scholarly journals Now or Later? Stress-Induced Increase and Decrease in Choice Impulsivity Are Both Associated with Elevated Affective and Endocrine Responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 1148
Author(s):  
Lisa Simon ◽  
Talita Jiryis ◽  
Roee Admon
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stress ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychological Responses ◽  
Response Patterns ◽  
Impulsive Behavior ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cortisol Release ◽  
The Impact

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.

scholarly journals Effects of Open-Label Placebos on State Anxiety and Glucocorticoid Stress Responses

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 508
Author(s):  
Michael Schaefer ◽  
Julian Hellmann-Regen ◽  
Sören Enge
Keyword(s):  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Relaxation Techniques ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cortisol Responses ◽  
Negative Feelings

Stress belongs to the most frequent negative feelings people are confronted with in daily life. Strategies against acute stress include, e.g., relaxation techniques or medications, but it is also known that placebos can successfully reduce negative emotional stress. While it is widely held that placebos require deception to provoke a response, recent studies demonstrate intriguing evidence that placebos may work even without concealment (e.g., against anxiety or pain). Most of these studies are based on self-report questionnaires and do not include physiological measures. Here we report results of a study examining whether placebos without deception reduce acute stress. A total of 53 healthy individuals received either placebos without deception or no pills before participating in a laboratory stress test (Maastricht Acute Stress Test, MAST). We recorded self-report stress measures and cortisol responses before and after the MAST. Results showed no significant differences between the placebo and the control group, but when comparing participants with high relative to low beliefs in the power of placebos we found significant lower anxiety and cortisol responses for the placebo believers. These results show that non-deceptive placebos may successfully reduce acute anxiety and stress, but only in participants who had a strong belief in placebos. We discuss the results by suggesting that open-label placebos might be a possible treatment to reduce stress at least for some individuals.

Evaluation of a Cardiovascular Health Program for Participants with Mental Retardation and Normal Learners

2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Ewing ◽  
Suzanne McDermott ◽  
Marlo Thomas-Koger ◽  
Wendy Whitner ◽  
Kristen Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Mental Retardation ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Cardiovascular Health ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease Risk ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Individuals With Mental Retardation

An evaluation was conducted to compare the impact of an 8-week cardiovascular disease risk reduction group teaching program for 92 individuals with mental retardation (MR; IQ less than 70) and 97 normal learners. The curriculum emphasized exercise, nutritional choices, and stress reduction. Body Mass Index (BMI; weight in kilograms, divided by height in meters, squared), knowledge of healthy eating choices, self-report of fruit and vegetable intake, and exercise were measured before and after the intervention. The mean BMI decreased by .89 for normal learners and not at all for the group with MR. However, BMI decreased by at least .75 units (or approximately 5 pounds) for 18.5% of individuals with MR and 44.3% of normal learners.

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

Stress ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. C. F. Mendonça-de-Souza ◽  
G. G. L. Souza ◽  
A. Vieira ◽  
N. L. Fischer ◽  
W. F. Souza ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Predisposing Factor ◽  
Cortisol Release ◽  
The Impact

Mindfulness for Psychosis Groups; Within-Session Effects on Stress and Symptom-Related Distress in Routine Community Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (4) ◽  
pp. 421-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Jacobsen ◽  
Matthew Richardson ◽  
Emma Harding ◽  
Paul Chadwick
Keyword(s):  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Community Setting ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Psychotic Experience ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
General Stress ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact

Background: There is an emerging evidence base that mindfulness for psychosis is a safe and effective intervention. However, empirical data on the within-session effects of mindfulness meditation was hitherto lacking. Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the impact of taking part in a mindfulness for psychosis group, using a within-session self-report measure of general stress, and symptom-related distress. Method: Users of a secondary mental health service (n = 34), who experienced enduring psychotic symptoms, took part in an 8-week mindfulness for psychosis group in a community setting. Mindfulness meditations were limited to 10 minutes and included explicit reference to psychotic experience arising during the practice. Participants self-rated general stress, and symptom-related distress, before and after each group session using a visual analogue scale. Results: Average ratings of general stress and symptom-related distress decreased from pre- to post-session for all eight sessions, although not all differences were statistically significant. There was no increase in general stress, or symptom-related distress across any session. Conclusions: There was evidence of positive effects and no evidence of any harmful effects arising from people with psychotic symptoms taking part in a mindfulness for psychosis session.

