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Objective: Dental anxiety is widespread among both children and adults. To diagnose dental anxiety, standardized anxiety questionnaires are recommended. Based on the suggestive nature of the questionnaires, the study aimed to find out whether asking respondents about personal coping strategies before dental treatment influences their anxiety. Methods: This prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial included a total of 158 patients of a university dental clinic on emergency service. The intervention group (n = 82) received the Coping with Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) and the control group (n = 76) the Hierarchical Anxiety Questionnaire (HAF). State anxiety scores were assessed by using the State– Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before and after the completion of each questionnaire. Results: Anxiety decreased in the intervention group (CAQ) (p  < 0.001) and increased in the control group (HAF) (p  < 0.001). Conclusion: Within the limitations of the current study, a diagnostic tool of a standardized questionnaire for the assessment to assess personal coping strategies decreased state anxiety in comparison to a questionnaire assessing anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Several studies in the specialized literature have reported that events such as the death of a loved one, job loss, divorce, illness, or retirement lead to an increase in the level of stress felt, and subsequently stress affects the person on several levels of life, such as: personal, relational, social, academic and at the same time sanogenic. The present paper explored the relationship between critical life events and psycho-emotional health among youths and the manner in which this relationship is mediated by the level of life satisfaction. Methods: The data was extracted using a sample of participants (between 20 and 40  years old) from several cities in Romania, who experienced one or more critical life events during the last year. Data organization and hypothesis testing were performed using IBM SPSS 23 and jamovi programs. For this purpose we used the simple regression analysis, Pearson correlation and mediation analysis. The scales used to conduct the research were: RS14, SRRS, ERQ, CERQ, DASS-21 and SWLS. Results: The final sample of the study totaled 190 female and male Romanian participants aged between 20 and 40 (M = 24.45, SD = 5.27) who had experienced critical events during the last year, leading to psychoemotional destabilization and a significantly lower level of life satisfaction. The prevalence of critical life events among these participants varied from one to five events (55.26%) and up to more than 16 critical events in the past year (2.63%). The presence of these events led to increased levels of stress, anxiety, or depression among participants. Furthermore, it appears that the presence of a high number of critical life events led to a decreased life satisfaction among participants, along with a greater tendency toward catastrophizing. Conclusion: Critical life events are increasingly frequent events in everyday life, and youth seems to be the period with the most changes. The research findings add to current findings about the practical implications that critical life events have on psycho-emotional health among youths. Therefore it appears to be a close relationship between critical life events, psycho-emotional health, and emotional regulation. At the same time, it seems that coping mechanisms have a central role in the level of life satisfaction among youths. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveDental anxiety is widespread among both children and adults. To diagnose dental anxiety, standardized anxiety questionnaires are recommended. Based on the suggestive nature of the questionnaires, the study aimed to find out whether asking respondents about personal coping strategies before dental treatment influences their anxiety.MethodsThis prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial included a total of 158 patients of a university dental clinic on emergency service. The intervention group (n = 82) received the Coping with Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) and the control group (n = 76) the Hierarchical Anxiety Questionnaire (HAF). State anxiety scores were assessed by using the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before and after the completion of each questionnaire.ResultsAnxiety decreased in the intervention group (CAQ) (p < 0.001) and increased in the control group (HAF) (p < 0.001).ConclusionWithin the limitations of the current study, a diagnostic tool of a standardized questionnaire for the assessment to assess personal coping strategies decreased state anxiety in comparison to a questionnaire assessing anxiety.Clinical trial registrationhttps://www.drks.de, German Trials Register (DRKS00032450).

