IS THE EPIGENETIC MACHINERY INVOLVED IN MEDIATING THE EFFECTS OF STRESS AND CHILDHOOD TRAUMA ON NEGATIVE AFFECT AND PSYCHOSIS?

Abstract Background Negative beliefs about the effects of stress have been associated with poorer health and increased mortality. However, evidence on the psychological mechanisms linking stress beliefs to health is scarce, especially regarding real-life stress. Purpose The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of stress beliefs on affect in the daily stress process in a population prone to health-impairing effects of stress: university students. Methods Using daily diaries, 98 university students reported on daily perceived social and work-related stressors as well as positive and negative affect for 10 consecutive days. Stress beliefs, depressive and anxiety symptoms, neuroticism, and demographic variables were assessed prior to the daily diary phase. Results Hierarchical linear models revealed a significant cross-level interaction between negative stress beliefs and the association of daily social stressors with negative affect (B = 0.24; 99% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08–0.41, p < .001). When experiencing social stress, participants who held high negative stress beliefs had higher daily negative affect (simple slope = 4.09; p < .001); however, for participants who held low negative stress beliefs the association between daily social stress and daily negative affect was considerably smaller (simple slope = 2.12; p < .001). Moreover, individuals believing stress to be controllable showed higher positive affect throughout the 10-day daily diary phase. Conclusions Negative stress beliefs were found to moderate the affective response to daily real-life stressors. Given the established relationship between affect and health, this study provides initial evidence of psychological mechanisms linking stress beliefs to health.

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Mediating Factors between Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Eating Disorders Development: A Systematic Review

Children ◽

10.3390/children8020114 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 114

Author(s):

María F. Rabito-Alcón ◽

José I. Baile ◽

Johan Vanderlinden

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Eating Disorders ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Self Regulation ◽

Traumatic Experiences ◽

Exclusion Criteria ◽

Mediating Factors ◽

General Distress ◽

Severe Psychopathology

Background: Many people with eating disorders often report having suffered some kind of childhood trauma. For this reason, many studies have attempted to explore the mediating factors between traumatic experiences and the development of eating disorders. The aim of our study is to conduct a systematic review of published works on the mediating factors between childhood trauma and the development of eating disorders. Method: This review was carried out up to 5 December, 2020, using the databases PsycInfo and PubMed, combining the keywords, and applying a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: A total of 18 articles were retrieved. After the articles were analyzed, a set of mediating factors between childhood trauma and the development of eating disorders was established, including pathological dissociation, difficulty with emotion self-regulation, body dissatisfaction, negative affect/depression, anxiety, general distress, self-criticism, and alexithymia, among others. Conclusions: In addition to evaluating trauma in eating disorders, these results highlight the importance of paying special attention to the presence of various possible mediating factors, which must be taken into account in the planning of therapeutic treatment. Identifying symptoms of trauma or eating disorders early on could prevent onset of more severe psychopathology during adulthood.

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Psychological processes underlying the association between childhood trauma and psychosis in daily life: an experience sampling study

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s003329171600146x ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 46 (13) ◽

pp. 2799-2813 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

U. Reininghaus ◽

C. Gayer-Anderson ◽

L. Valmaggia ◽

M. J. Kempton ◽

M. Calem ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexual Abuse ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Environmental Stress ◽

Childhood Abuse ◽

Childhood Trauma ◽

Daily Life ◽

Experience Sampling ◽

First Episode ◽

Psychological Processes ◽

Psychotic Experiences

BackgroundEvidence has accumulated that implicates childhood trauma in the aetiology of psychosis, but our understanding of the putative psychological processes and mechanisms through which childhood trauma impacts on individuals and contributes to the development of psychosis remains limited. We aimed to investigate whether stress sensitivity and threat anticipation underlie the association between childhood abuse and psychosis.MethodWe used the Experience Sampling Method to measure stress, threat anticipation, negative affect, and psychotic experiences in 50 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, 44 At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) participants, and 52 controls. Childhood abuse was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire.ResultsAssociations of minor socio-environmental stress in daily life with negative affect and psychotic experiences were modified by sexual abuse and group (all pFWE < 0.05). While there was strong evidence that these associations were greater in FEP exposed to high levels of sexual abuse, and some evidence of greater associations in ARMS exposed to high levels of sexual abuse, controls exposed to high levels of sexual abuse were more resilient and reported less intense negative emotional reactions to socio-environmental stress. A similar pattern was evident for threat anticipation.ConclusionsElevated sensitivity and lack of resilience to socio-environmental stress and enhanced threat anticipation in daily life may be important psychological processes underlying the association between childhood sexual abuse and psychosis.

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The Effects of Stress Beliefs on Daily Affective Stress Responses

10.31234/osf.io/hb8y6 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Johannes Andreas Christoph Laferton ◽

Susanne Fischer ◽

David Daniel Ebert ◽

Nikola Stenzel ◽

Johannes Zimmermann

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

University Students ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Life Stress ◽

Social Stress ◽

Real Life ◽

Daily Diary ◽

Psychological Mechanisms ◽

Simple Slope ◽

Effects Of Stress

Background: Negative beliefs about the effects of stress have been associated with poorer health and increased mortality. However, evidence on the psychological mechanisms linking stress beliefs to health is scarce, especially regarding real-life stress. Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of stress beliefs on affect in the daily stress process in a population prone to health-impairing effects of stress: university students. Methods: Using daily diaries, 98 university students reported on daily perceived social and work-related stressors as well as positive and negative affect for ten consecutive days. Stress beliefs, depressive and anxiety symptoms, neuroticism and demographic variables were assessed prior to the daily diary phase. Results: Hierarchical linear models revealed a significant cross-level interaction between negative stress beliefs and the association of daily social stressors with negative affect (B= 0.24; 99%-CI= 0.08 to 0.41, p < .001). When experiencing social stress, participants who held high negative stress beliefs had higher daily negative affect (simple slope = 4.09; p < .001); however, for participants who held low negative stress beliefs the association between daily social stress and daily negative affect was considerably smaller (simple slope = 2.12; p < .001). Moreover, individuals believing stress to be controllable showed higher positive affect throughout the ten-day daily diary phase. Conclusions: Negative stress beliefs were found to moderate the affective response to daily real-life stressors. Given the established relationship between affect and health, this study provides initial evidence of psychological mechanisms linking stress beliefs to health.

