Stress and Health最新文献

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the psychological well-being of the general population. However, there are limited studies that examine its mental health effects on patients who have experienced traumatic injuries and tracked their recovery over time. This study aimed to: (1) compare the rates and severity of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression between patients who sustained traumatic injuries before the COVID-19 pandemic (pre-pandemic) and those injured during the pandemic (peri-pandemic); and (2) assess whether the degree of pandemic-related stress (e.g., worry about infection, social isolation, loss of home/job) predicted the severity of PTSD or depression symptoms. Participants (N = 198) were recruited from a Level 1 Trauma Centre in Southeastern Wisconsin following admission for a single-incident traumatic injury. Symptoms of PTSD and depression were assessed during hospitalisation and at three additional points within the subsequent 6 months. Self-report measures were used to evaluate PTSD and depression severity among patients injured before (pre-pandemic; n = 126) and during (peri-pandemic; n = 73) the pandemic. Peri-pandemic participants also completed a modified version of the COVID-19 Family Stress Screener to measure pandemic-related stress. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the dimensions of pandemic-related stress in our sample. The findings indicated that participants injured during the pandemic exhibited higher symptoms of PTSD and depression compared to those injured before the pandemic. Additionally, greater pandemic-related stress correlated with elevated levels of depression and PTSD at baseline. Our results highlight that the broader context in which patients recover from injuries can intensify the negative mental health consequences of traumatic injury. This underscores the need for enhanced access to psychological services for trauma patients, particularly during major societal stressors like a global pandemic.

According to the Dimensional Model of Adversity and Psychopathology (DMAP), childhood trauma (CT) can be categorised into two dimensions: abuse and neglect. While CT is widely recognized as a risk factor for obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS), the specific dimension that primarily contributes to this risk remains unclear. This study sought to distinguish the effects of different CT dimensions on the developmental trajectory of OCS. A total of 3535 Chinese college freshmen (Age _Mean = 18.01, Age _SD = 0.77; 65.60% female) participated in a 3-year, 5-waves longitudinal tracking study. A latent growth curve model (LGCM) was constructed to examine the effects of two CT dimensions (abuse and neglect) on the developmental trajectory of OCS. Sex and recent perceived stress were also added to the conditional LGCM. Results showed that the rates of 'moderate to severe' emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect were 3.68%, 3.62%, 5.57%, 10.46%, and 19.54%, respectively. The unconditional LGCM revealed a U-shaped developmental trajectory of OCS. The conditional LGCM revealed that childhood experiences of abuse, rather than neglect, significantly predicted the intercept (β = 0.159, p < 0.001), the linear slope (β = -0.222, p < 0.01), and the quadratic slope (β = 0.195, p < 0.05) of the trajectory of OCS. Specifically, higher abuse levels were associated with higher initial OCS levels and a slower rate in linear downtrend of OCS over time, resulting in a U-shaped trend. Besides, sex did not predict the developmental trajectory of OCS. These findings highlight the association between childhood experiences of abuse, rather than neglect, with the development of OCS and may provide targeted direction and guidance for preventing OCS among Chinese college students.

Heightened reactivity to ambiguous emotional stimuli, such as surprized faces, is a transdiagnostic psychopathology risk factor. Women show elevated amygdala activation to ambiguous emotional stimuli relative to men, which may underlie their significantly higher risk for mood disorders. Moreover, there are sex/gender differences in the effects of stress on both emotion processing and emotion regulation, with greater impact of stress on negative emotionality in females. We predicted that chronic stress would be associated with stronger amygdala activation to surprized faces, and these effects would be amplified in girls/women. We tested the interactions of chronic stress and gender/sex on amygdala activity in a sample of 297 healthy participants (59% girls/women, age range 6-75 years) who provided a saliva sample and who viewed emotional face stimuli while undergoing functional neuroimaging. Saliva samples were assayed for two markers of chronic stress: Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) expression and diversity of Lactobacilli species. Among girls/women, higher chronic stress was associated with greater amygdala activation to ambiguous emotional images than lower stress exposure, although this effect was not statistically significant. Counter to predictions, the reverse effect was found among boys/men (i.e., higher stress exposure was associated with lower amygdala activation). Results were similar across left and right amygdalae, and across both stress measures. Although our findings are preliminary and should be replicated, they align with findings on gender differences in valence bias, and broadly support the hypothesis that there are gender/sex differences in the effects of chronic stress on neural reactivity to emotional ambiguity, particularly in areas of the brain sensitive to emotion regulation. Possibly, stress does not universally increase negativity, but instead amplifies default emotional biases-which for boys/men, may result in less amygdala reactivity.

