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Tang X, Hu W, Zhao X, Liu Y, Ren Y, Tang Z, Yang J. The role of personal, relational, and collective self-esteem in predicting acute salivary cortisol response and perceived stress. Appl Psychol Health Well Being 2024. [PMID: 38362823 DOI: 10.1111/aphw.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Personal self-esteem (PSE) has been well recognized as a buffer against stress; however, the effects of other types of self-esteem, such as relational self-esteem (RSE) and collective self-esteem (CSE), on stress have not been adequately explored. This study investigated the roles of PSE, RSE, and CSE in reducing stress response. The Rosenberg, Relational, and Collective Self-Esteem Scales were adopted to assess PSE, RSE, and CSE, respectively. Participants underwent an acute social stress paradigm, and their acute stress response was assessed using subjective stress reports and salivary cortisol levels. Chronic stress level was estimated using the Perceived Stress Scale and hair cortisol concentration. The results showed that PSE was negatively correlated with salivary cortisol response during acute social stress; however, no significant associations were found between any type of self-esteem and subjective stress reports. For chronic stress, all types of self-esteem were negatively associated with perceived stress level, but not with hair cortisol concentration. Further hierarchical regression analyses suggested that only PSE negatively predicted acute salivary cortisol response and perceived stress level. Overall, the findings suggest the essential role of PSE in predicting acute salivary cortisol responses and perceived stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinli Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Weiyu Hu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaolin Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yadong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yipeng Ren
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Zihan Tang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Juan Yang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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2
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Rrapaj A, Landau AM, Winterdahl M. Exploration of possible sex bias in acute social stress research: a semi-systematic review. Acta Neuropsychiatr 2023; 35:205-217. [PMID: 36876342 DOI: 10.1017/neu.2023.16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Stress can have a significant impact on the daily lives of individuals and can increase vulnerability to a number of medical conditions. This study aims to estimate the ratio of male to female participants in acute social stress research in healthy individuals. We examined original research articles published over the last 20 years. Each article was screened to determine the total number of female and male participants. We extracted data from 124 articles involving a total of 9539 participants. A total of 4221 (44.2%) participants were female, 5056 (53.0%) were male and 262 (2.7%) were unreported. Articles incorporating only females were significantly underrepresented compared to articles incorporating only males. Forty articles (63.5%) which presented data from both females and males, failed to analyse and interpret the results by sex, a significant methodological limitation. In conclusion, in the literature published over the last 20 years, female participants are significantly underrepresented. In the studies where females are represented, severe methodological limitations are apparent. Researchers should be conscious of sexual dimorphism, menstrual phase and use of hormonal contraception, which may impact the interpretation of their results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artemida Rrapaj
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne M Landau
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET-Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Michael Winterdahl
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET-Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
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3
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Abelson JL, Sánchez BN, Mayer SE, Briggs H, Liberzon I, Rajaram N. Do diurnal salivary cortisol curves carry meaningful information about the regulatory biology of the HPA axis in healthy humans? Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 150:106031. [PMID: 36801587 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Salivary cortisol stress biomarkers have been extensively used in epidemiological work to document links between stress and ill health. There has been little effort to ground field friendly cortisol measures in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulatory biology that is likely relevant to delineating mechanistic pathways leading from stress exposure to detrimental health outcomes. Here, we utilized a healthy convenience sample (n = 140) to examine normal linkages between extensively collected salivary cortisol measures and available laboratory probes of HPA axis regulatory biology. Participants provided 9 saliva samples per day over 6 days within a month, while engaging in usual activities, and also participated in 5 regulatory tests (adrenocorticoptripin stimulation, dexamethasone/corticotropin-releasing-hormone stimulation, metyrapone, dexamethasone suppression, and Trier Social Stress Test). Logistical regression was used to test specific predictions linking cortisol curve components to regulatory variables and to explore widely for non-predicted associations. We found support for 2 of 3 original hypotheses, showing associations (1) between cortisol diurnal decline and feedback