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COVID-19 and Eating Problems in Daily Life: the Mediating Roles of Stress, Negative Affect and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms

10.21203/rs.3.rs-145764/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ruike SHENG ◽

Xiujie YANG ◽

Xiaoyan LIU ◽

Wei XU

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Posttraumatic Stress ◽

Daily Life ◽

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms ◽

Eating Problems ◽

Mediating Effects ◽

Perceived Severity ◽

Stress Symptoms ◽

Effects Of Stress ◽

Ecological Momentary

Abstract BackgroundThe 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic poses a challenge to individuals' mental health. Increased stress, negative affect (NA), and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) that are being experienced globally may lead to eating problems. The purpose of this study was to explore the impacts of the perceived severity of COVID-19 on eating problems as well as the mediating effects of stress/NA/PTSS both at the within-person level and between-person level. MethodsDuring the COVID-19 outbreak, a total of 108 college students were recruited to report their perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, NA, PTSS, and eating problems 3 times a day for 7 consecutive days using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). Results: State perceived severity of COVID-19 predicted fewer subsequent eating problems in daily life at the within-person level. Both state NA and PTSS were positively associated with eating problems in daily life. At the between-person level, trait-like perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, NA, and PTSS were positively associated with overall eating problems. There were no mediating effects of stress/ NA /PTSS on the relations between perceived severity of COVID-19 and eating problems at the within-person/between-person level. ConclusionsThe perceived severity of COVID-19, stress, NA, and PTSS might increase the risk of eating problems.

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Childhood trauma and dissociation in women with pseudoseizure-type conversion disorder

Nordic Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1080/08039480903029728 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adnan Ozcetin ◽

Hasan Belli ◽

Umit Ertem ◽

Talat Bahcebasi ◽

Ahmet Ataoglu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Childhood Trauma ◽

Conversion Disorder ◽

Type Conversion

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Measures of RSA Suppression, Attentional Control, and Negative Affect Predict Self-Ratings of Executive Functions

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000053 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 164-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Brian Healy ◽

Aaron Treadwell ◽

Mandy Reagan

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Regression Analysis ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Attentional Control ◽

Executive Processes ◽

Sinus Arrhythmia ◽

Low Levels

The current study was an attempt to determine the degree to which the suppression of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and attentional control were influential in the ability to engage various executive processes under high and low levels of negative affect. Ninety-four college students completed the Stroop Test while heart rate was being recorded. Estimates of the suppression of RSA were calculated from each participant in response to this test. The participants then completed self-ratings of attentional control, negative affect, and executive functioning. Regression analysis indicated that individual differences in estimates of the suppression of RSA, and ratings of attentional control were associated with the ability to employ executive processes but only when self-ratings of negative affect were low. An increase in negative affect compromised the ability to employ these strategies in the majority of participants. The data also suggest that high attentional control in conjunction with attenuated estimates of RSA suppression may increase the ability to use executive processes as negative affect increases.

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The Blank in the Mind Questionnaire (BIMQ)

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.25.2.115 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 115-122 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Despina Moraitou ◽

Anastasia Efklides

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Factor Model ◽

Self Report ◽

Younger Adults ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Memory Failure ◽

Temporary Memory ◽

The Mind ◽

Lack Of Knowledge

Metacognitive awareness of memory failure may take the form of the “blank in the mind” (BIM) experience. The BIM experience informs the person of a temporary memory failure and takes the form of a disruption in the flow of consciousness, of a moment of no content in awareness. The aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Blank in the Mind Questionnaire (BIMQ) designed to tap the BIM experience and differentiate it from other memory-related experiences, such as searching but not having in memory a piece of information (i.e., lack of knowledge). The participants (N = 493) were 249 younger adults (18–30 years old) and 244 older adults (63–89 years old) of both genders. Confirmatory factor analysis applied to the BIMQ confirmed a three-factor model with interrelations between the factors. The first factor represented the experience of lack of knowledge, the second represented the experience of BIM, and the third the person’s negative affective reactions to memory failure. The internal consistency of the three factors ranged from Cronbach’s α = .80 to .88. Convergent validity was shown with correlations of the BIMQ factors with self-report measures of cognitive and memory failures, and to the negative-affect subscale of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).

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The Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of Positive and Negative Affect

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000252 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 32 (4) ◽

pp. 265-272 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Mohsen Joshanloo ◽

Ali Bakhshi

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Measurement Invariance ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Factor Model ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

Cultural Groups ◽

Invariance Testing ◽

The Usa ◽

Scalar Invariance ◽

Gender Groups

Abstract. This study investigated the factor structure and measurement invariance of the Mroczek and Kolarz’s scales of positive and negative affect in Iran (N = 2,391) and the USA (N = 2,154), and across gender groups. The two-factor model of affect was supported across the groups. The results of measurement invariance testing confirmed full metric and partial scalar invariance of the scales across cultural groups, and full metric and full scalar invariance across gender groups. The results of latent mean analysis revealed that Iranians scored lower on positive affect and higher on negative affect than Americans. The analyses also showed that American men scored significantly lower than American women on negative affect. The significance and implications of the results are discussed.

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