Based on previous empirical evidence, scholars have argued for a dialectical relationship between burnout and work engagement. However, these conclusions largely rely on latent variable models, which have inherent limitations due to strong hierarchical assumptions about data. As a result, previous findings should be considered preliminary indications rather than conclusive evidence. In this study, we introduce network analysis to investigate the relationship between burnout and work engagement. We demonstrate its utility by comparing the fit indices of the network model and three factor models in a cross-national sample with 2469 employees from Norway and 879 employees from the US and UK. Based on theory and fit indices, we conclude that the network model was preferred in both samples. Using this model, we uncovered positive relationships between two work engagement variables and the exhaustion component of burnout. Theoretically, this study broadens our understanding and show support for the dialectical relationship between burnout and work engagement. Furthermore, by introducing the network model to empirical research, we provide a novel approach that contribute to nuance and ideas for research on burnout and work engagement. Practically, our results offer insightful data on possible points for intervention between burnout and work engagement variables.

Objective: This study investigated savouring as a moderator of affect reactivity to daily events among older adults.

Method: A sample of 108 individuals aged 65-92 years (M = 73.11, SD = 5.92; 58% women) completed daily diary questionnaires over 14 days, reporting on daily stressors, positive events, savouring, and positive and negative affect.

Results: Multilevel models showed that on days when a stressor was experienced, negative affect was higher when daily savouring (within-person) was low, but this association was not observed when daily savouring was high. Additionally, on days with positive events, negative affect was lower when trait savouring (between-person) was high, but this effect was not found when trait savouring was low.

Discussion: The findings highlight the importance of savouring as a key factor in managing emotional responses to daily experiences among older adults. Specifically, deliberately engaging with positive experiences might buffer daily negative emotional responses.

In western China, many socioeconomically disadvantaged rural children remain at preschools for extremely long hours: they start to receive boarding services as young as 3 years old and remain at preschools for 4 to 5 consecutive days weekly. Although the quality of childcare is generally poor in these preschools, extremely long school hours and prolonged separation from primary caregivers may induce additional stress and lead to school maladjustment among boarding preschoolers. This study examines the impact of boarding experience on preschool beginners' social adjustment and stress responses, as indicated by their saliva alpha-amylase (sAA) and cortisol. A total of over 900 saliva samples of 31 boarding and 30 non-boarding preschoolers (mean age = 44.0 months, SD = 9.8 months) were collected over 12 weeks after they entered preschools. Primary caregivers reported children's behavioural problems and school refusal. Boarders experienced a larger mid-morning to mid-afternoon rise in cortisol than non-boarders on the second-to-last weekdays but not on the first weekdays. Non-boarders experienced an accelerated decrease in sAA during the 12 weeks, whereas boarders did not. Differences in cortisol and sAA patterns indicate potential increased stress for boarders, which might be associated with their more prevalent school-refusal behaviour than non-boarders. The findings underscore that entry into boarding preschool may cause stress and school refusal in rural Chinese children during their transition to preschool. Additional contacts with primary caregivers during this transition are needed to support boarders emotionally.

Rumination, that is mentally dwelling on past-centred negative, unwanted, and persistent thoughts, has been reliably linked to exaggerated cardiovascular responses to, and prolonged cardiovascular recovery from, a single psychological stressor. Although cardiovascular adaptation to multiple stress exposures is also an important indicator of a healthful stress response, only one study has examined the association between trait rumination and adaptation to repeated stress, employing a protocol administered across two separate testing sessions, 1 week apart. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of trait rumination on cardiovascular adaptation to repeated psychological stress within the same testing session. In a single laboratory visit, 146 participants completed a standardised stress testing protocol where they were exposed to the same stress task twice, separated by an inter-task interval. Trait rumination was assessed using the revised Emotion Control Questionnaire. Participants' cardiovascular parameters were monitored throughout using a Finometer. Habituation was operationalised as significant differences between reactivity scores from task 1 to reactivity scores from task 2. Repeated measures ANCOVA's found that lower levels of trait rumination were associated with greater systolic blood pressure adaptation in comparison to those reporting a higher tendency to ruminate, who showed less of a decrease in reactivity from the first to the second stress exposure, indicating poorer adaptation. Rumination did not affect cardiovascular habituation for other parameters, however it is worth noting that individuals in this sample failed to habituate regardless of trait rumination. Our results present some evidence implicating rumination as a possible mechanism compromising an individual's capacity to adequately adapt to repeated stress, which over time may play a role in the aetiology of disease. However, more research is needed to replicate this effect.