sensitivity as measured by dexamethasone suppression, and (2) between morning cortisol levels and adrenal sensitivity. We did not find links between central drive (metyrapone test) and end of day salivary levels. We confirmed an a priori expectation of limited linkage between regulatory biology and diurnal salivary cortisol measures, beyond those predicted. These data support an emerging focus on measures related to diurnal decline in epidemiological stress work. They raise questions about the biological meaning of other curve components, including morning cortisol levels, and perhaps CAR (Cortisol Awakening Response). If morning cortisol dynamics are linked to stress, more work on adrenal sensitivity in stress adaptation and stress-health links may be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L Abelson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Brisa N Sánchez
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Stefanie E Mayer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Hedieh Briggs
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Israel Liberzon
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Nirmala Rajaram
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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4
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Davies C, Appiah-Kusi E, Wilson R, Blest-Hopley G, Bossong MG, Valmaggia L, Brammer M, Perez J, Allen P, Murray RM, McGuire P, Bhattacharyya S. Altered relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in people at clinical high risk for psychosis: a preliminary report. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2022; 272:461-475. [PMID: 34480630 PMCID: PMC8938358 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-021-01318-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Evidence suggests that people at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (CHR) have a blunted cortisol response to stress and altered mediotemporal activation during fear processing, which may be neuroendocrine-neuronal signatures of maladaptive threat responses. However, whether these facets are associated with each other and how this relationship is affected by cannabidiol treatment is unknown. We examined the relationship between cortisol response to social stress and mediotemporal function during fear processing in healthy people and in CHR patients. In exploratory analyses, we investigated whether treatment with cannabidiol in CHR individuals could normalise any putative alterations in cortisol-mediotemporal coupling. 33 CHR patients were randomised to 600 mg cannabidiol or placebo treatment. Healthy controls (n = 19) did not receive any drug. Mediotemporal function was assessed using a fearful face-processing functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm. Serum cortisol and anxiety were measured immediately following the Trier Social Stress Test. The relationship between cortisol and mediotemporal blood-oxygen-level-dependent haemodynamic response was investigated using linear regression. In healthy controls, there was a significant negative relationship between cortisol and parahippocampal activation (p = 0.023), such that the higher the cortisol levels induced by social stress, the lower the parahippocampal activation (greater deactivation) during fear processing. This relationship differed significantly between the control and placebo groups (p = 0.033), but not between the placebo and cannabidiol groups (p = 0.67). Our preliminary findings suggest that the parahippocampal response to fear processing may be associated with the neuroendocrine (cortisol) response to experimentally induced social stress, and that this relationship may be altered in patients at clinical high risk for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathy Davies
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Elizabeth Appiah-Kusi
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Robin Wilson
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Grace Blest-Hopley
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Matthijs G. Bossong
- grid.5477.10000000120346234Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Lucia Valmaggia
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Michael Brammer
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Jesus Perez
- grid.450563.10000 0004 0412 9303CAMEO Early Intervention Service, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paul Allen
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK ,grid.35349.380000 0001 0468 7274Department of Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, UK ,grid.416167.30000 0004 0442 1996Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, USA
| | - Robin M. Murray
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK
| | - Philip McGuire
- grid.13097.3c0000 0001 2322 6764Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK ,grid.37640.360000 0000 9439 0839Outreach and Support in South London (OASIS) Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Sagnik Bhattacharyya
- Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
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5
