Visual images and music have long been known as a means to optimize emotions (Galeev, 1976; Gotsdiner, 1993). Together (eg in audio-visual slide-films) they may help students and professional cope with the negative side of intensive workloads (fatigue, stress, anxiety).

Our study attempts a multi-level assessment of the relaxation effect of a slide-film as part of student education.

Sample - 46 psychology students. The 20 minute relaxation film was shown after lectures and discussion of a forthcoming examination. Measures: standard psychological and physiological functional state tests and a cognitive task before and after the film (Leonova & Kapitsa, 2003); an original questionnaire revealing individual associations and experiences felt during the film.

The results showed pronounced subjective discomfort and anxiety before the film. The relaxation film resulted in lowered blood pressure, increased subjective comfort, decreased fatigue and acute anxiety, and negative emotion scores, as well as higher productivity in performing the cognitive test (Student t-test, p<0.005-0.001). Concentration on the film subject, as well as the combination of the student’s thoughts and associations around the plot, showed a positive correlation with the amount of relaxation effect.

Our research showed that using the relaxation slide-film (with imagery and music) can provide positive effects on students’ functional state. It also revealed the importance of the relevance of individual experience to the subject of the film to obtain optimal positive effects.

No significant relationships.

Intensive professional training is widely used in modern organizations, as it helps employees adapt to dynamic work and technology changes (Noe, 2010; Patrick, 2000). Relaxation techniques may reduce the negative effects of intense learning processes (i.e. fatigue, anxiety and stress). They can also enhance the productivity of the training itself by helping to achieve optimal states for the completion of learning goals.

Our study concerns differences in mastering relaxation techniques by employees of younger and middle-age groups during intensive professional training.

Sample - 62 employees, participants of communication training. The 15-min session of progressive relaxation combined with autogenic formulae was conducted after 5 hours of intensive training. Measures: standard psychological and physiological functional state tests (Leonova & Kapitsa, 2003); an information perception task.

The efficiency of the relaxation techniques varied between different age groups: younger participants (aged 20-30) were more successful in managing both tasks – learning new relaxation skills and achieving deeper rest (including more apparent positive physiological effects). They were also more prepared for completing the information perception task (they made less mistakes). Older participants (aged 30-50) experienced more difficulties with the new relaxation skills and used relaxation primarily to restore their psychophysiological resources, rather than to prepare for the upcoming training task.

The results showed that relaxation techniques provide a system optimization effect on the participants of intensive training programs, though participants’ individual differences (ie age, length of service) should be taken into account when planning the outcomes of such interventions.

No significant relationships.

Stress is one of the biggest problems leading a large portion of people to seek medical or psychotherapeutic management, while a large portion of hospital staff report high levels of work-related stress.

The purpose of this intervention was to implement a psychoeducation seminar on stress management by implementing diaphragmatic breathing exercises and to detect the reduction of its levels in nursing staff.

The study took place at the General Hospital of Nikaia. Fifty employees, 38 women, aged 20-60 (M=37.4±10.5) participated in a two-hour group psychoeducation workshop, concerning psychoeducation on stress and application in diaphragmatic breathing exercises. The measurement of the success of the intervention was performed using a proportional stress assessment scale before and after the intervention. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS26.

Stress levels before the intervention ranged from 0 to 10 (M=5.7±5.7) while after the intervention ranged from 0 to 7 (M=2.3±2.04). Age did not appear to play a role in stress reduction, but was found to be positively and significantly associated with pre-existing stress in employees (r=0.423 p=0.002). On the contrary, gender was found to be related both to the pre-existence of stress, with women reporting the highest levels (t=-3.534 p=0.001), and to the reduction of stress after the intervention (t=-2,534 p=0.001).

The above findings indicate the importance of implementing group psychoeducation programs to reduce stress at the organizational level, a very important result considering the cumulative effect that the recent existence of covid-19 has had on nursing staff.

No significant relationships.

This is the presentation of a postdoc research protocol under the supervision of University of Peloponnese, regarding the application of a program for stress reduction. Τhe intervention consisted of a psychoeducational session explaining the stress effect in the brain and the way that relaxation breathing is working, a training session on relaxation breathing and 2 more sessions, one with relaxation breathing and one with trigger points acupressure in the back of the patients.

The objective of the study was to test the effectiveness of relaxations techniques in patients with chronic diseases in a Greek General Hospital.

Out of 335 participants, 153 were found to have high stress levels in the DASS scale and the stress VAS scale that was used for the intervention. 151 of them (49(32, 5%) males), agreed to participate in the intervention with relaxation breathing and 99 in the acupressure session. Diagnosis of the participants were: anxiety disorder (18.5%), Thalassaemia Major(31.1%), Crohn (26.5%), Kidney failure (9.9%) and major depression (13.9%). Analysis was performed with SPSS 24.

The results in DASS stress scale revealed that 54.3 % of the sample had very severe and 24.3% severe stress levels while 58.9% had very severe anxiety levels in DASS anxiety scale. Pair sample t test show statistically significant differences before and after the application of breathing relaxation t150=24.725 p=0.001, as well in the application of acupressure t98=15.901 p=0.001.

According to the results of the present intervention, relaxation techniques can be very helpful as complimentary treatments for patients with chronic diseases

No significant relationships.