Negative affect as a predisposing factor for cortisol release after an acute stress—the impact of unpleasant priming

Exposure to acute stress elicit physiological and psychological responses that can impact decision-making, often expressed as an increased tendency to act in an impulsive manner following stress. Delay discounting (DD) task has emerged as a reliable measure of impulsive behavior in the form of choice impulsivity (CI). Interestingly, studies that examined the effect of acute stress on DD performance reported mixed results. To address this, we conducted a within-subject examination of the impact of acute stress on CI, focusing on individual differences in response patterns. One hundred and fifty healthy female participants completed the DD task twice, before and after undergoing an acute laboratory stress induction procedure. Saliva samples and self-report mood and affect measures were collected at four time points throughout the session. Fifty-nine matched healthy control participants completed only the DD task twice, with no stress in between. Results indicate that the acute stress procedure elicited the expected effects of increased cortisol release and increased negative mood and affect, at the group level. With respect to DD, stress indeed increased CI at the group level, yet participants differed in the magnitude and direction of this effect. Interestingly, regression analysis revealed quadratic relations between stress-induced changes in CI and cortisol release. Indeed, dividing the sample into three sub-groups based on the impact of stress on CI revealed that, compared to participants that exhibited no substantial change in their CI following stress, participants that exhibited either stress-induced increase or decrease in their CI also exhibited more stress-induced cortisol release, as well as more negative affect. Taken together, these findings suggest that elevated physiological and psychological responses to stress are associated with either increased or decreased choice impulsivity, thus depicting quadratic relations between stress and impulsivity.

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Remote W.A.R.A. Compared With Face-to-Face W.A.R.A.: A Pilot Study

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2020.620027 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Paula Weerkamp-Bartholomeus ◽

Donatella Marazziti ◽

Therese van Amelsvoort

Keyword(s):

Pilot Study ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Psychological Intervention ◽

Personal Contact ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Face To Face ◽

Remote Therapy ◽

The Impact

BackgroundSince the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and its social restriction measures, online therapy is a life-saving possibility for patients with acute stress. Wiring Affect with ReAttach (W.A.R.A.) is a brief psychological intervention aiming to decrease negative affect, that can be offered online.MethodsWe assessed the effect of remote W.A.R.A. on negative affect in 37 patients. Consequently, we compared the effect of remote W.A.R.A. versus face-to-face W.A.R.A on negative affect in a cross-sectional design.ResultsW.A.R.A. remote therapy provoked a significant reduction of negative affect with a large effect size (d = 3.08, p < 0.001). However, the reduction on negative affect was smaller than with W.A.R.A. face-to-face. We found a substantial difference between W.A.R.A. remote therapy and W.A.R.A. face-to-face in decrease of negative affect (d = 1.36, p < 0.001).LimitationsThe major limitation of the pilot-study is the sample size of 37 patients. Besides, we designed a numeric rating scale for evaluating negative affect. We investigated the impact on negative affect by assessing “unpleasant feelings.” This conceptualization of negative affect might still be a point of discussion.ConclusionThe study’s findings indicated that W.A.R.A. remote therapy significantly reduced negative affect, but to a lesser extent than W.A.R.A. face-to-face. Nevertheless, W.A.R.A. remote therapy might offer a fast relief, especially when personal contact is difficult.

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The impact of acute stress on the neural processing of food cues in bulimia nervosa: Replication in two samples.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology ◽

10.1037/abn0000242 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 126 (5) ◽

pp. 540-551 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Brittany Collins ◽

Lauren Breithaupt ◽

Jennifer E. McDowell ◽

L. Stephen Miller ◽

James Thompson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bulimia Nervosa ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Neural Processing ◽

Food Cues ◽

Two Samples ◽

The Impact

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EFFECT OF ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES ON DAILY SUPPORT TO FAMILY AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN ADULTHOOD

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.874 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S235-S235

Author(s):

Jooyoung Kong ◽

Yin Liu ◽

David Almeida

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Family Relationships ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Adverse Childhood Experiences ◽

Family Members ◽

Well Being ◽

National Study ◽

Childhood Experiences ◽

Adverse Childhood ◽

The Impact

Abstract Extensive evidence suggests that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can lead to negative health effects across a lifetime. This study examines the impact of ACEs on the frequency of providing daily support (i.e., unpaid assistance, emotional support, and disability-related assistance) to family members and the moderating effects of ACEs in the association between providing daily support to family and daily negative affect. Using the National Study of Daily Experiences II, we analyzed a total of 14,912 daily interviews from 2,022 respondents aged 56 on average. Key results showed that a greater number of ACEs were associated with providing more frequent emotional support to family. We also found the significant interaction effect that adults with more ACEs showed greater negative affect on the days when they provided assistance to family members with disabilities. The findings underscore the long-term negative impact of ACEs on daily well-being in the context of family relationships.

