins associated with neurodegenerative and cognitive disorders.

Well-Being of High-Level Managers during the Pandemic: The Role of Fear of Negative Appearance, Anxiety, and Eating Behaviors.

(1) Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented changes in the contemporary world, significantly affecting the work of companies, especially management staff. This study investigated whether fear about one's health (caused by the pandemic, disordered eating attitudes, or concerns about one's body image) has a negative relationship with the well-being of managers. (2) Methods: N = 354 managers (222 women, 126 men, and 6 people with no gender identity) participated in the study. The following psychometric instruments were used: the psychological well-being scale, the coronavirus anxiety scale, the fear of negative appearance evaluation scale, and the eating attitude test-26. Results: the fear of negative appearance influenced the well-being of the studied managers. However, this relation was mediated by dieting as well as bulimia and food preoccupation. (4) Conclusions: the well-being level depended on the managers' positive body images, but only when mediated by healthy dieting and eating attitudes. While the well-being level of managers was high, it is worth further exploring how they can flourish and develop in life and work, which can also transfer to the quality of life of their co-workers and companies. However, the subject of the well-being of managers warrants more research; for example, by considering different moderators, such as job experience, gender, and age. Moreover, experimental studies examining the effectiveness of different interventions for the physical and mental health of managers could be worth investigating.

Optimization of a Sports Activity Development Model Using Artificial Intelligence under New Curriculum Reform.

The recent curriculum reform in China puts forward higher requirements for the development of physical education. In order to further improve students' physical quality and motor skills, the traditional model was improved to address the lack of accuracy in motion recognition and detection of physical condition so as to assist teachers to improve students' physical quality. First, the physical education teaching activities required by the new curriculum reform were studied with regard to the actual needs of China's current social, political, and economic development; next, the application of artificial intelligence technology to physical education teaching activities was proposed; and finally, deep learning technology was studied and a human movement recognition model based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network was established to identify the movement state of students in physical education teaching activities. The designed model includes three components: data acquisition, data calculation, and data visualization. The functions of each layer were introduced; then, the intelligent wearable system was adopted to detect the status of students and a feedback system was established to assist teaching; and finally, the dataset was constructed to train and test the designed model. The experimental results demonstrate that the recognition accuracy and loss value of the training model meet the practical requirements; in the algorithm test, the motion recognition accuracy of the designed model for different subjects was greater than 97.5%. Compared with the traditional human motion recognition algorithm, the designed model had a better recognition effect. Hence, the designed model can meet the actual needs of physical education. This exploration provides a new perspective for promoting the intelligent development of physical education.

The Consequence of Excessive Consumption of Cow's Milk: Protein-Losing Enteropathy with Anasarca in the Course of Iron Deficiency Anemia-Case Reports and a Literature Review.

Cow's milk is a key component of a child's diet. While the consumption of even trace amounts can result in allergy to its proteins and/or hypolactasia, excessive cow's milk consumption can result in numerous health complications, including iron deficiency, due to the diet being improperly balanced. Although the incidence of iron deficiency has declined, it remains the most widespread nutritional deficiency globally and the most common cause of anemia. One rare consequence of anemia caused by iron deficiency is protein-losing enteropathy; however, the mechanisms of its development are unclear. The following manuscript, based on a literature review, presents two rare cases of children, a 16-month-old boy and a 2.5-year-old girl, who developed severe microcytic anemia, enteropathy with hypoalbuminemia, and anasarca as a result of excessive cow's milk consumption. It highlights the possible relationship between excessive consumption of cow's milk in children and severe iron deficiency anemia with accompanying hypoalbuminemia; it may also result in serious clinical conditions, even in children that do not demonstrate food hypersensitivity.

The Effectiveness of the Psychological Intervention in Amateur Male Marathon Runners.

Background: The Marathon runners must have the proper technical preparation to reach excellence and to achieve adequate psychological preparation for the race. Against this background, the current study aims to describe the implementation results of a cognitive-behavioral intervention based on psychological skills training for marathon runners. Methods: Fourteen amateur male marathoners with an average age of 30 (SD = 5.75) were trained with various emotional and cognitive control techniques to enhance their performance in competition. Various psychological variables, related to the subjects level of perceived stress, and to qualitative characteristics of their thoughts were measured before and after the target marathon race. Results were analyzed through non-parametric tests for two related samples. The Cohen's d effect size for single-group pretest-posttest repeated measures were also performed. Results: Statistical analysis reveals that, controlling for age and running experience, the intervention decreased significantly the level of perceived stress and the occurrence of negative thoughts before the race, during, and after the race. Conclusion: Training in cognitive control and relaxation techniques, as part of the psychological skills training could determine the quality of performance of marathon runners.

The Effectiveness of Psychological Workshops for Coaches on Well-Being and Psychomotor Performance of Children Practicing Football and Gymnastics.

