Affective Audio

Emotional factors may influence reception of information provided during informed consent leading to incomplete understanding and reduced satisfaction. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a multidisciplinary approach could improve understanding of the information provided by the anaesthesiologist and in turn, reduce anxiety. A randomised controlled clinical trial. Veneto Oncology Institute, Italian comprehensive cancer centre. Recruitment from December 2008 to June 2010. Two hundred and fifty-one women requiring anaesthesia for breast cancer surgery. Women undergoing surgery for primary breast cancer were randomly assigned to either the structured anaesthesiology interview group (SAI) or the integrated multidisciplinary psycho-oncological approach (IPA). In the IPA arm, patients underwent an interview with the psycho-oncologist. Subsequently, and prior to preoperative anaesthesia evaluation, the psycho-oncologist informed the anaesthesiologist of the type of communicative strategy to adopt for each individual. In the SAI arm, patients received only the anaesthesiology interview. Anxiety as assessed by State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. Two hundred and fifty-one patients were randomised and 234 analysed: 124 in the IPA arm and 110 in the SAI arm. For both groups, mean anxiety scores, according to the STAI questionnaire, were statistically lower after the anaesthesiology visit than at baseline, with a reduction of 6.5 points for the IPA arm [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.6 to 8.4, P < 0.0001] and 4.7 points for the SAI arm (95% CI 2.6 to 6.7, P < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the mean anxiety score before and after the interview. For highly anxious patients, the STAI score decreased significantly more in the IPA group (10.2 points, 95% CI 7.4 to 13.0) than in the SAI group (6.8 points, 95% CI 3.8 to 9.8), P = 0.024.The information provided during the anaesthesiology visit was correctly understood by more than 80% of patients and was similar in both groups. In breast cancer surgical patients with high levels of preoperative anxiety, a multidisciplinary approach with psycho-oncological intervention proved to be useful at the preoperative anaesthesiology interview.

BackgroundWhen the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown measures were instituted, the wide-scale necessity for remote mental health care increased among professional clinicians, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and certified peer support (CPS) specialists. Factors contributing to increased demand include concern for the safety of loved ones, the safety of oneself, overall well-being, unemployment, and loneliness for older individuals. While demand continues to increase and a shortage of mental health professionals persists, understanding the training, technology, media, and delivery of digital peer support services can facilitate community-based support services to assist patients in coping with mental health symptoms between clinical encounters with licensed professionals. Digital peer support consists of asynchronous and synchronous, live or automated, peer support services such as applications, social media, and phone calls.ObjectiveThe purpose of this cross-sectional study is to determine how digital peer support is delivered, by which technologies it is delivered, and how certified digital peer supporters are trained within the United States to inform future delivery of digital peer support.MethodsWe used an online cross-sectional self-report survey developed alongside certified peer specialists. The study included questions regarding the types of peer support training and the delivery methods used within their practices. We advertised the survey through a certified peer support specialist listserve, Facebook, and Twitter.ResultsCertified peer specialists provide mutual social emotional support to those with a similar mental health condition. Of certified peer specialists trained in CPS, the majority of CPS specialists were trained in peer support (418/426, 98.1%). Peer support specialists deliver services via telephone calls (182/293, 62.1%), via videoconference-based services (160/293, 54.6%), via SMS text messages (123/293, 42%), via smartphone apps (68/293, 23.2%), and via social media (65/293, 22.2%). Certified peer specialists deliver services through virtual reality (11/293, 3.8%) and through video games (6/293, 2%). Virtual reality and video games may represent emerging technologies to develop and deliver community-based support.ConclusionsThis study examined the modes of digital peer support intervention as well as the training and demographic background of peer supporters. Given the demand for mental health care, digital peer support emerges as one option to increase access. These results suggest that CPS specialists commonly use SMS text messaging, phone calls, and videoconferences to engage in peer support. Less frequently, they may use diverse modes such as apps, social media, and video games. It is important to consider the backgrounds of peer supporters and the mediums of communication to best accommodate areas where access to peer support is emerging. Larger longitudinal studies and a variety of experimental designs may be considered to understand the efficacy of digital interventions and digital peer support training to direct optimal care.