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Liu Q, Wu J, Zhang L, Sun X, Guan Q, Yao Z. The Relationship Between Perceived Control and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test in Healthy Young Adults. Front Psychol 2021; 12:683914. [PMID: 34484038 PMCID: PMC8415907 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.683914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychological factors can modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity toward stressors. Animal studies demonstrated that uncontrollability was one critical factor associated with HPA axis stress response, but the results in human studies were inconsistent. The current study adopted a standardized laboratory stress induction procedure, the Trier Social Stress Test (the TSST), as the stressor to regulate the objective controllability level, and young adult participants were asked to rate their subjectively perceived control level toward the stressor and measured their cortisol stress responses (N=54; 19 females and 35 males) to address this concern. Results showed that participants' perceived control on the TSST was related to the cortisol stress response. In other words, under the stress of a certain objective controllability level, the lower the subjectively perceived control level, the greater the HPA axis response. This finding suggested that, in addition to objective controllability, subjectively perceived control is a psychological factor that regulates activation of the HPA axis in young adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Liu
- Center for Brain Disorder and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Futian Foreign Languages School, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jianhui Wu
- Center for Brain Disorder and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China.,Shenzhen Institute of Neuroscience, Shenzhen, China
| | - Liang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaofang Sun
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Qing Guan
- Center for Brain Disorder and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Zhuxi Yao
- Center for Brain Disorder and Cognitive Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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6
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Hair cortisol concentrations in mental disorders: A systematic review. Physiol Behav 2021; 229:113244. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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7
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Simms M, Arnold R, Turner JE, Hays K. A repeated-measures examination of organizational stressors, perceived psychological and physical health, and perceived performance in semi-elite athletes. J Sports Sci 2020; 39:64-77. [PMID: 32851916 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1804801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Organizational stressors can undermine the psychological well-being and performance of athletes. Less is known, however, about how these relationships unfold over time and whether organizational stressors can impact upon perceived physical health. The current study, therefore, used a repeated-measures design to examine relationships between organizational stressors with components of perceived psychological (anxiety and depression) and physical (illness symptoms and missed training days via illness) ill-health, and perceived performance at the within-person level. Twenty-three semi-elite female rowers completed monthly measures of study variables for six-months. Multilevel models indicated that selection-related stressors positively predicted symptoms of perceived psychological and physical ill-health, and negatively predicted perceived performance. Conversely, coaching stressors negatively predicted symptoms of perceived psychological ill-health. Logistics and operations stressors positively predicted perceived performance, whereas goals and development stressors negatively predicted perceived performance. These findings demonstrate for the first time that, with a repeated-measures design, organizational stressors can predict components of perceived physical and psychological ill-health, and perceived performance at the within-person level in athletes. From a practical perspective, practitioners should incorporate these findings when diagnosing the need for, developing, and optimally implementing primary and secondary stress management interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Simms
- Department for Health, University of Bath Bath UK
| | | | | | - Kate Hays
- English Institute of Sport Manchester UK
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Roque A, Craske MG, Treanor M, Rosenfield D, Ritz T, Meuret AE. Stress-induced cortisol reactivity as a predictor of success in treatment for affective dimensions. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 116:104646. [PMID: 32200225 PMCID: PMC8978549 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Response rates to first-line treatments for depression and anxiety remain unsatisfactory. Identification of predictors or moderators that can optimize treatment matching is of scientific and clinical interest. This study examined the role of prolonged laboratory-induced stress cortisol reactivity as a predictor of outcome for a treatment of affective dimensions (TAD). Patients received 15-sessions of a treatment targeting reductions in negative affect or increases in positive affect (Craske et al., 2019). A second aim was to examine whether treatment type would moderate the association between cortisol reactivity and treatment outcome. METHODS Thirty-five participants underwent a 36-minute intermittent stress induction task composed of a mental arithmetic task and a fear-potentiated startle task one week before treatment initiation. Cortisol was collected at five-time points with reactivity being quantified as peak during the task minus basal level of cortisol the evening before the assessment. Using multilevel modeling, we examined the associations between cortisol reactivity and slopes of symptom improvement. RESULTS Cortisol reactivity was related to treatment outcome, with average and higher levels of stress-induced cortisol response predicting greater decreases in symptoms throughout treatment and 6-month follow-up. Treatment condition differences (moderation) were not observed in the effect of cortisol reactivity on symptoms. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate the impact of greater cortisol stress reactivity on treatment outcome. Future studies should investigate how to enhance this therapeutic benefit through capitalizing on endogenous diurnal fluctuations or exogenous cortisol manipulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Roque
