TY  - JOUR
AU  - Pizzoli, Silvia Maria Francesca
AU  - Marzorati, Chiara
AU  - Mazzoni, Davide
AU  - Pravettoni, Gabriella
PY  - 2020
DA  - 2020/6/17
TI  - An Internet-Based Intervention to Alleviate Stress During Social Isolation With Guided Relaxation and Meditation: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
JO  - JMIR Res Protoc
SP  - e19236
VL  - 9
IS  - 6
KW  - relaxation
KW  - guided meditation
KW  - internet-based intervention
KW  - social isolation
KW  - stress
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - mental health
KW  - public health
AB  - Background: Psychophysiological stress and decreased well-being are relevant issues during prolonged social isolation periods. Relaxation practices may represent helpful exercises to cope with anxiety and stressful sensations. Objective: The aim of this research protocol is to test whether remote relaxation practices such as natural sounds, deep respiration, and body scan meditation promote relaxation and improved emotional state and reduce psychomotor activation and the preoccupation related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: The study population will consist of 3 experimental groups that will randomly receive one of 3 internet-based audio clips containing a single session of guided breathing exercise, guided body scan exercise, or natural sounds. The participants will listen to the fully automated audio clip for 7 minutes and complete pre-post self-assessment scales on their perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation, level of worry associated with COVID-19, and emotional state. At the end of the session, the participants will also be asked to provide qualitative reports on their subjective experiences. Results: Analyses will be performed to test the differences in the efficacy of the different audio clips in an internet-based intervention on 252 participants (84 per group), investigating whether natural sounds or remote guided practices such as deep respiration and body scan meditation positively enhance the participants’ perceived psychological state. Conclusions: The study will provide information on if and to what extent guided practices can help in reducing psychological side effects related to social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/19236 
SN  - 1929-0748
UR  - http://www.researchprotocols.org/2020/6/e19236/
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/19236
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32530814
DO  - 10.2196/19236
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/19236
ER  -