Social Anxiety Disorder is often associated with comorbidity with Major Depressive Disorder and impaired quality of life. Since conventional therapies are not effective for all patients, the search for new treatment strategies is of paramount importance. Mindfulness, a practice of nonjudgmental attention to the present moment, has shown promising results in the treatment of anxiety, but needs specific adaptations. The randomized controlled clinical trial presented in this thesis, involving 133 women with clinically significant levels of social anxiety, investigated the therapeutic potential of synthetic fear odor in treating the disorder by examining its impact on relaxation during two mindfulness sessions. The experiment involved a social stress induction procedure and monitoring of anxiety, emotionality, and cardiac physiological parameters, and analyses delved into the interaction between the effects of fear odor and those of comorbidity with depression. The results showed a prolonged effect of synthetic fear odor on anxiety levels and an interaction between depressive symptomatology and olfactory condition on positive emotionality levels at the end of treatment.
Il Disturbo d'Ansia Sociale è spesso associato a comorbidità con il Disturbo Depressivo Maggiore e a una compromissione della qualità della vita. Poiché le terapie convenzionali non risultano efficaci per tutti i pazienti, la ricerca di nuove strategie terapeutiche è di fondamentale importanza. La mindfulness, pratica di attenzione consapevole e non giudicante al momento presente, ha dimostrato risultati promettenti nel trattamento dell'ansia, ma necessita di adattamenti specifici. Il trial clinico controllato randomizzato presentato in questa tesi, che ha coinvolto 133 donne con livelli clinicamente significativi di ansia sociale, ha indagato il potenziale terapeutico dell’odore sintetico di paura nel trattamento del disturbo, esaminandone l’impatto sul rilassamento durante due sessioni di mindfulness. L’esperimento ha coinvolto una procedura di induzione di stress sociale e il monitoraggio di ansia, emozionalità e parametri fisiologici cardiaci, e le analisi hanno approfondito l’interazione tra gli effetti dell’odore di paura e quelli della comorbidità con la depressione. Dai risultati sono emersi un effetto prolungato dell’odore sintetico di paura sui livelli di ansia e un’interazione tra la sintomatologia depressiva e la condizione olfattiva sui livelli di emozionalità positiva alla fine del trattamento.
Gli effetti degli odori sociali sintetici sulla pratica di mindfulness nell'ansia sociale: uno studio controllato randomizzato
BARISELLI, MARTINA
2023/2024
Abstract
Social Anxiety Disorder is often associated with comorbidity with Major Depressive Disorder and impaired quality of life. Since conventional therapies are not effective for all patients, the search for new treatment strategies is of paramount importance. Mindfulness, a practice of nonjudgmental attention to the present moment, has shown promising results in the treatment of anxiety, but needs specific adaptations. The randomized controlled clinical trial presented in this thesis, involving 133 women with clinically significant levels of social anxiety, investigated the therapeutic potential of synthetic fear odor in treating the disorder by examining its impact on relaxation during two mindfulness sessions. The experiment involved a social stress induction procedure and monitoring of anxiety, emotionality, and cardiac physiological parameters, and analyses delved into the interaction between the effects of fear odor and those of comorbidity with depression. The results showed a prolonged effect of synthetic fear odor on anxiety levels and an interaction between depressive symptomatology and olfactory condition on positive emotionality levels at the end of treatment.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12608/79270