The role of psychosocial, behavioural and emotional factors on self-reported major injuries in Brazilian adolescents: A case-control study

In recent years, pedagogical practices in Latin America have had to migrate prematurely towards digitalization, but in the absence of firm foundations, learning results have been unsatisfactory. Usually, the tools used by teachers are not practical and attractive, especially for students of early ages. The project deals with the development of an educational RPG (role-playing game) video game which contains different levels that group the learning areas included in the STEAM methodology (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) whose story is based on the prevention of covid-19 by applying concepts learned within the respective school curriculum. Different strategies were implemented, such as gamification, formative process and feedback, which allow the deployment of skills, abilities and competencies that facilitate children to adjust interactively to their learning environments. For the validation of the video game, a checklist was made with the most important dimensions of an educational video game, which was solved by the teacher in charge and a survey was applied to the children to know their level of satisfaction with respect to the game and the current education. Finally, in accordance with the good results, it is evident that this type of action requires further encouragement for more in-depth research with multidisciplinary teams in order to implement these didactic tools in the curricula of educational institutions.

In this research, paper will be highlighted the dominant role that the video games hold nowadays. It is undeniable that as time and technology go by, more and more people spend time playing games on their smartphones. As shown by recent studies, 44% of the game developers are working on a game that will be released on smartphone or tablet (Game Developers Conference 2016). This has led, in turn, to a growing number of companies taking interest in releasing video games for smartphones, increasing the competition. Due to the above, companies have realized the significance of importing more and more innovative ideas in their video games so they get more appealing to buyers, resulting in holding a bigger share in video games market. The impact of these innovations in a company’s function and the profit, or loss, they can cause will also be investigated. This will be examined via the modeling and simulation procedure of the innovations’ developing process, which is proven to be the safest and quickest way to try different environmental factors, observe how they influence the model and compare different outcomes.

Given the importance of visuospatial processing in areas related to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) disciplines, where there is still a considerable gap in the area of sex differences, the interest in the effects of visuospatial skills training continues to grow. Therefore, we have evaluated the visuospatial improvement of adolescents after performing a computerized mental rotation training program, as well as the relationship of this visuospatial ability with other cognitive, emotional factors and those factors based on the experience with videogames. The study, which was performed on students aged 14 and 15 years old, showed a significant improvement in this visuospatial skill for a training group (n = 21) compared to a control group (n = 24). Furthermore, no significant sex differences were obtained for spatial ability or for any of the other tasks evaluated, either before or after training. Regarding the relationship between skills, a significant correlation between experience with video games and spatial ability was found, as well as between mathematical reasoning and intelligence and with spatial ability in the initial phase for the total sample. These findings are discussed from a cognitive point of view and within the current sociocultural context, where the equal use of new technologies could help reduce the visuospatial gap between sexes.

Ecological and momentary assessment and intervention for schizophrenia: Use of smartphone apps and video games.

