آزمایش‌های روان‌شناسی

Stress arising from academic, professional and financial demands is common among students and young professionals, and the coping methods within easiest reach, such as listening to music, do not always suffice. This paper presents a survey-driven design for a virtual reality (VR) gadget that combines selectable immersive natural environments, environment-matched sound therapy and heart-rate biofeedback for short relaxation sessions. An online questionnaire completed by 24 respondents, mostly college students, supplies the user requirements. Among those who answer the relevant items, 65.2% report daily stress, 73.9% name academic or job pressure as the main cause, and 47.8% state that a busy schedule prevents regular yoga or meditation. Music is the most common coping method (63.6%). Asked about a 10–15 minute VR relaxation session described as free of side effects, 83.3% answer “yes, definitely” and 8.3% answer “maybe” if the price is under Rs. 5000. The findings yield design requirements, a system architecture, a session workflow and a protocol for comparing the gadget with guided breathing, meditation and relaxing music. That comparison is planned, not yet carried out: the prototype has not been tested with users, and the paper makes no claim of clinical effectiveness.

Background: Insomnia is an important public health concern and may be particularly relevant among security personnel because of irregular work schedules, occupational demands, sustained vigilance, and inadequate rest. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of insomnia and its association with selected sociodemographic and health-related factors among security personnel in a tertiary care government hospital in south India. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 security personnel. Sociodemographic characteristics, including age, gender, income, education, and marital status, and health-related characteristics, including body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension, were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Insomnia was assessed using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Associations between insomnia and selected variables were examined using the chi-square test. Results: Sub-threshold insomnia was present in 32% of participants, while no cases of moderate or severe insomnia were identified. Significant associations were observed between insomnia and gender (p=0.019) and income level (p=0.020). No significant associations were observed with age, education, marital status, or metabolic health status. Self-reported Diabetes and Hypertension were present in 10% and 4% of participants, respectively, while 74% were classified as obese. Conclusions: Although moderate or severe insomnia was not observed, nearly one-third of security personnel had sub-threshold insomnia. Workplace-based sleep hygiene interventions may be beneficial, particularly among women and lower-income employees. Further studies incorporating objective sleep assessments and detailed evaluation of shift schedules are warranted.

Introduction The Tibetan Buddhist tradition distinguishes between two broad categories of meditation: Sutra and Tantra, which differ in the methods and mental faculties they employ. The main neurophysiological studies of Tibetan Buddhist meditation have been conducted mostly on Sutra practices; while Tantric meditation remains less studied. Methods This publication presents a dual comparative study, using both between-groups and within-subjects design, of the neurophysiological (EEG) correlates characterizing Sutra and Tantra meditative practices, examining both the meditative states and the meditative traits. The study was carried out within the natural environment of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in India, maintaining the socio-cultural context. Two groups of long-term practitioners (Buddhist monks of Gelug lineage), one experienced in the Tantra tradition (T-group, n = 21) and the other in the Sutra tradition (S-group, n = 20) participated in the study. Results A between-group cluster permutation test revealed that the groups differed in EEG alpha power during meditation, as well as in baseline resting conditions before and after meditation. Specifically, T-group demonstrated consistently lower alpha power compared to the S-group, regardless of the conditions. Thus, the observed differences are stable characteristics of the groups. The within-subjects analysis demonstrated that the conditions (meditation, and baseline resting states before and after meditation) differed only in the T-group: during meditation, an increase in individual alpha peak frequency (iAPF) was observed in the occipital leads, followed by a decrease in iAPF after meditation. Discussion We suggest that reported between-group differences represent enduring meditative traits developed through years of training in meditative techniques in the Sutra and Tantra traditions. Nevertheless, we cannot entirely exclude the possibility that these variations may also stem from certain cohort-specific characteristics unrelated to meditation. An examination of individual power spectra revealed that the absence of significant differences in EEG spectral power between conditions can be primarily attributed to the inter-individual variability in both groups. This variability, in turn, may stem from extensive expertise of highly experienced practitioners, who over years of training, develop individualized cognitive strategies for maintaining the meditative state. Our future research will focus on a more detailed quantitative analysis of inter-individual variability during meditations and on identifying additional between-group differences among practitioners in different traditions.

Parental loss is a severe stressor for individuals with schizophrenia, yet research on resilience in schizophrenia tends to focus on internal individual factors or caregiver burden rather than the survivors’ own experiences. This study aims to understand the process of resilience in individuals with schizophrenia following parental loss. A qualitative case study design was used, involving one primary informant (AW) and one secondary informant (PP) a significant other. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews guided by Reivich and Shatté’s (2002) aspects of resilience, then analyzed thematically with source triangulation. The findings reveal six forms of resilience in AW: active diversion from emotional distress, self-awareness and medication adherence, pursuing concrete life goals, providing reciprocal support to fellow survivors, openness to new relationships and experiences, and meaning-making of the loss. These findings indicate that resilience develops through a continuous adaptive process involving self-awareness, social support, and meaning-making.

فقدان والدین یک عامل استرس‌زای شدید برای افراد مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی است، با این حال پژوهش‌ها درباره تاب‌آوری در اسکیزوفرنی عمدتاً بر عوامل درونی فردی یا بار مراقبت‌کننده تمرکز دارند و کمتر به تجربه‌های خود بازماندگان پرداخته‌اند. هدف این مطالعه، فهم فرایند تاب‌آوری در افراد مبتلا به اسکیزوفرنی پس از فقدان والدین است. این پژوهش با رویکرد کیفی و طرح مطالعه موردی انجام شد و شامل یک مطلع اصلی (AW) و یک مطلع ثانویه (PP) به عنوان فرد مهم دیگر بود. داده‌ها از طریق مصاحبه‌های نیمه‌ساختاریافته عمیق بر اساس جنبه‌های تاب‌آوری از دیدگاه Reivich و Shatté (2002) گردآوری و با تحلیل تماتیک و استفاده از مثلث‌سازی منابع تحلیل شدند. یافته‌ها شش شکل از تاب‌آوری را در AW نشان می‌دهد: انحراف فعال از پریشانی عاطفی، خودآگاهی و پایبندی به مصرف دارو، پیگیری اهداف عینی زندگی، ارائه حمایت متقابل به سایر بازماندگان، گشودگی نسبت به روابط و تجربه‌های جدید، و معنا‌بخشی به فقدان. این یافته‌ها نشان می‌دهد که تاب‌آوری از طریق یک فرایند سازگارانه مستمر شامل خودآگاهی، حمایت اجتماعی و معنا‌بخشی شکل می‌گیرد.