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Positive and Negative Affect Changes during Gender-Affirming Hormonal Treatment: Results from the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI)

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10020296 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 296

Author(s):

Imke Matthys ◽

Justine Defreyne ◽

Els Elaut ◽

Alessandra Daphne Fisher ◽

Baudewijntje P. C. Kreukels ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Sex Steroids ◽

Hormonal Treatment ◽

Control Group ◽

First Year ◽

Positive And Negative Affect ◽

European Network ◽

Psychological Burden ◽

The Impact

Improving transgender people’s quality of life (QoL) is the most important goal of gender-affirming care. Prospective changes in affect can influence QoL. We aim to assess the impact of initiating gender-affirming hormonal treatment (HT) on affect. In the European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence (ENIGI) study, we prospectively collected data of 873 participants (451 transwomen (TW) and 422 transmen (TM)). At baseline, psychological questionnaires including the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were administered. The PANAS, levels of sex steroids and physical changes were registered at each follow-up visit during a 3-year follow-up period, starting at the initiation of hormonal therapy. Data were analyzed cross-sectionally and prospectively. Over the first three months, we observed a decline in positive affect (PA) in both TM and TW. Thereafter, PA reached a steady state in TW, whereas in TM there was also a second decline at 18 months. In both TM and TW there was no persisting difference comparing baseline to the 36-months results. Concerning negative affect (NA), we observed a decline during the first year in TM, which sustained during the second year and was not different anymore at 36 months compared to baseline. In TW though, we did not find any change of NA during the entire follow-up. Even if some of these results show significant differences, they should be considered with caution, since there was no control group and the absolute differences are small. No association between affect and the level of sex steroids was observed. Baseline QoL and psychological burden are related to affect independently from gender but are not necessarily good predictors of the evolution of one’s affect during the gender-affirming process. Further research is necessary to investigate these preliminary results.

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Loving Others: The Impact of Compassionate Love on Later-Life Psychological Well-Being

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1554 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 480-481

Author(s):

Eva Kahana ◽

Tirth Bhatta ◽

Boaz Kahana ◽

Nirmala Lekhak

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Emotional Support ◽

Later Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Compassionate Love ◽

The Impact

Abstract Existing scholarship in social gerontology has surprisingly paid little attention to broader loving emotions, such as compassionate and altruistic love, as potentially meaningful mechanisms for improving later life psychological well-being. This study examined the influence of feeling love toward other persons and experiencing love from others on later life psychological well-being. We conducted a 3-wave longitudinal study of a representative sample of 340 ethnically heterogeneous community dwelling older residents of Miami, Florida. The increase in feeling of being loved (β=-1.53, p<0.001) and love for others (β=-1.43, p<0.001) led to decline in odds of reporting greater level of depressive symptoms over time. The odds of reporting higher level of positive affect were significantly greater for older adults who reported feeling loved by others (β=1.16, p<0.001) and expressed love for other people (β=1.18, p<0.01). Older adults who felt loved had 0.92-point lower ordered log odds of reporting higher negative affect than those who reported lower level of love. The impact of compassionate love on depressive symptoms and negative affect remained statistically significant even after adjustment for altruistic attitudes and emotional support. The influence of loving emotions on positive affect was, however, explained by altruistic attitudes and emotional support. Our findings underscore the powerful influence of both receiving and giving love for the maintenance of later life psychological well-being. We offer support for the expectation that love is a significant force in the lives of older adults that transcends intimate relationships.

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The impact of acute stress on cognitive functioning: a matter of cognitive demands?