In the United States, the incidence rate of new or recurrent stroke is approximately 795 000 per year, and stroke prevalence for individuals over the age of 20 years is estimated at 6.5 million.1 Mortality rates in the first 30 days after stroke have decreased because of advances in emergency medicine and acute stroke care. In addition, there is strong evidence that organized postacute, inpatient stroke care delivered within the first 4 weeks by an interdisciplinary healthcare team results in an absolute reduction in the number of deaths.2,3 Despite these positive achievements, stroke continues to represent the leading cause of long-term disability in Americans: An estimated 50 million stroke survivors worldwide currently cope with significant physical, cognitive, and emotional deficits, and 25% to 74% of these survivors require some assistance or are fully dependent on caregivers for activities of daily living (ADLs).4,5 Notwithstanding the substantial progress in acute stroke care over the past 15 years, the focus of stroke medical advances and healthcare resources has been on acute and subacute recovery phases, which has resulted in substantial health disparities in later phases of stroke care. Additionally, healthcare providers (HCPs) are often unaware of not only patients’ potential for improvement during more chronic recovery phases but also common issues that stroke survivors and their caregivers experience. Furthermore, even with evidence that documents neuroplasticity potential regardless of age and time after stroke,6 the mean lifetime cost of ischemic stroke (which accounts for 87% of all strokes) in the United States is an estimated $140 000 (for inpatient, rehabilitation, and follow-up costs), with 70% of first-year stroke costs attributed to acute inpatient hospital care1; therefore, fewer financial resources appear to be dedicated to providing optimal care during the later phases of stroke recovery. Because there remains a …

The skeletal muscle capillary supply mainly determines the highest exercise capacity. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the major growth factor during the angiogenesis process. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether the VEGF insertion/deletion (I/D) variant differs between athletes and sedentary controls in the Turkish population. Three hundred sixteen subjects, including 146 athletes from different branches and 170 sedentary people, voluntarily participated in this study. Genomic DNA was isolated and genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis for the VEGF I/D variant. The results were evaluated statistically. In this study, the athletes and the controls showed a statistically significant difference in the genotype and allele distribution of the VEGF I/D variant. The athletes had a more prevalent D allele and D/D genotype than the controls (p = 0.008 and p = 0.034, respectively). There was a statistically significant association between the patients and the controls in terms of D/D vs. I/I + I/D genotypes (p = 0.018). There was no significant difference in VEGF I/D genotype distribution according to sports branches. Athletic performance is a complex trait influenced by genetic and environmental factors. As far as we know, this is the first study to evaluate the VEGF I/D variant in athletes in Turkey. According to our results in this study, we concluded that the VEGF I/D variant, D/D genotype, and D allele are associated with sport performance in the Turkish population. However, there is a need for studies with large samples in which environmental and emotional factors will also be taken into account.

Psiquiatría de Enlace. Experiencia en el Hospital General de México

is completing a Ph.D. within the ARC Discovery project, The Internet of Toys (IoToys): Benefits and risks of connected toys for children undertaken by the School of Arts an publication

BACKGROUND As recognition of mindfulness grows, mobile mindfulness apps targeting the public population have proliferated. However, research on mobile mindfulness apps and interventions reveals high attrition rates or dropout rates, which not only hinders efforts to demonstrate the effects of mindfulness training but also limits users' chance to fully experience its benefits. Accordingly, this study aimed to identify the factors influencing the continuance and attrition motivation of mobile mindfulness apps. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the factors associated with the continuation and attrition of mindfulness app usage, focusing on the personality, emotional, and cognitive characteristics of users who continued or discontinued app use, as well as those who have not used the app. A text-mining analysis of qualitative feedback on the app's continuance and attrition motivations was also conducted to understand user motivation. METHODS Participants were recruited through an online panel research organization. All participants completed two surveys: the first assessed emotional and cognitive characteristics, including depression, anxiety, dysfunctional self-focus attributes, and overall experiences with mindfulness practice; the second evaluated personality traits, including temperament and character. Participants were then clustered based on their mindfulness or mobile mindfulness experiences, and the resulting group compared the score of personality, emotional, and cognitive factors through ANCOVA. Finally, word clustering and semantic network analysis were used to examine the perceived continuance and attrition motivations of mobile mindfulness. RESULTS A total of 190 participants were included in the final analysis. The three groups identified through the two-step clustering showed significant sociodemographic differences in age (P=.002) and marital status (P=.005). There were also significant differences in personality traits, including harm avoidance (P=.02), self-directedness (P=.01) and self-transcendence (P=.004). Emotional characteristics also differed significantly, with variations in depression (P=.03), state anxiety (P=.04) and trait anxiety (P=.04). Furthermore, cognitive aspects, particularly negatively biased focus ((P=.001), were significantly different. A semantic network analysis revealed that the primary factor influencing continuance motivation for using mobile mindfulness apps was the diversity and accessibility of programs and content. Conversely, the main factor contributing to attrition motivation was related to subscription status and the limited availability of content. CONCLUSIONS The clustered groups revealed distinct mobile mindfulness usage patterns, along with unique personality, cognitive, and emotional characteristics. Additionally, participants with mobile mindfulness experience determined whether to continue or discontinue use based on the range of content options and the emotions or effects they encountered through the mobile mindfulness. These findings provide valuable insights for developers and researchers in the field of digital mindfulness interventions, especially for addressing retention and reducing attrition.