Coach workshops based on seven principles (inspiration, explanation, expectation, support, reward, appreciation, growth and winning) enhance the sport experience of adult athletes. Therefore, we have investigated the effects of such workshops with coaches of child athletes. Study participants were coaches of 57 9- to 12-year old girls (practicing gymnastics) and boys (practicing football). Three coaches of 28 children attended three workshops over 12 weeks, while a control group of 5 coaches of 29 children attended no workshops. Measures of well-being and psychomotor performance were taken on the children before and after the intervention; differences in mean changes between intervention and control groups were adjusted for baseline, standardized, and assessed with a conservative magnitude-based decision method. There were clear substantial effects of the workshop on motivation averaged across several dimensions (girls, large, most likely beneficial), on a decision test (boys, small-moderate, very likely beneficial), on state anxiety self-reflection (girls, moderate, likely harmful), and on reaction time (boys, small, possibly harmful). The beneficial effects of the workshop in this pilot study are encouraging, but the unclear and potentially harmful effects and the roles of presenter- and coach-specific effects need to be investigated further with a representative sample of coaches and more children before the workshop is recommended for implementation.

Fear of COVID-19 changes the motivation for physical activity participation: Polish-Chinese comparisons.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has brought people many negative emotions, such as fear and anxiety about the epidemic. However, when people in different countries face the COVID-19 epidemic, the impact is also different due to different cultural and sports habits. Therefore, this study compares China and Poland's sports motivations in the face of COVID-19 anxiety to find out the cultural differences behind them. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: In the study were N = 674 participants (female n = 407, male n = 260, other n = 4). Their average age was M = 29.86, SD = 11.03. There were n = 381 participants in the Chinese sample, and n = 293 in Polish. The scales used for the purpose of the study were the Inventory of Physical Activity Objectives (IPAO) and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS). RESULTS: The study results showed that the increased level of COVID-19 anxiety changed selected motives for physical activity, and different changes of motives characterized women and men as well as people of different ages. As predicted in the study model, culture was the moderator of the shifts of the selected motives. CONCLUSIONS: The understanding of what motivates individuals to participate in sport seems to have significant value, especially for health practitioners and researchers to design appropriate interventions and programs to increase activity.

Usefulness of Testing for Fecal Calprotectin in Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinical Practice.

Gastrointestinal tract symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, and fever are common reasons for which parents take children to the pediatrician. An increasing prevalence of chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and a decrease in the median age of their onset indicate the need to search for new diagnostic methods for differentiating inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) from other gastrointestinal tract diseases. An example of a novel biomarker is fecal calprotectin (FC), which is considered a noninvasive and useful marker of intestinal inflammation. This review summarizes currently available information on the use of FC in the diagnosis and monitoring of IBD in children. Additionally, it attempts to determine the course of action depending on the concentration of FC. Application of FC determination within the framework of primary medical care can decrease the number of children unnecessarily referred either to endoscopic or radiologic examination. There is a double advantage of calprotectin screening; for patients, it reduces delays in diagnosis and unnecessary exposure to endoscopy, and for doctors, it reduces pressure on endoscopy testing and facilitates decision-making. We emphasize the role of FC as a noninvasive marker, primarily in patients with IBD, in monitoring disease activity, predicting relapse, monitoring therapy efficacy, and monitoring postoperative relapses.

Evaluation of the effectiveness of relaxation in lowering the level of anxiety in young adults - a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Anxiety is a negative emotion that acts as a mediator between stress stimuli and emotional (physiological) reaction patterns. The myofascial system is particularly sensitive to stress. The aim of this study was to determine which of the 2 popular methods used to reduce psychophysical tension, i.e., soft tissue manipulation and Jacobson's progressive relaxation, is more effective. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study was conducted at Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sports in the sports psychology laboratory and the manual therapy room. After performing specialist consultations and interviews to exclude potential participants with contraindications to any of the interventions, the final sample included 90 people who were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups. In group I, soft tissue techniques were applied, including the techniques of post-isometric muscle relaxation, elements of myofascial relaxation of tissues, and elastic tissue deformation using the Swedish massage limited to the cervicothoracic complex. In group II, Jacobson's progressive relaxation was performed. The training consisted of tightening and relaxing specific muscle groups. The experiment was conducted under an ambulatory condition, consisting of a single physiotherapeutic session (group I) or a single progressive relaxation session using the Jacobson method (group II). The level of anxiety was assessed twice, i.e., immediately before and after the therapy. RESULTS: According to a repeated-measures ANOVA, each therapeutic impact was effective in reducing the level of perceived anxiety. Furthermore, the level of perceived anxiety in group I decreased significantly more than that in group II. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, both the soft tissue manipulation and Jacobson's progressive relaxation techniques were efficient methods of minimizing the negative effects of stress. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2019;32(6):817-24.