Results
Two hundred and thirty-one (231) individuals were evaluated for inclusion. Ninety-seven (97) individuals met the inclusion criteria. Group 1 included 34 individuals (No Emotional Disorder; NEDG); Group 2 included 58 individuals reporting a diagnosis of anxiety and 5 with depression (EDG). The average age of the included population was 48.9+ 10.4 years. The population was skewed towards female participants, with 81.5% female and 18.5% male. The population’s education level included 76% having at least a bachelor’s degree and 46% having a graduate degree. There was no difference in demographics between groups. Detailed demographics of the sampled population are presented in Table 1.
The two questions about previous stress suggest differences in stress frequency and duration between groups. Fifty-three percent (N=18) of the NEDG group reported experiencing stress sometimes or on occasion. In comparison, 79% (N=50) of the EDG group reported experiencing stress often or always. These differences are significant when running a chi-square analysis X2(3,n=97)= 13.14, p<0.01.
Individuals within the emotional disorder group reported experiencing stress for a longer duration when compared to individuals in the nonemotional disorder group X2(5,n=95)= 17.01, p<0.01. Eighty-seven percent (N=53) of EDG compared to 55.9% (N=19) of NEDG reported experiencing stress for greater than six months. Detailed stress history is presented in Table 1.
Somacoutstic usage was similar between groups, with no significant differences in frequency, length, or duration. Most participants (>60%) reported using the 10- and 20-minute sessions, and close to 50% reported using the device 6-7 days per week. Detailed Somacoustic usage is presented in Table 2.
An independent sample t-test indicated no significant difference in PSS-10 levels between groups. Participants in NEDG had a mean PSS-10 score of 17.6 + 5.3 ( 95% CI: 15.6-19.2), and participants in EDG had a PSS-10 score of 17.0 + 5.5 (95% CI: 15.6-18.3). There was no significant difference in positive affect (NEDG= 31.5 + 6.5 ; EDG=32.0 + 6.4) and negative affect (NEDG= 20.2 + 6.4 ; EDG= 21.2 + 6.8) between groups.
A chi-square GOF test was performed to determine whether the proportion of those who indicated a diagnosis of anxiety reported an improvement (Improved and Greatly Improved) vs. no change in their condition. The proportions significantly differed with a preference for improvement compared to no changes X2(1,n=58)= 6.90, p<0.01. Approximately 41.4% of those with anxiety report an improvement, and 26% of the participants report their anxiety as greatly improved. There was no significant difference in perceived anxiety changes between types of anxiety (p=.07), as noted by a Pearson chi-square test. Detailed responses are presented in Table 3.
Twelve individuals (55%) with a history of depression (n=18) reported an improvement in their depression. There was no reported response of worsening of depression, as seven reported no changes. Chi-square GOF was performed to determine if there was a significant difference between responses for improvement and no change, and the proportions did not differ, X2(1, n=18)=.80, p=.37. Detailed responses are presented in Table 3.