Stress and Health最新文献

Acute social stress has been associated with increased immune system activation. However, less is known about whether non-social acute stressors also impact the immune response. In addition, most studies examine stressors that contain multiple characteristics (e.g., social, unpredictable) that could contribute to an increased immune response, but few studies have attempted to disentangle these factors. Finally, few studies have examined whether simultaneous changes in affect are associated with changes in the immune response. The present study used a between-subjects design to examine immune system activation, via changes in salivary cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-1β, and tumour necrosis factor-α, in response to predictable and unpredictable electric shock. A multimodal assessment of changes in defencive motivation (startle reflex), attention (event-related potential probe N100, P300), and self-reported affect were evaluated to confirm the effectiveness of the threat manipulation. As expected, results indicated that the threat manipulation enhanced defencive motivation, attention, and self-reported affect. Across all participants, both predictable and unpredictable threat increased IL-8 but decreased IL-6. Greater changes in self-reported negative affect were associated with greater increases in the overall immune response. The present study suggests that acute non-social stress enhances immune system activation, particularly in those who experience greater changes in negative affect.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with long-lasting and multifaceted consequences for mental health. Despite established dose-response effects of ACEs on mental health, the specificity of ACE pattern effects remains understudied, especially on executive function. This study aims to explore how specific patterns of ACEs, beyond just cumulative scores, differentially impact emotional symptoms, personality and cognitive function. This study recruited 2515 college students from several universities in northern China. Demographic characteristics, depression, anxiety, borderline personality traits, and executive function (Wisconsin Card Sort Test) were assessed. Latent class analysis was used to identify patterns of ACEs. Data were analysed using χ²-test, ANCOVA, and multivariate linear regression methods. Pattern-oriented and cumulative-oriented approaches were compared to predict the effects of ACEs. Three distinct patterns of ACEs were identified: low adversity (LA), multiple adversity (MA), and family environment adversity (FA). FA with the highest number of ACEs was uniquely linked to executive function impairments, while both MA and cumulative ACEs significantly predicted higher anxiety, depression, and borderline personality traits. The pattern-oriented method was more sensitive to capturing the diverse outcomes of executive function impairment than cumulative scores. Our findings highlight the importance of moving beyond cumulative scores and considering specific ACEs patterns to understand their differential impact on mental health. Identifying FA as a distinct pattern with specific consequences for executive function offers valuable insights into developing targeted prevention strategies tailored to specific risk profiles.

In recent years, post-secondary students' mental health has become an important public health concern. However, studies examining protective factors of mental health among students and during challenging times are limited. Guided by the strength-based Resilience Portfolio Model and following a group of undergraduates (N = 1004) throughout the 2020/2021 academic year, this study examined multiple domains of resilience internal assets and external resources and simultaneously tested multiple protective mechanisms for student mental health using structural equation modelling. Results provided support for insulating effects: both internal assets such as emotion regulation and external recourses such as social network supportiveness and cultural fit in university (i.e., perceived congruity between students' personal and cultural selves and their university environment) were associated with reducing academic stress which in turn promoted student mental health at the end of the academic year. There was also support for additive effects: greater cultural fit in university was also directly related to better end-of-year student mental health. As cultural fit in university was associated both directly and indirectly with student mental health, creating an inclusive university community may help reduce student academic stress, lower student psychological distress and improve student subjective well-being.

PTSD is more prevalent in women than men and associated with autonomic dysfunction. Higher oestradiol levels have been associated with decreased PTSD severity, however, the impact of oestradiol on autonomic function is not well characterised. We examined associations among peritraumatic oestradiol levels and autonomic function in the multi-site AURORA study. Participants (n = 283, 69.6% female) were recruited from the emergency department (ED) following trauma exposure. Skin conductance (SC) was measured during trauma recall at the ED. Oestradiol was assayed from blood collected at ED, 2-week and 6-month. Fear conditioning, including fear potentiated startle (FPS), was completed at 2-week and 6-month. In women, ED oestradiol was significantly positively associated with ED SC and FPS at 6-month. In men, significant negative correlations between ED oestradiol and SC were found. Among women in the study, peritraumatic oestradiol was positively associated with fear responding 6-month. Findings suggest that the protective effects of oestradiol on PTSD may depend on other factors, such as time since trauma. Additional research is needed to elucidate how peritraumatic oestradiol and autonomic function may interact to confer risk for PTSD.