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University
| | | | - Michael Treanor
- Department of Psychology, University of California Los Angeles
| | | | - Thomas Ritz
- Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University
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Gormally BMG, Ramos S, Yin H, Romero LM. Recovery periods during repeated stress impact corticosterone and behavioral responses differently in house sparrows. Horm Behav 2019; 112:81-88. [PMID: 30986400 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 04/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
A number of studies have shown that chronic stress can negatively impact both physiology and behavior in a variety of organisms. What has yet to be extensively explored is whether these changes permanently alter an animal's functioning, or if they can be reversed. In this study, we used wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to assess how recovery periods influence the physiological and behavioral impacts of an initial four days and subsequent four days of repeated stressors. Birds were randomly assigned to a recovery group and either experienced 0, 24, or 72 h of recovery between the two sets of stressors (cage rolling and cage tapping). We measured the regulation of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis by quantifying baseline and stress-induced corticosterone as well as negative feedback strength. We also assessed behavior using neophobia trials to measure how birds altered their approach towards novel objects and their overall activity. Both behavior and corticosterone responses were assessed before the experiment, after the recovery time, and following the final 4 days of stressors. We found that birds that experienced 24 h of recovery had reduced stress-induced corticosterone, but enhanced negative feedback relative to the pre-experiment sample. Additionally, 4 days of stressors was enough to significantly reduce approach latency towards novel objects; however, pre-experiment levels returned with longer periods of recovery. Finally, recovery time did not significantly influence responses to the second 4 days of stressors. Our results indicate that brief recovery periods partially ameliorate the hormonal and behavioral effects of repeated stress.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah Ramos
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
| | - Hannah Yin
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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10
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An Y, Schoebi D, Xu W. How does mindfulness modulate daily stress response: evidences from ambulatory assessment. Psychol Health 2018; 34:355-367. [PMID: 30590950 DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2018.1539488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mindfulness has been found to be associated with less adverse stress response. However, little is known about how mindfulness modulates stress response in the real daily life. The current study investigated the relation between daily stress and negative emotions, and explored a mediational link via perceived loss of control, and moderation by dispositional mindfulness, to better understand this association. DESIGN A total of 95 college students were recruited to complete a questionnaire and to report on their stress, perceived loss of control and negative emotions in daily life. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) was used to assess dispositional mindfulness. Stress, perceived loss of control and negative emotions were assessed by ambulatory assessment. RESULTS Stress was positively related with negative emotions at within-person level. Perceived loss of control mediated the relationship between stress and negative emotions. Furthermore, participants with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness showed an attenuated association between stress and anger, and also attenuated associations between perceived loss of control, and anger and fatigue at within-person level. CONCLUSION These findings point to perceived loss of control as an important key factor in daily stress effects. Dispositional mindfulness appears to have beneficial effects in that it attenuates the impact of daily stressors on individuals' wellbeing. Clinical implications and limitations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan An
- a School of Psychology , Nanjing Normal University , Nanjing , People's Republic of China
| | - Dominik Schoebi
- b Department of Psychology , University of Fribourg , Fribourg , Switzerland
| | - Wei Xu
- a School of Psychology , Nanjing Normal University , Nanjing , People's Republic of China
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11
