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Annals of the New York Academy of... Jul 2022In this paper, we discuss several largely undisputed claims about mathematics anxiety (MA) and propose where MA research should focus, including theoretical...
In this paper, we discuss several largely undisputed claims about mathematics anxiety (MA) and propose where MA research should focus, including theoretical clarifications on what MA is and what constitutes its opposite pole; discussion of construct validity, specifically relations between self-descriptive, neurophysiological, and cognitive measures; exploration of the discrepancy between state and trait MA and theoretical and practical consequences; discussion of the prevalence of MA and the need for establishing external criteria for estimating prevalence and a proposal for such criteria; exploration of the effects of MA in different groups, such as highly anxious and high math-performing individuals; classroom and policy applications of MA knowledge; the effects of MA outside educational settings; and the consequences of MA on mental health and well-being.
Topics: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Humans; Mathematics
PubMed: 35322431
DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14770 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Most studies exploring the relation between flow and Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) have focused on the disposition of generally experiencing flow and the occurrence of...
Most studies exploring the relation between flow and Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) have focused on the disposition of generally experiencing flow and the occurrence of MPA. Little is known about the connection between experiencing flow and MPA as it relates to a specific performance. In this study, flow and MPA have been investigated in 363 orchestral musicians in relation to a particular live music performance. The musicians were asked to fill out a questionnaire immediately after a concert. Flow experience during the performance was measured using the Flow Short Scale. The Performance-specific Questionnaire on MPA (PQM) was used for MPA. The PQM addresses particular aspects of MPA and refers retrospectively to the time before and during the performance as well as to the moment of filling out the questionnaire after the performance. Using three scales, the functional coping, the perceived symptoms of MPA and self-efficacy were determined for each time point of the performance. The results showed that experiencing flow was on average higher among orchestral musicians compared to a sample of the general population. However, there were differences between the professional and non-professional musicians. All PQM scales showed significant correlations with the global flow scale. Regression analysis on the global flow score found that regarding the time before the performance the PQM scale symptoms of MPA were diametrically connected with the flow experience. The PQM scale functional coping was shown to be positively related to the flow during the performance. Moreover, high self-efficacy was found to be closely related with stronger flow experience. Furthermore, flow seems to have positive effects on functionally coping with MPA and the self-efficacy after the performance. These findings confirm the negative relationship between flow and symptoms of MPA, offering further approaches in understanding the relationship especially for live music performances.
PubMed: 34899468
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.725569 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians, affecting significant numbers of performers in terms of both... (Review)
Review
Music Performance Anxiety (MPA) is one of the most widespread and debilitating challenges facing musicians, affecting significant numbers of performers in terms of both their personal and professional functioning. Although numerous interventions exist to target MPA, its prevalence remains unchanged since the first large-scale studies of the 1980s, indicating that available interventions are having limited impact. This review synthesizes and critiques existing literature in order to investigate possible reasons for the limited efficacy of current approaches to managing MPA. Key concepts discussed include conceptual and methodological challenges surrounding defining MPA, theoretical perspectives on MPA's etiology and manifestation, and the coping strategies and interventions used to manage MPA. MPA has predominantly been investigated pathologically and defined as a negative construct manifesting in unwanted symptoms. Based on this conceptualization, interventions largely seek to manage MPA through ameliorating symptoms. This review discusses possible reasons why this approach has broadly not proved successful, including the issue of relaxation being both unrealistic and counterproductive for peak performance, issues associated with intentionally changing one's state creating resistance thus exacerbating anxiety, and focusing on the presence of, rather than response to, symptoms. Despite 50 years of research, MPA remains an unsolved enigma and continues to adversely impact musicians both on and off the stage. Reconceptualizing MPA as a normal and adaptive response to the pressures of performance may offer a new perspective on it, in terms of its definition, assessment and management, with practical as well as theoretical implications.
PubMed: 38022988
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1194873 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine Sep 2022Every year in Poland there are approximately 1200 new cases of malignant tumours in children and adolescents. Leukaemia, CNS tumours, and lymphomas are the most...
UNLABELLED
Every year in Poland there are approximately 1200 new cases of malignant tumours in children and adolescents. Leukaemia, CNS tumours, and lymphomas are the most frequently diagnosed cancers. Coping with a child's illness is challenging, which is why many parents suffer from anxiety, depression disorders, and even PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The aim of this study is to assess the anxiety and depression levels of carers of children with cancer.
METHOD
The study participants were 101 carers of children suffering from cancer. The study was conducted using standardized questionnaires: the Zung ccale, HADS scale, and Karnofsky scale, and three questionnaires designed by the author.
RESULTS
According to the results of the Karnofsky scale, carers' anxiety and depression levels were negatively affected by their children's poor performance. The younger age of children significantly correlated with the severity of depression in their parents. HADS and Zung scale anxiety levels were observed to have statistically significant effect on the severity of depressive disorders.