scholarly journals Does Sexism Affect Thai Women's Psychological and Behavioural Responses? The Stereotype Threat-Buffering Effect of Mindfulness

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prapimpa Jarunratanakul ◽  
Kamonkan Jinchang
Keyword(s):  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Career Aspirations ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Psychological Responses ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Female Employees ◽  
The Impact

Few studies have examined the linkage of perceived sexism with stereotype threat and psychological responses in a work setting and moderators that may buffer this negative effect. In Study 1, the relationships among perceived sexism, stereotype threat, and psychological responses were explored among Thai female employees (N = 296) in a self-report questionnaire study. The aim of Study 2 was to investigate whether mindfulness can mitigate the disastrous effect of sexism on performance, using an experimental design. In Study 1, the standard error of measurement (SEM) results observed a partial mediation effect of stereotype threat for the sexism-disidentification relationship, and sexism only had a significant direct effect on career aspirations. In Study 2, the interaction effect of sexism × mindfulness on the female participants’ reasoning test scores was significant, indicating that those with mindfulness practice performed better when being exposed to sexist behaviours. The current research provides additional information on understanding the impact of sexism on disengagement and decreased career aspirations among Thai female employees in male-dominated industries. In practice, Thai organisations should be concerned about the impact of sexism on disengagement and the protective factor of performance decrements by encouraging anti-sexist norms and fostering the cultivation of mindfulness through practice.

scholarly journals Measuring Stress in Young Children Using Hair Cortisol: The State of the Science

2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 499-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randi Bates ◽  
Pamela Salsberry ◽  
Jodi Ford
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Hair Cortisol ◽  
The Impact

Extensive literature suggests that adverse experiences in early childhood may deleteriously impact later health. These effects are thought to be related to the impact of persistent or chronic stress on various biological processes, mediated by dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, and ultimately irregularities in cortisol levels. Ameliorating persistent stress in young children requires accurately measuring the chronicity of physiologic stress, which is difficult in young children because of unreliable self-report and the burden and inaccuracy associated with using invasive acute-stress biomeasures. A better way to approximate persistent stress in young children is measuring hair cortisol concentration (HCC), as it only requires one noninvasive collection to measure months of HPA-axis activity or experienced stress. However, few studies measure HCC in young children despite wide use in adult stress research. This article reviews and synthesizes research that uses HCC to approximate persistent stress in healthy children, 12–60 months of age. Reviewed studies indicate that HCC is elevated in young children who are experiencing forms of persistent stress such as low socioeconomic status and maternal distress. Hair cortisol is thus a promising measure of early childhood persistent stress, but due to the limited use of HCC in this population, much research is still needed. Specifically, nurse researchers may need to measure several factors associated with early childhood persistent stress and HCC to identify which children are at risk for stress-related disease.

scholarly journals Decision Making Within and Outside Standard Operating Procedures: Paradoxical Use of Operational Discretion in Firefighters

2021 ◽  
pp. 001872082110418
Author(s):  
Philip C. Butler ◽  
Andy Bowers ◽  
Andrew P. Smith ◽  
Sabrina R. Cohen-Hatton ◽  
Robert C. Honey
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Standard Operating Procedures ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Standard Operating ◽  
Personal Resilience ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Operational Guidance

Objective To understand how firefighters’ use of rules (i.e., standard operating procedures [SOPs]) and deliberative decision making (i.e., operational discretion [OD]) interacts with acute stress. Background Current operational guidance for UK firefighters combines the provision of SOPs, for routine incidents, with the use of OD, under prescribed conditions (e.g., when there is a risk to human life). However, our understanding of the use of SOPs and OD is limited. Methods Incident commanders (ICs; n = 43) responded to simulated emergency incidents, which either licensed the use of OD or required use of a SOP. Video footage of IC behavior was used to code their response as involving a SOP or OD, while levels of acute stress were assessed using a blood-based measure and self-report. Results ICs were less likely to use OD selectively in the simulated emergency incident that licensed its use than in the one for which use of an SOP was appropriate; IC command level did not affect this pattern of results; and the incident that licensed OD resulted in more acute stress than the incident that required use of a SOP. Conclusion SOPs and OD were not used in the manner prescribed by current operational guidance in simulated emergency incidents. Application These results suggest that firefighter training in SOPs and OD should be augmented alongside personal resilience training, given the impact of stress on health and wellbeing, but also to improve the deployment of SOPs and OD under stress.