This 5-day diary study examined the impact of daily hassles on well-being, with a focus on the mediating role of positive and negative affect. Previous research has extensively explored the effects of major life events on well-being, yet the influence of minor daily stressors remains poorly understood. We employed a daily diary methodology with 218 participants, aged 18 to 56, who reported their daily hassles, affect and well-being over five consecutive days. Results revealed that daily hassles significantly predicted both current and prospective well-being, mediated by changes in affect. Specifically, at the within-person level, negative affect increased and positive affect decreased in response to daily hassles, both contributing to reduced well-being. At the between-person level, only negative affect mediated this relationship. Our findings underscore the cumulative impact of minor daily stressors on well-being, highlighting the importance of affective responses in this process. This study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how everyday stressors influence well-being, emphasizing the need for strategies to manage daily hassles and enhance emotional resilience.

Conflict deeply affects human experiences, frequently testing individual resilience to its breaking point and leaving enduring psychological and societal wounds. The current conflict in Ukraine, initiated by Russia's invasion in 2022, illustrates this phenomenon by altering regional relationships and triggering a major humanitarian crisis marked by extensive displacement, loss of life, and emotional turmoil. This study explores the factors influencing hope and distress in Ukraine alongside six nearby European countries during the ongoing conflict. A cross-sectional survey collected data primarily via internet panel samples from the Czech Republic, Georgia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine in the second year since the war's initiation. The current study utilised validated instruments, collecting data on levels of hope, distress, individual resilience, community resilience, societal resilience, morale, sense of danger, perceived security threats, and demographic characteristics. Hope and distress levels differ across countries, with Ukraine exhibiting the highest levels of both (3.74 ± 1.02 and 2.89 ± 0.87, respectively). Overall, average scores of hope were higher than average distress levels. Across the regression models for the seven countries, hope showed strong associations with individual (between β = 0.089 and β = 0.327) and societal resilience (between β = 0.206 and β = 0.514), while morale (between β = -0.104 and β = -0.479) and individual resilience (between β = -0.077 and β = -0.335) displayed a protective relationship against distress (all β values were significant, p < 0.01). Monitoring hope and distress is crucial during the Russian-Ukrainian war and other adversities, as these factors give insight into the current and future psychological states of affected populations. The results offer valuable information that can guide the development of tailored strategies to enhance hope and buffer distress in war-impacted countries, as well as those experiencing its broader effects. Fostering individual and societal resilience, alongside enhancing morale, may strengthen hope and mitigate distress amid adversity. Developing targeted interventions that address each population's unique needs, as well as their sociocultural and geopolitical contexts can enhance efficacy.

This diary study sought to examine the direct and indirect effects of individuals' perceptions of supervisor support and workload during a work week (week 1) on their well-being, satisfaction, and performance at work during the following work week (week 2) as mediated through the quality of their weekend work recovery experiences (psychological detachment, relaxation, mastery, and control) and sleep quantity. Moreover, we also investigated the possible interaction between supervisor support and workload in the prediction of weekend recovery experiences and sleep quantity. A sample of 90 second-year nursing students taking part in a professional internship completed self-report questionnaires after each of their five working days during week 1 (i.e., supervisor support and workload), then at the end of the day for 2 days during the weekend (i.e., recovery experiences and sleep quantity), and finally after each of their five working days during week 2 (i.e., workplace well-being, performance, and satisfaction). Our results revealed indirect effects of supervisor support on workplace well-being and job satisfaction, as mediated by weekend recovery experiences. Workload was also associated with higher levels of sleep quantity during the weekend and had a direct negative association with the levels of satisfaction and well-being experienced during the following week. Furthermore, workload was associated with better weekend recovery experiences for participants exposed to low levels of supervisor support in week 1. Alternatively, the positive effects of supervisor support on weekend recovery experiences were attenuated as workload levels increased. Theoretical and practical implications of the present study are discussed.