Gender moderates the association between chronic academic stress with top-down and bottom-up attention

The effect of cranial techniques on the heart rate variability response to psychological stress test in firefighter cadets

Heart rate variability (HRV) is a simple tool to monitor cardiovascular stress. The proper function of the cardiovascular system is a problem among firefighters. Physical activity has health benefits correlated with psychological stress. Physically active people should be more resilient to psychological stress, but this has not always been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to determine whether cranial techniques would have an effect on HRV parameters. Osteopathy in the cranium reduces stress and improves cardiovascular function. Fifty-seven firefighter cadets aged 18-24 years (21.63 ± 1.41) participated in the study. All subjects had their heart rate variability measured and were randomly assigned either to the cranial techniques (CS) group, with therapy performed once a week for 5 weeks), or to the control group (CO). After 5 weeks, heart rate variability was measured again in both groups. In the Friedman test, in the CS group there was a statistically significant effect of cranial techniques on Heart Rate (HR) and Low Frequency (LF), but not on High Frequency (HF); in the CO group, a statistically significant difference was observed for HR, HF and LF. In the Nemenyi test, in the CS group there was a statistically significant difference for HR and LF and in the CO group for HR, HF and LF. After applying hierarchical clustering with Euclidean measure and the complete method, dendrograms were drawn up showing similarities for HR, HF and LF values. The cranial techniques and touch might exert a beneficial effect on HRV. Both factors can be used in stressful situations to lower HRV.

The effects of sleep on body image: examining the roles of depression, perceived stress, and anxiety

Objective: Although health and wellness behaviors are associated with positive body image, research is limited regarding the relationship between sleep and positive body image. We propose that negative affective states may link sleep and body image. Specifically, we examined whether better sleep may relate to positive body image through reductions in negative affective experiences. Participants: Participants were 269 undergraduate women. Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were administered. Results: We found correlations in the expected directions between sleep, positive body image variables (i.e., body appreciation, appearance evaluation, and appearance orientation), and negative affective states (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress). There were group differences in negative affective states and body image based on adequate sleep. Data supported indirect effects of sleep through depression on appearance evaluation, and through depression and stress on body appreciation, respectively. Conclusions: Our findings indicate sleep warrants further research attention as a wellness behavior related to more positive body image.

The Structure of the Relationship between Physical Activity and Psychosocial Functioning of Women and Men during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Poland

Since the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is a serious crisis in many countries around the world, it is important to conduct empirical research aimed at identifying risks and factors protecting the functioning of people affected by it. For this reason, the goals of the present research were to determine the level of physical activity and the severity of symptoms characteristic of mental disorders, cognitive disorders and the quality of social functioning, as well as the structure of the relationship between physical activity and psychosocial functioning of 226 women and 226 men during the COVID-19 epidemic in Eastern Poland. The research was conducted using the IPAQ-SF Questionnaire, GHQ-28 Questionnaires, TUS Test-6/9 version, the original SFS Scale and a self-developed sociodemographic survey. The collected data indicate that women as compared to men show lower levels of weekly physical activity, walking, moderate activity, vigorous activity and quality of functioning in family relationships, but higher severity of mental health disorders, somatic symptoms, functional disorders, depressive symptoms, cognitive disorders, perceptual work disorders, attention deficits and higher quality of functioning in work relationships. On the other hand, the structural model indicates that physical activity, interacting with mental health disorders and cognitive disorders, is positively associated with the social functioning of the respondents, and gender is the moderator of the occurring dependencies. This suggests that physical activity adapted to the condition of health may be an important component of gender-individualized psychopreventive interventions.

An Analysis of Antinuclear Thought in William Golding’s Literary Works from the Perspective of Ecoenvironmental Psychology: Taking “Lord of the Flies” as an Example

In “Lord of the Flies,” William Golding integrates the living conditions of human beings into the relationship of the community of destiny between man and nature and reveals the neglect of ecological morality in the modern Western ethical value system with modernity as the core, showing a postmodern ecological ethics consciousness beyond modernity. The novel embodies the ecological integrity of the nonbinary opposition between man and nature, criticizes anthropocentrism and technological rationality that destroy the ecological integrity, and points out that modern science and technology have led to greater ecological disasters due to the lack of ecological ethics. Ecological morality that respects nature and the harmonious coexistence of man and nature is advocated. The forward-looking ecological ethics consciousness contained in the novel is especially thought-provoking in today's serious ecological problems and lack of ecological ethics. This paper will use ecological psychology as a new interdisciplinary research field to study the relationship between man and nature and open up new horizons and research methods. In this way, we will solve the growing ecological and environmental crisis.