Alina Nottensteiner

Bio: Alina Nottensteiner is an academic researcher from Bosch. The author has contributed to research in topics: Absenteeism & Psychological intervention. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 48 citations.

Creative Arts Interventions for Stress Management and Prevention-A Systematic Review.

Abstract: Stress is one of the world’s largest health problems, leading to exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, a weak immune system, or even organ damage. In Germany, stress-induced work absenteeism costs about 20 billion Euros per year. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Central Federal Association of the public Health Insurance Funds in Germany ascribes particular importance to stress prevention and stress management as well as health enhancing measures. Building on current integrative and embodied stress theories, Creative Arts Therapies (CATs) or arts interventions are an innovative way to prevent stress and improve stress management. CATs encompass art, music, dance/movement, and drama therapy as their four major modalities. In order to obtain an overview of CATs and arts interventions’ efficacy in the context of stress reduction and management, we conducted a systematic review with a search in the following data bases: Academic Search Complete, ERIC, Medline, Psyndex, PsycINFO and SocINDEX. Studies were included employing the PICOS principle and rated according to their evidence level. We included 37 studies, 73% of which were randomized controlled trials. 81.1% of the included studies reported a significant reduction of stress in the participants due to interventions of one of the four arts modalities.

Effects of Dance Movement Therapy and Dance on Health-Related Psychological Outcomes. A Meta-Analysis Update.

Abstract: Background: Dance is an embodied activity, and when applied therapeutically can have several specific and unspecific health benefits. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated the effectiveness of dance movement therapy (DMT) and dance interventions for psychological health outcomes. Research in this area grew considerably from 1.3 detected studies/year in 1996-2012 to 6.8 detected studies/year in 2012-2018. Method: We synthesized 41 controlled intervention studies (N=2374; from 01/2012 to 03/2018), 21 from DMT, 20 from dance, investigating the outcome clusters of quality of life, clinical outcomes (with sub-analyses of depression and anxiety), interpersonal skills, cognitive skills, and (psycho-)motor skills. We included recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in areas such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, autism, elderly patients, oncology, neurology, chronic heart failure, and cardiovascular disease, including follow-up data in eight studies. Results: Analyses yielded a medium overall effect (d =.60), with high heterogeneity of results (I²=72.62%). Sorted by outcome clusters, the effects were medium to large (d=.53 to d=.85). All effects, except the one for (psycho-)motor skills, showed high inconsistency of results. Sensitivity analyses revealed that type of intervention (DMT or dance) was a significant moderator of results. In the DMT cluster, the overall medium effect was small, significant and homogenous/consistent (d=.30, p<.001, I²=3.47). In the dance intervention cluster, the overall medium effect was large, significant, yet heterogeneous/non-consistent (d=.81, p<.001, I²=77.96). Results suggest that DMT decreases depression and anxiety and increases quality of life, interpersonal, and cognitive skills, whereas dance interventions increase (psycho-)motor skills. Larger effect sizes resulted from observational measures, possibly indicating bias. Follow-up data showed that on 22 weeks after the intervention most effects remained stable or slightly increased. Discussion: Consistent effects of DMT coincide with findings from former meta-analyses. Most dance intervention studies came from preventive contexts, most DMT studies from institutional health-care contexts with more severely impaired clinical patients, where we found smaller effects, yet with higher clinical relevance. Methodological shortcomings of many included studies and heterogeneity of outcome measures limit results. Initial findings on long-term effects are promising.

Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract: Music therapy is increasingly being used as an intervention for stress reduction in both medical and mental healthcare settings. Music therapy is characterized by personally tailored music interven...

An Explanatory Model of Emotional Intelligence and Its Association with Stress, Burnout Syndrome, and Non-Verbal Communication in the University Teachers

Abstract: The present study set out to define and contrast an explanatory model of perception of stress, the dimensions of burnout syndrome, emotional intelligence, and non-verbal communication in a sample of university teachers. A total of 1316 teachers from Spain, aged between 24 and 70 years (M = 45.64, SD = 10.33) and evenly distributed between both sexes, participated. The measurement instruments employed were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), the Trait Meta-Mood Scale (TMMS-24), and the Nonverbal Immediacy Scale (NIS) A structural equation model was produced that demonstrated adequate fit to the empirical data (130,259; df = 9; p < 0.001; CFI = 0.907; NIF = 0.914; IFI = 0.923; RMSEA = 0.077). Results revealed that stress relates positively with emotional exhaustion and negatively with personal fulfilment. Emotional exhaustion was associated directly with emotional attention and inversely with emotional clarity and emotional repair, with these being linked to personal fulfilment. Both emotional clarity and repair related positively with non-verbal communication. Conclusions from the present study are that emotional intelligence and body language are two relevant factors in the prevention of burnout syndrome, and as a result can help to ensure the mental wellbeing of university teachers.