NCJ Number
54446
Date Published
1975
Length
109 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE POSSIBILITY FOR PERSONS IN HIGH STRESS OCCUPATIONS, SUCH AS POLICE WORK, TO LEARN RELAXATION RESPONSES THROUGH ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC (EMG) BIOFEEDBACK AND THUS PREVENT STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS.
Abstract
THESE SPECIFIC HYPOTHESES WERE TESTED: (1) TRAINING GROUPS USING EMG FEEDBACK WOULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN ACHIEVING A STATE OF RELAXATION THAN TRAINING GROUPS NOT UTILIZING EMG FEEDBACK, AND (2) TRAINING GROUPS USING EMG FEEDBACK WOULD BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE LOWER STATE OF AROUSAL BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRESENTATION OF STRESSFUL SITUATIONS THAN TRAINING GROUPS NOT UTILIZING EMG FEEDBACK. A SAMPLE OF 24 POLICE OFFICERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF FOUR TRAINING GROUPS INCLUDING GROUP 1, A EMG BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING GROUP; GROUP 2, A PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION AND AUTOGENIC TYPE PHRASES PLUS EMG BIOFEEDBACK TRANING GROUP; GROUP 3, A PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION AND AUTOGENIC TYPE PHRASES TRAINING GROUP; AND GROUP 4, A SELF-RELAXATION GROUP. THE GROUPS ATTENDED 32, 30-MINUTE SESSIONS DURING WHICH THEY LISTENED TO RECORDED TAPES OF TYPICAL STRESSFUL POLICE SITUATIONS AND RECEIVED RELAXATION TRAINING. SUBJECTS' PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES WERE MEASURED USING EMG RECORDINGS ON THE FRONTALIS MUSCLE AND SYSTOLIC AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE RECORDINGS, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES WERE MEASURED BY RECORDINGS ON THE STATE OF ANXIETY SCALE. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT BOTH GROUP 1 AND GROUP 2 WERE ABLE TO LOWER SIGNIFICANTLY THEIR MUSCLE TENSION LEVELS AFTER RELAXATION TRAINING, AND THAT GROUP 1 WAS ABLE TO LOWER STRESS LEVELS AFTER TRAINING AND AROUSAL LEVELS BEFORE AND AFTER BEING EXPOSED TO STRESSFUL SITUATIONS. THIS WAS NOT TRUE OF THE OTHER GROUPS. THE RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED IN TERMS OF THEIR APPLICATION IN PREVENTING MALADAPTIVE RESPONSE TO STRESS. TABULAR DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)