CONCLUSIONS
Receiving a diagnosis of childhood cancer contributes to the incidence of depression and anxiety disorders among carers. Carers' anxiety and depression levels were strongly associated with their child's age and their child's performance.
PubMed: 36233541
DOI: 10.3390/jcm11195670 -
Heliyon Jun 2023The aim of the research project is to find out how technostress influences the satisfaction, anxiety and performance of teleworkers and university students. The growth...
The aim of the research project is to find out how technostress influences the satisfaction, anxiety and performance of teleworkers and university students. The growth of technology and the use of digital platforms has given rise to a phenomenon called teleworking, a modality of work that involves remote work with the use of ICTs. However, the faster the use of ICTs in organisations grows, the more difficult it becomes for teleworkers, leading to anxiety and stress. This feeling is known as technostress, and knowing its impact on workers is of vital importance for organizational success. The study was conducted through a literature review and the dissemination of an online questionnaire using PLS software. The analysis validated the measurement scale and analysed the structural model at different stages, which confirmed its validity and reliability. The research concludes by affirming the high relationship between technostress, satisfaction, anxiety and performance. It is highlighted that the lower the technostress, the higher the satisfaction and performance, and the higher the technostress, the higher the anxiety and the lower the satisfaction. This research brings as an added value the validation of a scale of technostress together with the variables satisfaction, anxiety and performance not previously analysed by other researches. In addition, the research provides a series of measures to mitigate the effects of technostress and suggests future lines of research. Thus, it highlights the importance of understanding the impact of technostress on teleworkers, to provide effective measures to mitigate it and thus increase the satisfaction and performance of workers.
PubMed: 37389055
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17201 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023High heart rate (HR) and restlessness are two important features of music performance anxiety (MPA). In a case report of a cellist suffering from this condition, we...
BACKGROUND
High heart rate (HR) and restlessness are two important features of music performance anxiety (MPA). In a case report of a cellist suffering from this condition, we showed that HR and restlessness decreased after repeated live performances of the same musical excerpt, thereby positively modulating objective performance criteria and subjective components. Here, we largely replicate these results in a group of 18 string players reporting MPA.
METHODS
Objective measurement devices included a miniaturized electrocardiogram monitor and three 3-axis accelerometer loggers. Subjective measures included the Multidimensional Mental Health Questionnaire (MDBF) and a customized visual analogue scale (VAS) questionnaire for MPA. Non-artistic performance errors were assessed by music experts using a composite score for technical playing errors (i.e., intonation errors, omission of notes, and bowing noise). Data were collected from each study participant during three brief public solo performances of the same musical excerpt, with each performance occurring before a new audience on the same day.
RESULTS
From the 1st to the 3rd performance, HR, VAS, and playing error scores decreased significantly. MDBF (RU scale) showed a significant increase in calmness from the 1st to the 3rd performance on stage. HR and RU, VAS, and RU, as well as bow acceleration and overall duration of playing correlated significantly across participants and performances.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
We conclude that repeated stage exposure significantly reduces HR as well as restlessness and playing errors linked to MPA. Public performances are still successful when HR is significantly higher than during rest periods. These results underscore the importance of stage training to become accustomed to realistic public self-exposure. Musicians - especially students - should consider this component of stage training as an integral part of their practice routine. Therefore, stage training can reduce MPA, promote better live performances and prevent stress-related mental disorders and physical injuries. These result from excessive self-exercise strategies common in musicians experiencing MPA. HR monitoring should be an integral part of evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for better MPA management and efficient performance training.
PubMed: 37020906
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1146405 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a commonly present topic among musicians. Most studies on MPA investigated effects of a more general occurrence of MPA on...
Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a commonly present topic among musicians. Most studies on MPA investigated effects of a more general occurrence of MPA on performances. Less is known about individual variations of MPA within a performance, more specifically at the times before, during, and after the performance. This study used a questionnaire to investigate these performance times in order to find out if there occur different types in the variation of the perceived MPA across the performance. The study was performed with 532 musicians; 27% of them being professional orchestra musicians, 45% non-professional orchestra musicians, and 28% non-professional choir singers. The musicians were asked to fill in the Performance-specific Questionnaire for Musicians (PQM) immediately after a performance. The questionnaire contains three scales regarding symptoms of MPA, functional coping with MPA and performance-related self-efficacy. A cluster analysis was performed on the PQM scales to identify systematic variations. Findings indicate that there are three different types of MPA in the sample studied. Type 1 describes musicians who have few symptoms of MPA throughout the performance, show functional coping with MPA, and have a stable and well-developed self-efficacy. Type 2 describes musicians who begin their performance with rather high symptoms of MPA but can positively reduce these by the end of the performance and show high values in self-efficacy and in functional coping. Type 3 contains musicians who begin their performance with some symptoms of MPA, which increase to the end of the performance. The values of self-efficacy and functional coping in this type are rather low. Of the total sample, half of the musicians were assigned to Type 1 and approximately a quarter each to Type 2 (27%) and Type 3 (23%). In accordance with the literature, the results confirm the importance of self-efficacy and functional coping for a positive performance experience.
