Pizzoli Silvia Francesca Maria, Marzorati Chiara, Mazzoni Davide, Pravettoni Gabriella
University of Milan, Department of Oncology and Hematology-Oncology, Milan, Italy.
Applied Research Division for Cognitive and Psychological Science, European Institute of Oncology IEO, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
JMIR Ment Health. 2020 Dec 3;7(12):e22757. doi: 10.2196/22757.
Relaxation practices might be helpful exercises for coping with anxiety and stressful sensations. They may be of particular utility when used in web-based interventions during periods of social isolation.
This randomized study aimed to test whether web-based relaxation practices like natural sounds, deep respiration, and body scans can promote relaxation and a positive emotional state, and reduce psychomotor activation and preoccupation related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions. Each condition was characterized by a single online session of a guided square breathing exercise, a guided body scan exercise, or natural sounds. The participants listened to one of the fully automated audio clips for 7 minutes and pre-post completed self-assessed scales on perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation, level of preoccupation associated with COVID-19, and emotional state. At the end of the session, qualitative reports on subjective experience were also collected.
Overall, 294 participants completed 75% of the survey and 240 completed the entire survey as well as one of three randomly assigned interventions. Perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation/stress, and preoccupation related to COVID-19 showed a positive improvement after participants listened to the audio clips. The same pattern was observed for the valence and perceived dominance of the emotional state. The square breathing and body scan exercises yielded superior results compared to natural sounds in lowering perceived stress.
This study provides a novel insight that can guide the development of future low-cost web-based interventions to reduce preoccupation and stress in the general population.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR2-10.2196/19236.
放松练习可能是应对焦虑和压力感的有益练习。在社交隔离期间用于基于网络的干预措施时，它们可能具有特别的效用。
这项随机研究旨在测试诸如自然声音、深呼吸和身体扫描等基于网络的放松练习是否能促进放松和积极的情绪状态，并减少与2019冠状病毒病大流行相关的精神运动性激活和注意力过度集中。
参与者被随机分配到三种实验条件之一。每种条件的特点是进行一次在线指导的方形呼吸练习、一次在线指导的身体扫描练习或自然声音练习。参与者收听其中一个全自动音频片段7分钟，并在前后完成关于感知放松、精神运动性激活、与2019冠状病毒病相关的注意力水平和情绪状态的自我评估量表。在练习结束时，还收集了关于主观体验的定性报告。
总体而言，294名参与者完成了75%的调查，240名参与者完成了整个调查以及三项随机分配的干预措施之一。在参与者收听音频片段后，感知放松、精神运动性激活/压力以及与2019冠状病毒病相关的注意力过度集中均有积极改善。情绪状态的效价和感知优势也观察到了相同的模式。与自然声音相比，方形呼吸和身体扫描练习在降低感知压力方面产生了更好的效果。
本研究提供了一种新的见解，可指导未来低成本的基于网络的干预措施的开发，以减少普通人群的注意力过度集中和压力。
国际注册报告标识符（IRRID）：RR2-10.2196/19236。