Despite substantial evidence indicating an association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and psychological distress, the psychological mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. This naturally occurring, cross-sectional study examines the mediating role of difficulties in emotion regulation and the moderating effects of exposure to acute stress due to regional armed conflict and mentalising skills on this mediation. A total of 195 young adults participated in two subgroups. One subgroup was recruited before the onset of the armed conflict, while the other subgroup was recruited shortly after the conflict began. The participants completed self-report questionnaires and a written task to assess mentalising skills. This preregistered study employed a moderated-mediation model. The findings indicated that difficulties in emotion regulation partially mediated the relationship between ACEs and psychological distress. However, this mediation was contingent upon exposure to acute stress and mentalising skills. The indirect effect was significant only for individuals who had experienced acute stress and demonstrated higher mentalising skills. Furthermore, acute stress and mentalisation skills moderated the association between ACEs and difficulties in emotion regulation. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating contextual factors and individual differences in mentalising when intervening with distressed youngsters who have experienced ACEs and acute stress.

This study assessed posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptom changes among active-duty and military veterans before and after participating in a non-exposure-based trauma-informed aquatic therapy treatment. Participants engaged in up to eight treatment sessions over 8-10 weeks. Each individual treatment session was practitioner-led, lasted approximately 50-min, and performed at a private treatment facility. This single-arm retrospective trial enroled 111 participants during calendar year 2023 for treatment. All participants had a prior medical diagnosis of PTSD as verified by medical/military records or a physician letter. The primary study outcome was changes in PTSD symptoms at baseline (pre-treatment) and after up to 8 treatment sessions using the PTSD Checklist Military Version (PCL-M). A total of 86/111 enroled participants (77.5%) completed at least four sessions of treatment for post-testing. PCL-M scores averaged 56.2 (16.2) among all enrollees at baseline and 39.3 (12.9) for those completing 4+ sessions of treatment. The mean PCL-M change for the 86 participants with 4+ sessions was 14.4 (14.2) points, p < 0.001. Sixty-four percent of the latter showed a PCL-M score change ≥ 10 points and 36% showed a change ≥ 20 points. The results of this retrospective trial provide preliminary support for trauma-informed aquatic therapy as a potential non-exposure-based treatment for reducing PTSD symptoms among military populations.

Frailty is characterised by a loss of function across several domains but is not an inevitable aspect of ageing and can be reversed with intervention. Determining those who are more likely to become frail before physical deficits become manifest will allow earlier intervention. One promising indicator of the potential for frailty is allostatic load, a physiological status associated with prolonged stress that is, characterised by multisystem dysfunction. Previous research has sought to understand the links between allostatic load and frailty, but has not yet explored whether allostatic load may be a predictive factor at younger ages and-if so-at what age it may be predictive. The present study sets out establish whether allostatic load can be used as a predictive indicator of frailty. Using the English Longitudinal Survey on Ageing (ELSA) data with an anticipated sample of 1500 people between 50 and 89 years old, time series analysis will determine if, and at what age, allostatic load may be predictive of pre-frailty and frailty. The findings of these analyses may be supportive of early identification of frailty by establishing an age at which a diagnostic test for allostatic load may prove a critical indicator for future frailty.