scholarly journals Using deliberate mistakes to heighten student attention

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 193-212
Author(s):  
Abey Philip ◽  
◽  
Dawn Bennett ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Business Students ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Active Listening ◽  
Learning Gain ◽  
Attention Span ◽  
Simple Strategy ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Student Attention

Attracting and retaining students’ attention is a concern for educators at every level of education, including those in higher education. Despite compelling evidence that student-centred pedagogies enhance attention, motivation and learning gain, exposition-centred delivery in forms such as lectures persists across higher education. Contemporary research on student attention suggests that student concentration in class begins to wane within 10 minutes; that neither tutorials or lectures tend to engage students effectively; and that the optimum length of a lecture is as little as 30 minutes. Where previous studies of student attention have focussed on the impacts of active listening, flipped classrooms and authentic assessment, the exploratory study reported here sought to determine the impact of a “deliberate mistake strategy” (DMS). The study engaged 103 undergraduate business students who self-assessed their attention span before and after a DMS was employed within their semester-long unit. Analysis of the students’ self-report involved paired sample t-tests and revealed that students’ attention span had increased significantly as the result of their engagement in DMS; there were no significant gendered differences. Cohen’s d revealed a large effect size with students reporting that DMS had helped them to increase their perceived attention span when in class. Amid continued debate about how to engage students and growing realisation that multiple approaches are needed, the findings suggests that the use of a simple strategy such as DMS merits further attention.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Impact of the PABBS Suicide Bereavement Training on Clinicians' Knowledge and Skills

Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 351-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon McDonnell ◽  
Pauline A. Nelson ◽  
Sarah Leonard ◽  
Barry McGale ◽  
Carolyn A. Chew-Graham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Perceived Effectiveness ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Suicide Bereavement ◽  
Effectiveness Of Training ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Background: Health-care professionals do not routinely receive training on how best to support parents bereaved by suicide. Evidence-based training – Postvention Assisting Those Bereaved by Suicide (PABBS) – was designed to address this gap. Aims: The study aimed (a) to pilot PABBS training and evaluate its perceived effectiveness (impact on self-reported knowledge, skills and confidence) in managing suicide bereavement; and (b) to explore training acceptability. Method: A pre- and postevaluation design was used. Professionals attended intensive, structured 1-day PABBS training comprising: didactic/interactive teaching; practice-orientated activities supported with real-life materials and a manual/workbook. Evaluation forms completed immediately before and after training analyzed: (a) self-reported changes in knowledge, skills, and confidence (perceived effectiveness of training); and (b) the acceptability of training. Results: In total, 62 professionals completed training. Perceived knowledge, skills, and confidence improved after training as did self-reported understanding, motivation to learn more, and intention to change practice. Training was highly rated, particularly the evidence-based, real-life materials, with some suggestions for improvement. Limitations: Self-selected sample and reliance on self-report measures are the study's limitations. Conclusion: PABBS training may help address gaps in professionals' capacity to support parents bereaved by suicide. The evidence-based content was highly acceptable and appeared to be a key ingredient in effecting self-reported changes in attitudes/intentions.

scholarly journals Effects of Mindfulness Training Program on the Impulsivity Among Students with Learning Disabilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 190
Author(s):  
Turki Mahdi Alqarni ◽  
Mohammad Ahmed Hammad
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Impulsive Behavior ◽  
Students With Learning Disabilities ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Mindfulness Practices ◽  
The Impact

In recent years, many studies showed positive effects of implementing mindfulness practices according to some cognitive and psychical well-being measurements among many participants; especially, adolescents and adults. Few studies appeared on the effectiveness of mindfulness practices for students with learning disabilities. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the effectiveness of mindfulness training programs on the impulsivity levels for participants with learning disabilities in inclusive elementary schools in Saudi Arabia. Thirty participating children with learning disabilities were divided randomly into two equivalent groups (experimental and control groups). Pre-and post-assessment using the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11, Patton et al., 1995) were completed before and after the end of mindfulness sessions scheduled for ten weeks. Results indicated that the experimental group of children with learning disabilities significantly reduced their impulsivity in all impulsivity scale domains on the BIS-11. The authors discussed the impact of mindfulness intervention in reducing the impulsive behavior of students with learning disabilities. Finally, implications and recommendations were also noted in this study.   Received: 30 March 2021 / Accepted: 5 June 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

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