0000000000124480
AUTHOR
Ana Gallego
Virtual reality acceptance and commitment therapy intervention for social and public speaking anxiety : A randomized controlled trial
Virtual reality (VR) offers new and flexible ways to provide psychological interventions. The aim of this study was to develop and investigate the effectiveness of a VR intervention based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for social and public speaking anxiety. ACT is a process-based approach that aims to (a) increase individuals’ abilities to handle difficult emotional and cognitive experiences and (b) develop the motivation required for change to occur. In this study, a sample of university students with social interaction or communication anxiety (N = 76; age M = 24.95, SD = 6.50, 69.7% females) was blindly randomized into a total of 2 h of VR ACT training (VRACT; n = 37) or a w…
Which is the best ultrasound parameter for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome within 1 day of delivery?
To compare the accuracies of several sonographic parameters for the prediction of adverse perinatal outcome (APO) prior to delivery.This was a prospective study of fetuses attending the day hospital unit of a tertiary referral hospital that were scanned at 34-41 weeks and gave birth within 24 h of examination. APO was defined as a composite of abnormal intrapartum fetal heart rate or intrapartum fetal scalp pH7.20 requiring urgent cesarean section, neonatal umbilical cord pH7.10, 5' Apgar score7 and postpartum admission to neonatal or pediatric intensive care units. The accuracies of the middle cerebral, vertebral and umbilical arteries pulsatility index multiples of the median (MoM), the c…
Examining the relationship between public speaking anxiety, distress tolerance and psychological flexibility
Public speaking is an important skill for university students to learn and practice as they progress through education and into their careers. However, individuals often avoid facing public speaking, as they lack the skills to cope with the anxiety that arises when speaking in front of others. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between public speaking anxiety, distress tolerance, and psychological flexibility. A sample of 95 college students completed psychological flexibility measures and self-ratings of public speaking anxiety before and after a public speaking challenge. A behavioral index of public speaking distress tolerance (i.e., speech duration) was also recorde…
Measuring Public Speaking Anxiety: Self-report, behavioral, and physiological
Self-reports are typically used to assess public speaking anxiety. In this study, we examined whether self-report, observer report, and behavioral and physiological reactivity were associated with each other during a speech challenge task. A total of 95 university students completed a self-report measure of public speaking anxiety before and after the speech challenge. Speech duration (i.e., behavioral measure), physiological reactivity, as well as speech performance evaluated by the participants and observers were also recorded. The results suggest that self-reported public speaking anxiety predicts speech duration, as well as speech quality, as rated by the participants themselves and ob…
Psychological Processes in the Social Interaction and Communication Anxiety of University Students : The Role of Self-Compassion and Psychological Flexibility
University students often experience difficulties in social interactions. The current study examined the role of self-compassion and psychological flexibility among university students (N= 76) reporting high levels of social interaction and communication anxiety. We observed that high social interaction (SIAS) and communication anxiety (PRCA-24) were associated with low levels of self-compassion and psychological flexibility. Upon further investigating the specific predictors for social interaction and communication anxiety, we found that self-judgment, over-identification and openness to experiences were the key components in self-compassion and psychological flexibility, respectively. How…