ObjectiveSeveral studies in the specialized literature have reported that events such as the death of a loved one, job loss, divorce, illness, or retirement lead to an increase in the level of stress felt, and subsequently stress affects the person on several levels of life, such as: personal, relational, social, academic and at the same time sanogenic. The present paper explored the relationship between critical life events and psycho-emotional health among youths and the manner in which this relationship is mediated by the level of life satisfaction.MethodsThe data was extracted using a sample of participants (between 20 and 40 years old) from several cities in Romania, who experienced one or more critical life events during the last year. Data organization and hypothesis testing were performed using IBM SPSS 23 and jamovi programs. For this purpose we used the simple regression analysis, Pearson correlation and mediation analysis. The scales used to conduct the research were: RS-14, SRRS, ERQ, CERQ, DASS-21 and SWLS.ResultsThe final sample of the study totaled 190 female and male Romanian participants aged between 20 and 40 (M = 24.45, SD = 5.27) who had experienced critical events during the last year, leading to psycho-emotional destabilization and a significantly lower level of life satisfaction. The prevalence of critical life events among these participants varied from one to five events (55.26%) and up to more than 16 critical events in the past year (2.63%). The presence of these events led to increased levels of stress, anxiety, or depression among participants. Furthermore, it appears that the presence of a high number of critical life events led to a decreased life satisfaction among participants, along with a greater tendency toward catastrophizing.ConclusionCritical life events are increasingly frequent events in everyday life, and youth seems to be the period with the most changes. The research findings add to current findings about the practical implications that critical life events have on psycho-emotional health among youths. Therefore it appears to be a close relationship between critical life events, psycho-emotional health, and emotional regulation. At the same time, it seems that coping mechanisms have a central role in the level of life satisfaction among youths.

Background: Previous studies have revealed that religious coping strategy is common among athletes due to the stressful experiences before and during competitions as part of the mental preparations they go through, the uncertainty of sporting outcomes, and other organizational issues they encounter. This research assessed the reproducibility of the Brief Religious Coping (RCOPE) instrument in an African setting using athletes' samples from different countries. Particularly, the research sought to assess the (1) factor structure of Brief RCOPE with an African sample, (2) construct validity of the RCOPE measure, and (3) measurement invariance of the RCOPE instrument based on gender and nationality. Methods: The study surveyed a convenient sample of 300 athletes, including 164 male and 136 female athletes, from 3 African countries (Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria) who participated in the 2018 West African University Games. The Brief RCOPE instrument was administered to the athletes for validation purposes before the competition. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using the ordinal factor analytic approach. Results: This validation study confirmed the two-factor dimension (positive and negative religious coping) of the Brief RCOPE measure. Further, all items for each of the dimensions of the inventory contributed significantly to the measure of the Brief RCOPE domains. The positive and negative religious coping dimensions contributed more than half of the variance of their respective indicators. Measurement invariance across gender and nationality was confirmed. Conclusion: Sufficient evidence was gathered to support the interpretation and use of the Brief RCOPE measure. Coaches and sports psychologists could adopt the Brief RCOPE measure to understand the mental or thought patterns of religious athletes based on existential concerns or stress accrued from impending competitions to inform appropriate religious coping interventions. This notwithstanding, the Minimum Clinical Important Difference (MCID) of the Brief RCOPE should be further investigated to enhance the utility of the instrument for use in intervention-based studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundPrevious studies have revealed that religious coping strategy is common among athletes due to the stressful experiences before and during competitions as part of the mental preparations they go through, the uncertainty of sporting outcomes, and other organizational issues they encounter. This research assessed the reproducibility of the Brief Religious Coping (RCOPE) instrument in an African setting using athletes’ samples from different countries. Particularly, the research sought to assess the (1) factor structure of Brief RCOPE with an African sample, (2) construct validity of the RCOPE measure, and (3) measurement invariance of the RCOPE instrument based on gender and nationality.MethodsThe study surveyed a convenient sample of 300 athletes, including 164 male and 136 female athletes, from 3 African countries (Benin, Ghana, and Nigeria) who participated in the 2018 West African University Games. The Brief RCOPE instrument was administered to the athletes for validation purposes before the competition. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using the ordinal factor analytic approach.ResultsThis validation study confirmed the two-factor dimension (positive and negative religious coping) of the Brief RCOPE measure. Further, all items for each of the dimensions of the inventory contributed significantly to the measure of the Brief RCOPE domains. The positive and negative religious coping dimensions contributed more than half of the variance of their respective indicators. Measurement invariance across gender and nationality was confirmed.ConclusionSufficient evidence was gathered to support the interpretation and use of the Brief RCOPE measure. Coaches and sports psychologists could adopt the Brief RCOPE measure to understand the mental or thought patterns of religious athletes based on existential concerns or stress accrued from impending competitions to inform appropriate religious coping interventions. This notwithstanding, the Minimum Clinical Important Difference (MCID) of the Brief RCOPE should be further investigated to enhance the utility of the instrument for use in intervention-based studies.