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Mayer SE, Lopez-Duran NL, Sen S, Abelson JL. Chronic stress, hair cortisol and depression: A prospective and longitudinal study of medical internship. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 92:57-65. [PMID: 29627713 PMCID: PMC5924646 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stress plays a causal role in depression onset, perhaps via alteration of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. HPA axis hyperactivity has been reported in depression, though inconsistently, and the nature of this relationship remains unclear, partly because cortisol measurement over time has been challenging. Development of hair cortisol assessment, a method that captures cortisol over prolonged periods of time, creates new possibilities. In this study, hair cortisol was incorporated into a prospective and longitudinal study of medical internship, stress and symptoms of depression. This provided a rare opportunity to 1) prospectively assess hair cortisol responses to stress, and 2) examine whether stress-induced changes in hair cortisol predict depressive symptom development. METHODS Hair cortisol, depressive symptoms, and stress-relevant variables (work hours, sleep, perceived stress, mastery/control) were assessed in interns (n = 74; age 25-33) before and repeatedly throughout medical internship. RESULTS Hair cortisol sharply increased with stressor onset, decreased as internship continued, and rose again at year's end. Depressive symptoms rose significantly during internship, but were not predicted by cortisol levels. Hair cortisol also did not correlate with increased stressor demands (work hours, sleep) or stress perceptions (perceived stress, mastery/control); but these variables did predict depressive symptoms. DISCUSSION Hair cortisol and depressive responses increased with stress, but they were decoupled, following distinct trajectories that likely reflected different aspects of stress reactivity. While depressive symptoms correlated with stressor demands and stress perceptions, the longitudinal pattern of hair cortisol suggested that it responded to contextual features related to anticipation, novelty/familiarity, and social evaluative threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie E. Mayer
- Corresponding author: Stefanie E. Mayer, PhD (): Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, 3333 California St, Suite 465, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
| | - Nestor L. Lopez-Duran
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Srijan Sen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
| | - James L. Abelson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Rd, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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12
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Salzmann S, Euteneuer F, Strahler J, Laferton JAC, Nater UM, Rief W. Optimizing expectations and distraction leads to lower cortisol levels after acute stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2018; 88:144-152. [PMID: 29278839 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2017] [Revised: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 12/19/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A new approach of psychological interventions prior to stress aiming to optimize expectations may have beneficial effects on a person's health status by reducing physiological stress. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether a brief psychological intervention designed to optimize personal control expectations prior to acute stress would affect perceived and biological stress responsiveness in comparison to two more established interventions (fostering gratitude or distraction) in a healthy sample. METHODS 74 healthy participants were randomized to one of three psychological interventions prior to stress: (i) writing about ways to influence stress to optimize personal control expectations (EXPECTATION), (ii) writing a gratitude-letter (GRATITUDE) (iii) or a distraction writing task (DISTRACTION). After completing the intervention, the Maastricht acute stress test was administered to induce (psychosocial and physiological) stress. Assessments took place at baseline, post-intervention (15 min writing task) and after stress induction (additional salivary assessments: 15 and 30 min after stress). Main outcomes were expectations, emotions, perceived stress, salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. Personality traits (eg, optimism) were assessed at baseline. RESULTS EXPECTATION specifically increased personal control expectations (p = .016, d = .72) and GRATITUDE specifically increased gratitude (p = .026, d = .68). EXPECTATION and DISTRACTION led to lower cortisol concentrations after stress induction than GRATITUDE (time x group interaction: p < .001, d = .88). We detected no intervention effects on alpha-amylase or perceived stress. Optimism moderated intervention effects on cortisol (p = .023, d = .74). CONCLUSIONS Brief psychological interventions aiming to optimize expectations or distraction prior to stress reduce the cortisol response in healthy participants after an acute stressor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Salzmann
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Frank Euteneuer
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Jana Strahler
- Department of Psychotherapy and Systems Neuroscience, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany; Department of Clinical Biopsychology, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Johannes A C Laferton
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Psychologische Hochschule Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Urs M Nater
- Department of Clinical Biopsychology, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany; Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Winfried Rief
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Philipps University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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Distress=stress? Disentangling the different components of emotional experience. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2017; 82:187-188. [PMID: 28413131 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2017.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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