Stress and Health最新文献

Previous studies have shown that trauma exposure could affect visual working memory function in trauma survivors, regardless of psychopathological symptoms. However, the impact of psychological trauma on the brain function underlying working memory is unclear. To investigate this, a connectome-wide association (CWAS) study was conducted on visual working memory (VWM) in a spectrum of trauma-exposed individuals. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to scan 93 earthquake survivors, 44 of whom met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 49 did not. Fifteen participants with PTSD also had a comorbid major depressive disorder. The Wechsler Memory Scale-IV and clinical assessments were used to examine participants. A CWAS was conducted to search for a whole-brain multivariate connectome profile related to VWM performance. The results showed that VWM performance was robustly associated with the connectome profile of the left inferior parietal cortex (IPC). A post-hoc seed-based functional connectivity (FC) analysis using the left IPC as a seed revealed that the bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC), posterior cingulate (PCC), and precuneus correlated positively with the IPC after correction. The correlations between the mean connectivity of the left IPC and the regions mentioned above and VWM scores further underscored the role of these connections in VWM performance in trauma survivors. These findings demonstrate a more comprehensive picture of the neural correlates of VWM performance in trauma survivors and suggest that modulating the functional connectivity between the IPC, insula, and dmPFC could shift attention bias and improve VWM performance in trauma-exposed survivors.

This study aimed to validate a Swedish version of the Occupational Anxiety Inventory (OCAI), a self-report instrument designed to assess anxiety symptoms that individuals specifically attribute to their work. A sample of 499 Swedish workers was recruited. We investigated the OCAI's dimensionality, total score reliability, scalability, criterion validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Measurement invariance was examined using data from the original validation study of the instrument. Bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling indicated that the Swedish version of the OCAI leans towards strict unidimensionality, with the general factor accounting for 93% of the common variance extracted. The OCAI demonstrated excellent total score reliability, as indexed by alpha and omega coefficients (0.94-0.97), and strong scalability, as established by Mokken scale analysis (H = 0.69). Evidence of criterion validity was found through correlations between occupational anxiety and various work- and health-related variables, including work addiction, rumination, procrastination, and general health status. The OCAI showed a degree of both convergent and discriminant validity in relation to an attribution-free measure of anxiety. Measurement invariance held across countries, sexes, and age groups. Our findings suggest that the Swedish version of the OCAI is a psychometrically robust instrument. This corroborates evidence from the OCAI's initial validation study and supports the use of the instrument within a Swedish context.

Insufficient sleep is common among university students and impairs health and academic functioning. While multidimensional perfectionism (perfectionistic concerns and strivings) and daily stress are potential contributors, yet their interplay and underlying cognitive mechanisms remain unclear. Cognitive pre-sleep arousal may mediate links between stress, personality traits, and sleep. In a 14-day micro-longitudinal study, 88 German university students (M = 22.47 years, SD = 3.48) wore fitness trackers and completed daily diaries assessing objective sleep duration, subjective sleep quality, subjective sleep onset latency (SOL), daily stress, and cognitive pre-sleep arousal. Trait perfectionism and covariates (emotional distress, Big Five traits, and sex) were measured via questionnaires. Multilevel modelling and structural equation modelling were used. Neither perfectionistic concerns nor strivings predicted any sleep parameters. However, daily stress was associated with shorter sleep duration (b = -0.21, p = 0.033), lower sleep quality (b = -0.09, p = 0.006), longer SOL (root transformed: b = 0.01, p = 0.046), and higher cognitive arousal (b = 0.06, p < 0.01). No interaction effects between perfectionism and stress were found. Within-person mediation showed that on days with elevated stress, increased cognitive pre-sleep arousal partially explained shorter sleep (indirect effect = -0.16), lower sleep quality (indirect effect = -0.08), and longer SOL (indirect effect = 0.01; all p < 0.001). Exploratory analyses indicated that emotional distress, unlike perfectionism, predicted longer SOL via heightened cognitive pre-sleep arousal (indirect effect = 0.09, p = 0.007). Given the suboptimal model fit in the mediation models, all indirect effects should be interpreted with caution. Daily stress robustly impairs sleep and elevates cognitive pre-sleep arousal, which partially mediates its negative effects on sleep variables. Multidimensional perfectionism was not associated with sleep, nor did it moderate the stress-sleep link. Targeting cognitive pre-sleep arousal may be a promising mechanism to improve sleep in students experiencing elevated stress.