Through analytical autoethnographic analysis of marathon preparation, this study examines challenges faced by people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) who engage in high-performance sports. Autoethnographer and second-person perspectives (T1D runners, family members, and health providers) were collected through introspective activities (autoethnographic diary and in-depth interviews) to understand the T1D runner’s coping experience. Six insights involved in T1D self-management were identified and analyzed with reference to related design tools (prototyping, archetyping and journey mapping). Finally, we conclude with a discussion of how endurance physical activity (PA) such as running helps to “domesticate” T1D, a term coined to reflect the difficulties that T1D presents for PA accomplishment and how T1D runners’ experiences give them an opportunity to overcome PA barriers promoting physical culture and enriching further health psychology studies.

Background: Breast Cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 are implicated in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and women can test for the presence of these genes prior to developing cancer. The goal of this study is to examine psychological distress, quality of life, and active coping mechanisms in a sample of women during the pre-test stage of the genetic counseling process, considering that pre-test distress can be an indicator of post-test distress. We also wanted to identify if subgroups of women, defined based on their health status, were more vulnerable to developing distress during the genetic counseling process.Methods: This study included 181 female participants who accessed a Cancer Genetic Counseling Clinic. The participants were subdivided into three groups on the basis of the presence of a cancer diagnosis: Affected patients, Ex-patients, and Unaffected participants. Following a self-report questionnaire, a battery of tests was administered to examine psychological symptomatology, quality of life, and coping mechanisms.Results: The results confirm that the genetic counseling procedure is not a source of psychological distress. Certain participants were identified as being more vulnerable than others; in the pre-test phase, they reported on average higher levels of distress and lower quality of life. These participants were predominantly Ex-patients and Affected patients, who may be at risk of distress during the counseling process.Conclusions: These findings highlight that individuals who take part in the genetic counseling process are not all the same regarding pre-test psychological distress. Attention should be paid particularly to Ex-patients and Affected patients by the multidisciplinary treating team.

Background: Breast Cancer susceptibility genes 1 and 2 are implicated in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and women can test for the presence of these genes prior to developing cancer. The goal of this study is to examine psychological distress, quality of life, and active coping mechanisms in a sample of women during the pre-test stage of the genetic counseling process, considering that pre-test distress can be an indicator of post-test distress. We also wanted to identify if subgroups of women, defined based on their health status, were more vulnerable to developing distress during the genetic counseling process. Methods: This study included 181 female participants who accessed a Cancer Genetic Counseling Clinic. The participants were subdivided into three groups on the basis of the presence of a cancer diagnosis: Affected patients, Ex-patients, and Unaffected participants. Following a self-report questionnaire, a battery of tests was administered to examine psychological symptomatology, quality of life, and coping mechanisms. Results: The results confirm that the genetic counseling procedure is not a source of psychological distress. Certain participants were identified as being more vulnerable than others; in the pre-test phase, they reported on average higher levels of distress and lower quality of life. These participants were predominantly Ex-patients and Affected patients, who may be at risk of distress during the counseling process. Conclusions: These findings highlight that individuals who take part in the genetic counseling process are not all the same regarding pre-test psychological distress. Attention should be paid particularly to Ex-patients and Affected patients by the multidisciplinary treating team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through analytical autoethnographic analysis of marathon preparation, this study examines challenges faced by people with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) who engage in high-performance sports. Autoethnographer and second-person perspectives (T1D runners, family members, and health providers) were collected through introspective activities (autoethnographic diary and in-depth interviews) to understand the T1D runner's coping experience. Six insights involved in T1D self-management were identified and analyzed with reference to related design tools (prototyping, archetyping and journey mapping). Finally, we conclude with a discussion of how endurance physical activity (PA) such as running helps to "domesticate" T1D, a term coined to reflect the difficulties that T1D presents for PA accomplishment and how T1D runners' experiences give them an opportunity to overcome PA barriers promoting physical culture and enriching further health psychology studies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Montt-Blanchard, Dubois-Camacho, Costa-Cordella and Sánchez.)