U.S. Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (USAF RPA) personnel face diverse stressors negatively affecting psychological health and military readiness. Prior research in diverse populations supports predictable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on occupational stressors, burnout, and more distal outcomes. Extending earlier studies linking broad variables (e.g., COVID-19 threat → work stress → burnout), the current study tests and refines an expanded mediation model based on multiple distinct pandemic concerns, occupational stressors, and burnout facets as antecedents of psychological distress mid-pandemic in RPA personnel (N = 496). Differential representation of demands, resources, and rewards evident across distinct occupational stressors in light of job demands/resources theory guided specification of mediated pathways. SEM analysis yielded moderate fit. Following removal of non-significant paths and addition of two interpretable direct paths, fit was improved, yielding seven dominant pandemic concern → occupational stressor → burnout → psychological distress pathways. In support of domain specification, five 'hub' variables (pandemic-driven change, personal stressors, workload, leader communication, and exhaustion) emerged as key intervention targets in mitigating distress in the USAF RPA community and similar populations during future pandemic-related crises.

The U.S. Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection course (SFAS) is an extremely stressful, physically and mentally challenging 19-20 days long selection procedure. Only 30%-40% of soldiers who volunteer for it complete it. The purpose of SFAS is to identify soldiers who can complete 1-2 years of physically and mentally challenging training for the Special Forces and be successful Special Forces soldiers thereafter. This study examined association of pre-course self-reported mood state and sleep quality and quantity with subsequent success or failure at SFAS. Data from 780 male soldiers collected in 2015-2017 were analysed. Prior to SFAS, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Dimension of Anger Reactivity (DAR), Duke University Social Support Questionnaire (Duke-SSQ), General Anxiety Disorder and Depression inventories (GAD-7), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered. Group differences among these variables and their ability to predict selection versus non-selection were assessed. There were significant differences in pre-SFAS mood and sleep in selected versus non-selected volunteers. Selected candidates reported more positive mood (POMS vigour, friendliness), less negative mood (POMS depression, anger, fatigue, confusion), less anger (DAR), and less social support (Duke-SSQ). Selected candidates reported longer and higher quality sleep (PSQI) than non-selected soldiers. These differences were not sufficient to serve as an accurate predictive model based on logistic regression, as the best-fit model accounted for 4.9% of the variance. In conclusion, there were differences in pre-course mood state and sleep between those who succeeded or failed a stressful course that selects individuals for elite military training and service, but they were not of sufficient strength to predict individual success of failure.

The rise in mental health conditions and stress has attracted global attention. Non-pharmacological and traditional approaches like meditative practices are showing promising results. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Heartfulness meditation on stress biomarkers, burnout, and well-being. A double-arm prospective randomized controlled study was carried out on 100 participants aged between 18 and 24 years, experiencing moderate to high perceived stress as assessed by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). These participants were randomized into a study group (meditation) and control group (sham meditation). An intervention of Heartfulness meditation was carried out daily for 12 weeks. Psychometric analysis was carried out to study burnout (exhaustion, cynicism and professional efficacy) and well-being using the standard validated questionnaires- Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and WHO-Well-being Index (WHO-WBI). Biochemical analysis was also carried out to study psychological stress (serum cortisol), and oxidative stress (serum nitrate/nitrite and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) at baseline and post-intervention. Statistical analysis was carried out using the IBM SPSS software version 26.0. p values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. A significant increase in serum nitrate/nitrite levels, professional efficacy, and well-being, and a significant decrease in measures such as exhaustion, cynicism, and cortisol levels were observed in the study group than the control group post-intervention. A significant negative correlation was also observed between serum MDA and well-being, whereas a positive correlation was observed between MDA and cortisol. The findings from this research suggest the role of Heartfulness meditation in reducing stress and burnout along with improving the well-being of an individual. Therefore, Heartfulness meditation can be used as a potential tool to improve mental health and well-being. However, future studies with a larger number of samples are needed to strengthen our findings. Trial Registration: Clinical Trial Registry of India: CTRI/2023/10/058,423 (https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?EncHid=ODIyOTA=&Enc=&userName=CTRI/2023/10/058423).