Self-reflection is central to adaptive stress regulation, yet little is known about when immersed versus distanced reflection optimises learning from stressful events. Drawing on Perceptual Control Theory, we propose that matching reflective stance to the emotional salience of stressors-adopting immersion for mild events and distancing for highly significant ones-optimises control-system reorganisation. This triple-blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial will compare event-informed reflection against fixed self-immersed and self-distanced conditions using ecological momentary assessment. Two hundred and fifty emerging adults (aged 18-25) in the United Kingdom will complete three daily assessments over 14 days. Primary outcomes include stress reactivity (within-person stressor-negative affect slopes) and coping self-insight. We hypothesise that event-informed reflection will attenuate stress reactivity and enhance coping self-insight relative to fixed stances, with coping self-insight mediating effects on reactivity. Dynamic structural equation modelling with Bayesian estimation will test these predictions.

The transition to motherhood is a period of psychological vulnerability but also offers important opportunities to refine and strengthen resilience capacities that support long-term mental health. The Systematic Self-Reflection Model of Resilience Strengthening proposes dynamic, reciprocal relationships between self-reflection, coping insight, and capacities for resilience, but this model has not been tested during the transition to motherhood. We aimed to clarify: (i) how self-reflection and coping insight change across this life transition, and (ii) to examine the relationships among self-reflection, coping insight, and depressive symptoms in first-time mothers. It explored their bidirectional and indirect interactions, with a focus on how these processes contribute to resilience and mental health. First-time pregnant women in Australia (N = 147) completed longitudinal surveys across three time points (two prenatal, one postnatal). Multi-level modeling assessed changes in self-reflection, coping insight, and depressive symptoms over time, and tested mediating relationships at both within- and between-person levels. Cross-lagged panel models evaluated the directionality and reciprocity of these associations. Findings showed that coping insight consistently predicted lower depressive symptoms across multiple models. However, the pathway from self-reflection to insight was less stable, suggesting that reflection alone may not reliably foster adaptive insight. Conversely, depressive symptoms more consistently influenced later self-reflection indirectly via reduced insight, indicating that depression may undermine cognitive processes that support resilience. These findings provide novel evidence of how self-reflection, coping insight, and depression interact during the transition to motherhood, highlighting the importance of targeting coping insight in perinatal interventions to strengthen resilience and protect maternal mental health.

Chronic stress has well-documented adverse effects on physical and psychological health. Beyond contributing to the development of fatigue, its impact is intensified by social stressors such as loneliness, making the development of effective interventions crucial. Our randomised controlled trial therefore investigated whether a 14-day self-soothing touch (SST) intervention reduces stress, fatigue, and loneliness compared to a minimal-instruction meditation control in 78 chronically stressed individuals (M_Age = 22.2 years; 81% female). We assessed acute (change pre-to-post session) and cumulative effects (across days) using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), while also collecting retrospective self-reports at baseline, post-intervention, and 4-week follow-up. For EMA outcomes, we additionally tested moderation by attachment anxiety and avoidance. Using linear mixed-effects models, both SST and meditation significantly reduced momentary stress (SST: b = -0.41, SE = 0.08, t = -4.79, p < 0.001; Control: b = -0.56, SE = 0.09, t = -6.43, p < 0.001), as well as fatigue (p_SST < 0.001, p_Control < 0.001) and loneliness (p_SST ≤ 0.011, p_control = 0.004) from pre-to-post session, with no significant group differences (all ps ≥ 0.212). SST but not meditation yielded a decrease in pre-session fatigue across the intervention period (b = -0.06, SE = 0.02, p < 0.001), with stronger reductions among individuals higher in attachment avoidance. In contrast, neither intervention had effects on retrospective measures (all ps ≥ 0.117). Overall, SST emerged as a feasible and accessible approach, comparable to brief meditation in reducing stress, fatigue, and loneliness, with additional benefits particularly for those high in attachment avoidance.

Childhood adversity is an important determinant of undergraduates' drinking and smoking behaviours; however, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Self-schemas are one possible pathway that may help explain this relationship. The vulnerability of self-schemas and behaviours resulting from childhood adversity may vary according to the level of childhood poly-adversity. This study examined the differential effects of low and high childhood poly-adversity on drinking- and smoking-related self-schemas and behaviours among undergraduates over time. Whether self-schemas mediate the relationship between childhood poly-adversity and behaviours was also examined. A prospective study was conducted among 275 first- and second-year Taiwanese undergraduates who reported any adverse childhood experiences in Wave I. An anonymous digital survey was administered at five-time points (6 months apart). Results showed that undergraduates with high poly-adversity had higher drinker and smoker self-schema scores and more drinking and smoking behaviours than those with no or low childhood poly-adversity. Childhood poly-adversity had significant indirect effects on drinking and smoking behaviours through drinker and smoker self-schemas. Findings suggest that low and high childhood poly-adversity have differential effects on self-schemas and behaviours. Self-schemas may be an underlying mechanism linking childhood poly-adversity to undergraduate drinking and smoking behaviours. Early identification of childhood poly-adversity experiences and interventions to promote positive self-conception may mitigate undergraduate drinking and smoking behaviours.

