Development and psychometric properties of the Anticipatory Anxiety Inventory

Background: Anticipatory Anxiety (AA) is defined as a course of thoughts, feelings, and actions occurring just and only "before" an anxiety-provoking event. In order to explore this construct, the Anticipation Anxiety Inventory (AAI) was developed and its psychometric properties have been investigated in two studies. Methods: Study 1 used an Exploratory Factor Analysis approach to determine the factor structure of the items of the scale. In study 2, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed to assess the scale structure, the validity of the factor solution, and convergent and discriminatory validity. Results: Exploratory factor analysis from study 1 suggested 13 items across four factors for the AAI: Emotional Hypersensitivity, Physical responses to AA, Dysfunctional Cognitions, and Daily Functioning. In study 2, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that the 4-factor solution of the AAI had an acceptable fit, excellent internal consistency (α= 0.92), and displayed good convergent and discriminatory validity. Conclusion: The AAI could be proposed as a useful valid and reliable tool to investigate AA. For future implications, more research is needed regarding the utility of this measure in experimental designs or clinical settings.

Networked Intimacies

This chapter zooms in on transformations of intimacy and relational spaces in a time of a viral, global crisis. Set against the backdrop of “social distancing” practices, the chapter opens with a discussion of digital intimacy, focusing on the layering of anxiety and anticipation within networked connectivity. Secondly, it moves on to discuss how such anticipatory anxiety may become punctuated by pleasure and joy. Considering the dynamics between physical disconnection and digital intensity within pandemic hookup practices, it explores in particular instances of quarantine humor in queer hookup cultures. This humor stems from impossibly contradictory spaces of self-isolation, desire, and longing, in relation to which the swiftness of the swipe is transformed into a disconnect in the shape of a delay. The chapter ends with an example of Swedish, queer quarantine humor and a discussion of partial disconnections, or selective connectivity in difficult times in the interest of self-care.

Autonomic Stress Response of Nurse Students in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)

The aim of the present research was to analyze the autonomic stress response of nursing students in a nursing Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE). We analyzed, in 41 s-year nursing degree students (20.1 ± 2.3 years), modifications in heart rate variability (HRV) to monitor the autonomic stress response before, during and after the 18 different scenarios of a complete OSCE. Heart rate mean response of nurse students was consistent with an anticipatory anxiety response at the beginning of the OSCE, showing a sympathetic nervous system activation, but HRV parameters show contradictory results. The most stressful OSCE station was the CPR maneuver, the stress response varying according to the station’s demands.

The Impact of Nationality on the Psychophysiological Stress Response and Academic Fulfilment in the Final Degree Dissertation

The aims of this study were: i. to analyze the effect of nationality on the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertations; and ii. to analyze the relationship between the stress response and academic results according to nationality. We evaluated the autonomic stress response, cortical arousal, distress subjective perception, and objective and subjective academic fulfilment in Spanish, Italian, and French physiotherapy students during their final degree dissertation. Results showed a large anticipatory anxiety response before the dissertation in the three student groups. Only the Spanish group showed an increased tendency in the habituation process, reducing the psychophysiological stress response during the dissertation, while the Italian and French groups maintained a large sympathetic activation until the end of the dissertation. Cortical arousal and subjective perception of distress were similar in the three nationalities. In addition, no correlation between academic fulfilment and autonomic modulation was found. We concluded that there was no nationality effect in the psychophysiological stress response of physiotherapy last year students in their final degree dissertation, all of them showing a large anticipatory anxiety response.

Evaluation of anxiolytic potential of Cichorium Intybus methanolic root extracts

Cichorium Intybus L. is a medicinally important plant that belongs to the family Asteraceae. The plant root is used as anti-hepatotoxic, antiulcerogenic, antiinflammatory, appetizer, digestive, stomachic, liver tonic, cholagogue, cardiotonic, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, alexeteric and also as tonic. The present study was carried to screen the anxiolytic potential of Cichorium Intybus L methanolic root extracts by using different animal models like actophotometer, rotarod, staircase, holeboard, elevated plus maze tests . In the experiment the extracts found to decrease the anticipatory anxiety of the animal without significant alteration in motor coordination. Efficacy may be attributed to the presence of different phytochemicals like coumarins, flavonoids in the extracts.