Un equipo multidisciplinario de carácter universitario (chileno-español) y profesoras de una escuela pública de la región de Valparaíso (Chile), llevaron a cabo una iniciativa destinada a diseñar y poner en práctica una secuencia formativa, que incorporando en sus actividades el uso del videojuego de estrategia “Age of Empire”, pudiera mediar aprendizajes curriculares correspondientes a los subsectores de “Comprensión de la Sociedad” y “Educación Matemática”. La aplicación de este diseño de clases implicó trabajar con 78 estudiantes de 7º años básico, los cuales realizaron tres tipos de uso del videojuego: nivelación, indagación y evaluación. A través de la metodología de Estudio de Caso de tipo Descriptivo se llevo a cabo la recopilación y análisis de datos que permitió caracterizar las prácticas e interacciones surgidas en la relación entre pares, el rol docente, y los aportes del videojuego. Los principales resultados muestran, por un lado, lo importante que es (i)qué los docentes aprendan a jugar, (ii)participen de una instancia de colaboración para poder diseñar nuevos ambientes de aprendizaje, y por otro lado, (iii)las tipologías de colaboración y cooperación surgidas entre los estudiantes, y (iv)las oportunidades ofrecidas por el videojuego para aproximarse a la realidad de los fenómenos

In an effort to maximizing success in mathematics, our research team implemented an educational video game in fifth grade mathematics classrooms in five schools in the Eastern US. The educational game was developed by our multi-disciplinary research team to achieve a hypothetical learning trajectory of mathematical thinking of 5th grade students. In this study, we examined overall engagement and three sub-domains of engagement as outcome variables after ten sessions of treatment with fifth grade students. The results showed that both male and female the video game group had slight increases in all engagement levels while students, particularly male, in the paper-and-pencil drill group displayed large decreases in all engagement levels. Implications of the study are 1) more fine-grained evidence of engagement in three sub-domains after implementing an educational video game, and 2) a consideration of gender differences in engagement levels in mathematics in the adoption of a video games.

Research on occupant behavior is a crucial aspect of building energy-saving research. Among them, the shading adjustment behavior in buildings, which occurs frequently during building usage, significantly impacts building energy consumption. Due to the randomness of shading adjustment behavior and the complexity of its motivations, interdisciplinary research is required in this field. In order to better analyze the driving factors of shading adjustment behavior and thus provide a reference for promoting building energy-saving technologies and strategies, this paper employs novel methods for research. We establish a structural equation model based on social cognitive theory, then design a questionnaire and collect data. We utilize structural equation modeling to examine the interrelationships between different dimensions. We ultimately determine the connections between different driving factors of shading adjustment behavior. The results show that whether in the behavior of activating or deactivating shading, environmental factors have a positive correlation with personal factors, and both environmental and personal factors significantly influence shading adjustment behavior. Furthermore, within environmental factors, social environmental factors also significantly affect shading adjustment behavior. Lastly, comparing the behaviors of activating and deactivating shading, the impacts of light and thermal environmental factors on shading adjustment behavior show certain differences.