Employers and universities globally subsidise access to mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) for their employees and students to improve work performance, despite unclear evidence. This paper offers the highest quality synthesis of MBPs' impact on work performance in academic and occupational settings to date (PROSPERO #191756). On 2^nd August 2024, we searched eight databases. The primary outcome was task performance-the quantity and quality of completed tasks assigned to the individual. Secondary outcomes were contextual performance, adaptive performance, and counter-productive behaviour. Two independent reviewers selected studies, extracted data, and appraised risks of bias. We conducted pairwise random-effects meta-analyses of 99 studies (N = 16,054). MBPs were found to improve task performance at post-intervention compared to passive control groups (k = 22, Hedges' g = 0.25, 95% CI 0.06-0.44, p = 0.01, I² = 81.48%) but not compared to active control groups (k = 4, Hedges' g = 0.12, 95% CI -0.3-0.55, p = 0.43, I² = 62.87%). MBPs improved adaptive performance and contextual performance. Effects may last several months. Confidence in the review results, per Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE), is very low.

The October 7, 2023, attack on Israel marked a traumatic escalation in the Israel-Gaza conflict, placing immense psychological pressure on first responders (FRs). This study examined whether the relationship between burnout and psychological distress was moderated by profession (FR vs. non-FR) during the 'Iron Swords' war. Data were collected between December 2024 and February 2025, from a convenience sample and snowball sampling of 885 Israeli participants (257 FRs and 628 non- FRs). Participants completed validated measures of burnout and distress, along with socio-demographic information. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that burnout significantly predicted distress across the full sample. No main effect of FR on distress was found. However, a significant interaction emerged: burnout's effect on distress was significantly stronger among FRs than non-FRs. The findings suggest that FRs are more vulnerable to the psychological toll of burnout, particularly in trauma-exposed environments. These results align with the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, highlighting the depletion of emotional resources as a key mechanism driving distress under chronic occupational strain. The study underscores the importance of assessing burnout alongside trauma exposure when evaluating FR mental health. Clinically, results emphasise the need for early identification and tailored interventions targeting burnout among FRs, with an emphasis on resilience-building, psychological flexibility, and organizational support (e.g., peer debriefings, workload management). Future longitudinal research is needed to clarify causality and examine profession-specific effects. Overall, burnout appears to be a key amplifier of wartime distress in FRs, with implications for intervention policy and mental health strategy during crisis contexts.

Stress is a well-established risk factor for a range of negative health outcomes, making the longitudinal assessment of everyday stress increasingly important. This study tested the feasibility of combining a prospective assessment of stress responses using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) with a retrospective evaluation of stressors via a Life History Calendar (LHC). It also examined how different operationalizations of stress components-reactivity, recovery, and pileup-using various intra-individual baselines influenced stressor count, mental health symptoms, and trait anxiety. A sample of 165 adults (50.9% female; M age = 24.91 years, SD = 4.61) was followed over six months. Stress responses were assessed prospectively via EMA, administered three times daily, and stressor exposure was retrospectively captured using the LHC. We computed indices of stress reactivity, recovery, and pileup using three baseline types: local (1-week and 2-week periods prior to a stressor episode) and a cumulative average of all prior stressor-free weeks. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examined associations between these indices and changes in mental health symptoms and trait anxiety. Combining EMA and LHC methods to assess stress components was feasible. Baseline choice influenced both stressor episode counts and the associations between stress components and mental health outcomes. Stress reactivity and pileup, based on both local and cumulative baselines, were consistently associated with increases in mental health symptoms. Only one operationalisation of stress recovery was linked to changes in symptoms. Trait anxiety was not associated with any stress component, except for pileup when using a 1-week local baseline. These findings support the feasibility of integrating EMA and LHC methods to assess stress dynamics. Different baseline definitions yield distinct results, highlighting the importance of carefully selecting baseline parameters in stress research. This has important implications for designing and refining future studies on stress and health.