Cognitive Neuropsychiatry ◽

10.1080/13546805.2016.1261014 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

pp. 69-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Thomas Plieger ◽

Andrea Felten ◽

Elena Diks ◽

Jessica Tepel ◽

Melanie Mies ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Cognitive Demands ◽

The Impact

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The Power of Followers That do not Follow: Investigating the Effects of Follower Resistance, Leader Implicit Followership Theories and Leader Negative Affect on the Emergence of Destructive Leader Behavior

Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies ◽

10.1177/15480518211012408 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 154805182110124

Author(s):

Amelie V. Güntner ◽

Kai N. Klasmeier ◽

Florian E. Klonek ◽

Simone Kauffeld

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Leader Behavior ◽

Destructive Leadership ◽

Causal Inferences ◽

Within Subjects ◽

The Impact ◽

Analytical Approaches ◽

The Relationship ◽

Implicit Followership Theories ◽

Theory X

This study focuses on follower resistance as a potential antecedent of destructive leader behavior and examines leader-related moderators and mediators to help explain the relationship between follower resistance and destructive leader behavior. Drawing from implicit followership theories, we propose that the relationship between follower resistance and destructive leader behavior is moderated by leaders’ Theory X schema. Furthermore, we build on affective events theory to hypothesize that follower resistance increases destructive leader behavior via leaders’ negative affect. We tested our hypotheses in a within-subjects online field experiment. Our study findings demonstrate that follower resistance increases destructive leader behavior and that this relationship is mediated through leaders’ negative affect and moderated by leaders’ Theory X schema. We discuss theoretical implications regarding the impact of (resistant) follower behavior on destructive leadership and offer methodological advances in terms of research design and analytical approaches to deal with endogeneity issues and derive causal inferences. Lastly, we derive practical implications for utilizing follower resistance.

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The Impact of Pathological Narcissism on Affect Following Social Rejection

Journal of Personality Disorders ◽

10.1521/pedi.2021.35.5.691 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 35 (5) ◽

pp. 691-707

Author(s):

Scott Sasso ◽

Nicole M. Cain ◽

Kevin B. Meehan ◽

Ruifan Zeng ◽

Philip S. Wong

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Social Rejection ◽

Affective Responses ◽

Pathological Narcissism ◽

State Anger ◽

Narcissistic Vulnerability ◽

Interpersonal Difficulties ◽

Amazon's Mechanical Turk ◽

The Impact

Previous research has shown that narcissism is associated with interpersonal difficulties and maladaptive affective responses to social rejection. In the current studies, the authors examined two phenotypes of pathological narcissism, narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability, and their impact on individuals' affective responses in two distinctive social rejection paradigms. Participants from Study 1 (N = 239), recruited from a multicultural university and Amazon's Mechanical Turk, completed Cyberball, a computerized social rejection paradigm. Participants from Study 2 (N = 238) were recruited from a multicultural university and participated in an in vivo group rejection paradigm in a laboratory. Results indicated that following the rejection in both studies, narcissistic vulnerability positively predicted explicit negative affect and state anger. In addition, the positive relationship between narcissistic vulnerability and explicit negative affect was moderated by greater implicit negative affect in Study 2. The implications and limitations of these findings are discussed.

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Resistance to Influence

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199859870.013.23 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Brad J. Sagarin ◽

Mary Lynn Miller Henningsen

Keyword(s):

Negative Affect ◽

Social Influence ◽

Social Engineering ◽

Third Party ◽

Mechanisms Of Resistance ◽

Potential Source ◽

Stealing Thunder ◽

Manipulative Intent ◽

The Impact ◽

Parasite Defense

This chapter reviews research on resistance to influence, active or passive processes that reduce the impact of a potential source of social influence. This chapter begins with a discussion of the antecedents of resistance: characteristics of the influence target (strong attitudes, demographics, and personality), perceived aspects of the influence attempt (manipulative intent, threats to freedoms), or counterinfluence messages from a third party (forewarning, inoculation, stealing thunder, the poison parasite defense, resistance to social engineering) that motivate resistance. The chapter proceeds to a discussion of internal mechanisms of resistance (counterarguing, bolstering initial attitudes, derogating the source, attributing negative affect to the message or source, attempting to correct for bias) and external mechanisms of resistance (interpersonal strategies of communicating resistance and issuing refusals) and concludes with a discussion of the consequences of resistance for attitudes and relationships.

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