PubMed: 33967870
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.538535 -
Cerebral Cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) Mar 2023Anxiety impacts performance monitoring, though theory and past research are split on how and for whom. However, past research has often examined either trait anxiety in...
Anxiety impacts performance monitoring, though theory and past research are split on how and for whom. However, past research has often examined either trait anxiety in isolation or task-dependent state anxiety and has indexed event-related potential components, such as the error-related negativity or post-error positivity (Pe), calculated at a single node during a limited window of time. We introduced 2 key novelties to this electroencephalography research to examine the link between anxiety and performance monitoring: (i) we manipulated antecedent, task-independent, state anxiety to better establish the causal effect; (ii) we conducted moderation analyses to determine how state and trait anxiety interact to impact performance monitoring processes. Additionally, we extended upon previous work by using a microstate analysis approach to isolate and sequence the neural networks and rapid mental processes in response to error commission. Results showed that state anxiety disrupts response accuracy in the Stroop task and error-related neural processes, primarily during a Pe-related microstate. Source localization shows that this disruption involves reduced activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and compensatory activation in the right lateral prefrontal cortex, particularly among people high in trait anxiety. We conclude that antecedent anxiety is largely disruptive to performance monitoring.
Topics: Humans; Brain Mapping; Electroencephalography; Evoked Potentials; Anxiety; Mental Processes; Brain
PubMed: 35989310
DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac307 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2021Given the prevalence of debilitating anxiety associated with music performance, there is a need for rapid, pinpointed assessment of the extent to which an individual...
Given the prevalence of debilitating anxiety associated with music performance, there is a need for rapid, pinpointed assessment of the extent to which an individual experiences music performance anxiety (MPA). A short, five item scale, the Mazzarolo Music Performance Anxiety Scale (M-MPAS), was developed to capture retrospective self-reported estimates of the frequency, intensity and aversion tendency associated with performing music. 102 musicians completed the scale, as well as an established MPA inventory. The M-MPAS was found to be internally reliable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.894) with all items being statistically relevant to the overall scale. Furthermore, the M-MPAS was correlated with the relevant factors of an established MPA measure ( = 0.791), suggesting that the new scale exhibited good construct validity. M-MPAS is easy to score, with a scale range of 0-30. A score of 11 or above is suggested as the range in which a diagnosis of potential high MPA can be made, but more research into this and the psychometric robustness of the scale is called for. Nevertheless, the reliability and validity demonstrated in the present study, along with the brevity of the M-MPAS suggest that the newly proposed scale may offer considerable triaging benefits for pinpointed assessment of the extent to which an individual experiences MPA.
PubMed: 35153903
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.781262 -
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Jun 2020Anxiety is a substantial consideration in scuba diving and may influence a diver's performance and cognitive activities. This study aimed to simultaneously observe the...
INTRODUCTION
Anxiety is a substantial consideration in scuba diving and may influence a diver's performance and cognitive activities. This study aimed to simultaneously observe the effect of anxiety trait on actual diving performance and underwater cognitive processing ability.
METHODS
Twenty-seven scuba divers completed the STAI-T component of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and were subdivided into two groups on the basis of trait anxiety scores ≥ 39 and < 39. Scuba diving performance was measured in a pool. The completion time of four standardised scuba skills was recorded by a diving instructor. The correct completion rate and response time for a cognitive function assessment (number-Stroop test) were measured both on land ('dry') and underwater at 5 metres' fresh water.
RESULTS
Anxiety trait was associated with prolonged mask clearing: mean completion time 7.1 (SD 3.2) s vs. 10.8 (5.4) s in low and high anxiety trait divers respectively (P = 0.04). Low (vs high) anxiety trait divers had reduced response times for the number-Stroop test: 49.8 (3.0) s vs. 53.3 (5.4) s (P = 0.04) dry, and 64.4 (5.0) s vs. 72.5 (5.5) s (P < 0.01) underwater. Performance of other skills was not significantly affected by trait anxiety nor correlated with the number-Stroop test results.
CONCLUSIONS
Personal anxiety trait prolongs mask clearing and underwater cognitive processing ability but the latter did not affect execution of other underwater scuba diving skills.
Topics: Anxiety; Cognition; Diving; Humans
PubMed: 32557414
DOI: 10.28920/dhm50.2.130-134