The Effects of Stress Beliefs on Daily Affective Stress Responses

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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The Effects of Stress Beliefs on Daily Affective Stress Responses

Annals of Behavioral Medicine ◽

10.1093/abm/kaz046 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 258-267 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Johannes A C Laferton ◽

Susanne Fischer ◽

David D Ebert ◽

Nikola M 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

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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Effects of d-amphetamine upon psychosocial stress responses

Journal of Psychopharmacology ◽

10.1177/0269881116650388 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 608-615 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Emma Childs ◽

Anya K Bershad ◽

Harriet de Wit

Keyword(s):

Stress Responses ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Psychosocial Stress ◽

Social Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Real Life ◽

Cognitive Appraisals ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Laboratory Animals ◽

Double Blind

Psychostimulant drugs alter the salience of stimuli in both laboratory animals and humans. In animals, stimulants increase rates of responding to conditioned incentive stimuli, and in humans, amphetamine increases positive ratings of emotional images. However, the effects of stimulants on real-life emotional events have not been studied in humans. In this study, we examined the effect of d-amphetamine on responses to acute psychosocial stress using a public speaking task. Healthy volunteers ( N=56) participated in two experimental sessions, one with a psychosocial stressor (the Trier Social Stress Test) and one with a non-stressful control task. They were randomly assigned to receive d-amphetamine (5 mg n=18, 10 mg n=20) or placebo ( n=18) on both sessions under double blind conditions. Salivary cortisol, subjective mood, and vital signs were measured at regular intervals during the session. Subjects also provided cognitive appraisals of the tasks before and after their performances. Amphetamine produced its expected mood and physiological effects, and the Trier Social Stress Test produced its expected effects on cortisol and mood. Although neither dose of amphetamine altered cardiovascular or hormonal responses to stress, amphetamine (10 mg) increased participants’ pre-task appraisals of how challenging the task would be, and it increased post-task ratings of self-efficacy. Paradoxically, it also increased ratings of how stressful the task was, and prolonged aversive emotional responses. These findings suggest that amphetamine differentially affects stress response components: it may increase participants’ appraisals of self-efficacy without dampening the direct emotional or physiological responses to the stress.

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AGE DIFFERENCES IN CONCORDANCE BETWEEN LAB AND DAILY LIFE STRESS RESPONSES

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2715 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S741-S741

Author(s):

Gloria Luong ◽

Carla M Arredondo

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Positive Affect ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Life Stress ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Daily Life ◽

Age Related ◽

Affect Reactivity ◽

Interpersonal Stressors

Abstract The literature is mixed with respect to how stress reactivity changes with age. Previous studies have overlooked contexts, ignoring whether stressors occurred in the laboratory or in daily life. The Health and Daily Experiences (HEADE) study includes 126 younger and older adults who completed both laboratory stressors and ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of affect and stressor experiences in daily life. We found that the laboratory stressor elicited the greatest levels of negative affect reactivity (i.e., larger increases in negative affect) and positive affect reactivity (i.e., larger reductions in positive affect) compared to the two types of daily life stressors. Interpersonal stressors were associated with greater negative and positive affect reactivity compared to non-interpersonal stressors in daily life. Younger adults exhibited greater stress reactivity than older adults. Together, these findings support age-related reductions in stress reactivity. Implications for understanding stressor-health links are discussed.

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Exploring the autism spectrum: Moderating effects of neuroticism on stress reactivity and on the association between social context and negative affect

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s0954579420002278 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-10

Author(s):

Jeroen van Oosterhout ◽

Kim van der Linden ◽

Claudia J.P. Simons ◽

Thérèse van Amelsvoort ◽

Machteld Marcelis

Keyword(s):

Social Context ◽

Negative Affect ◽

Life Stress ◽

Social Stress ◽

Stress Reactivity ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Control Group ◽

Multilevel Regression ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adults With Asd

Abstract Neuroticism is associated with increased stress reactivity. In autism spectrum disorders (ASD), emotional stress reactivity is increased and there is some evidence for an increased negative affect (NA) when with less familiar people. The aim of this study was to compare adults with ASD and controls on levels of neuroticism and on interactions between neuroticism and appraised stress or social context in models of NA. This is a cross-sectional observational study comprising a group of 50 adults with ASD and 51 controls. Experience sampling method (ESM) reports were collected for 10 days to measure daily life stress, mood, and social context. Multilevel regression analyses revealed significantly higher neuroticism levels in ASD than in controls. Adults with ASD who scored high on neuroticism showed a significantly stronger association between activity/social stress and NA (i.e., higher stress reactivity) than those with low scores. Furthermore, the association between neuroticism and NA was stronger when adults with ASD were with less familiar people compared with being alone or with familiar people. No consistent corresponding significant interactions were found in the control group. In conclusion, in ASD, neuroticism moderates the association between appraised stress and NA as well as the association between social context and NA.

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The effects of acute psychosocial stress on executive functioning in young and older adults

10.32920/ryerson.14647257.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leen Nasser

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Social Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Age Related ◽

Effects Of Stress

It has been evidenced that, with aging, older adults exhibit increased behavioral and physiological responses to stress. Older adults also often experience declines in executive functioning performance. The acute psychological stress induced through the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) has been evidenced to negatively impact executive functioning in young adults. This relationship, however, has yet to be examined in older adults. In the current thesis, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of stress on executive functioning (Experiment 1), as well as age related differences in stress responsivity and in the effect of stress on executive functioning (Experiment 2). In Experiment 1, acute stress exhibited a negative effect on executive functioning. In Experiment 2, there were no age differences in stress responses, and a positive effect of acute stress on executive functioning in young adults only. The contradictory findings encourage further research on the effects of stress on executive functioning, and how they may differ between young and older adults.

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The effects of acute psychosocial stress on executive functioning in young and older adults

10.32920/ryerson.14647257 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Leen Nasser

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Stress Responses ◽

Social Stress ◽

Acute Stress ◽

Stress Test ◽

Trier Social Stress Test ◽

Age Related ◽

Effects Of Stress

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Psychological resilience and its relationship to life stress among Al-Bayda University students

International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare ◽

10.1108/ijhrh-04-2021-0099 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Abdullah Mohammed Al-dhuraibi ◽

Mohammed Hasan Ali Al-Abyadh

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Life Stress ◽

Social Stress ◽

Economic Stress ◽

Psychological Resilience ◽

Content Type ◽

Academic Level ◽

Resilience Scale ◽

Health Care Context ◽

High Prevalence

Purpose The phenomenon of stress is a problem for a large number of interested people and researchers, and it has even become a global phenomenon in recent times. This is due to the effect of this phenomenon on the individual's performance, efficiency and satisfaction with the work he performs. This paper aims to know the level of psychological resilience, life stress and the relationship between them among a sample of Al-Bayda University students in the health-care context in Republic of Yemen. Design/methodology/approach To achieve the study objectives, the researchers applied the psychological resilience scale, which consisted of (40) items and prepared the psychological stress scale that consisted of (41) items. Findings The findings of the study indicated that the level of psychological resilience of Al-Bayda University students is high. The findings also indicated that there are statistically significant differences in psychological resilience depending on the gender variable in favor of males and that there are no statistically indicative significant differences according to the variables of specialization, academic level and marital status. The findings showed a high prevalence of life stresses among the members of the study sample and indicated that the sources of stress among the study sample individuals were arranged as follows: academic stress, future stress, social stress, family stress and economic stress. Originality/value The findings indicated significant differences among the study sample in the stress of life according to the variable of gender in favor of males and the presence of an inverse significant relationship between the level of psychological resilience and life stress among the study sample members.

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