EFFECTS OF ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC BIOFEEDBACK TRAINING ON LOCUS OF CONTROL AND ANXIETY OF DEAF COLLEGE STUDENTS.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of frontalis electromyographic biofeedback training on internality, externality, anxiety, and muscle tension of deaf college students. Student volunteers enrolled at a post-secondary institution providing support services for the deaf were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a no-treatment control group. The experimental group consisted of 36 subjects (21 males, 15 females) and the control group included 34 subjects (18 males, 16 females). Pretreatment and posttreatment baseline measures of the dependent variables of locus of control, anxiety, and electromyographic (EMG) levels were recorded using the Learning Styles Inventory (National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, New York), A Test of Attitudes (F. J. Dowaliby, National Technical Institute for the Deaf at Rochester Institute of Technology, New York), and the Myosone 409 EMG Monitor/Data Processor (Bio-Logic Devices, Inc., Plainview, New York). The experimental group received six half-hour biofeedback sessions during a 3-week treatment phase. The control group was not seen during the treatment phase. Results of analyses of covariance indicated that frontalis electromyographic biofeedback training had no significant effects on internality (F = .009, p = .923), externality (F = .014, p = .905), and anxiety (F = .536, p = .467). Significant differences (F = 3.851, p = .054) were found between experimental and control groups on electromyographic levels. Findings suggest that frontalis electromyographic biofeedback training can be used to reduce muscle tension in a deaf population. This has implications for the prevention and reduction of stress-related disorders. Further research is needed to determine the effects of a longer biofeedback training period on locus of control and anxiety.