Exhausted due to the pandemic: Validation of Coronavirus Stress Measure and COVID-19 Burnout Scale in a Polish sample

This study validated Polish versions of the Coronavirus Stress Measure (CSM) and the COVID-19 Burnout Scale (COVID-19-BS) to measure stress and burnout associated with COVID-19. Participants were 431 Polish young adults (72.6% female; Meanage = 26.61 ± 12.63). Confirmatory factor analysis verified a one-factor solution for both the CSM and the COVID-19-BS. Both scales had high internal consistency reliability. Coronavirus stress and COVID-19 burnout were positively related to depression, anxiety, and stress and negatively related to resilience. The coronavirus stress and COVID-19 burnout were correlated with elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress over and beyond resilience, age, and gender. Findings suggest that the Polish versions of the CSM and the COVID-19-BS are valid scales to measure stress and burnout related to COVID-19. Findings also demonstrated that the coronavirus stress and COVID-19 burnout experienced during the later stages of the pandemic might be a permanent risk factor for mental health problems.

Acculturative Stress and the Effects on Health and Health Behaviors in Hispanic Immigrants: A Systematic Review

The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate previously published literature that examined the impact of acculturative stress on health in Spanish-speaking populations. The database search yielded a final count of 32 eligible articles for inclusion in this review. Age, acculturative stress measure, and study results were analyzed. Overall, 81.2% of studies investigated the impacts of acculturative stress on mental health with the majority concluding that increased acculturative stress had a significant relationship with greater mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and psychological stress. Other studies in this review examined impacts on physical health and health behaviors, but yielded inconclusive results indicating that these are areas for future research.

Multiple dimensions of stress vs. genetic effects on depression

Many psychiatric disorders including depression involve complex interactions of genetics and environmental stressors. Environmental influence is challenging to measure objectively and account for in genetic studies because the necessary large population samples in these studies involve individuals with varying cultures and life experiences, clouding genetic findings. In a unique population with relative sociocultural homogeneity and a narrower range of types of stress experiences, we quantitatively assessed multiple stress dimensions and measured their potential influence in biasing the heritability estimate of depression. We quantified depressive symptoms, major lifetime stressors, current perceived stress, and a culturally specific community stress measure in individuals with depression-related diagnoses and community controls in Old Order Amish and Mennonite populations. Results showed that lifetime stressors measured by lifetime stressor inventory (R2 = 0.06, p = 2 × 10−5) and current stress measured by Perceived Stress Scale (R2 = 0.13, p < 1 × 10−6) were both associated with current depressive symptoms quantified by Beck Depression Inventory in community controls, but current stress was the only measure associated with current depressive symptoms in individuals with a depression diagnosis, and to a greater degree (R2 = 0.41, p < 1 × 10−6). A novel, culturally specific community stress measure demonstrated internal reliability and was associated with current stress but was not significantly related to depression. Heritability (h2) for depression diagnosis (0.46 ± 0.14) and quantitative depression severity as measured by Beck Depression Inventory (0.45 ± 0.12) were significant, but h2 for depression diagnosis decreased to 0.25 ± 0.14 once stressors were accounted for in the model. This quantifies and demonstrates the importance of accounting for environmental influence in reducing phenotypic heterogeneity of depression and improving the power and replicability of genetic association findings that can be better translated to patient groups.

ADAPTIVE RESOURCES OF SUBJECTS WITH DIFFERENT STRATEGIES FOR CHOOSING A WAY OF LIFE IN A STRESS SITUATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES

Background. The modern world is characterized by instability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Therefore, a successful development of an organization requires organizational changes, which provoke the necessity of adaptation for people working in this organization. The study of specific adaptive resources revealed the benefits of a differentiated approach to personnel undergoing organizational changes. The differentiation of the sample depending on the strategies for choosing a way of life is justified. Aim. The paper aims to study the specifics of adaptive resources in the context of organizational changes and the features of experiencing stress, tolerance to uncertainty and resilience. Materials and methods. The study involved 208 employees of a large industrial enterprise in Chelyabinsk (of which 135 females and 73 males). The following methods were used during the study: typology for a personal choice of a way of life by V. Gryazeva-Dobshinskaya, A.S. Maltseva; the Psychological Stress Measure (PSM) by L. Lemyrr, R. Tessier, L. Fillion (adapted by N.E. Vodopyanova); the Hardiness test by S. Maddi (adapted by D. A. Leontiev, E. V. Rasskazova); the tolerance to uncertainty scale adapted by E.G. Lukovitskaya. For statistical processing, discriminant and factor analysis were used. Results. General (nonspecific) adaptive resources were revealed: in all subjects regardless of their strategies for choosing a way of life, an inverse correlation was found between stress exposure and resilience as stress resistance resources. Specific adaptive resources were identified: subjects of a hedonistic type had a positive attitude towards new, diverse situations in life and were characterized by a preference for uncertainty; subjects of a value-oriented type were characterized by an arbitrary level of attitude to uncertain and complex situations; creative subjects demonstrated a set of properties, including “challenge” and all the components of “uncertainty tolerance”.

Performance pay and low-grade stress: An experimental study

BACKGROUND: Although recent economics literature suggests a link between performance-related pay (PRP) and ill health, this finding is contested on the grounds that this link is plagued by endogeneity between the two variables of interest. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the adverse effects of performance-related pay on stress which is an important determinant of physical health. METHODS: Forty subjects were randomly assigned to two equal groups: either being paid by performance or being paid a flat fee. Both objective (saliva samples to measure cortisol elevation) and subjective (self-reported stress level) measures of stress were obtained before and after participation in the experiment. This experimental methodology purges the effects of self-selection into performance pay and identifies the direction of causation from performance-related pay to stress which is measured by cortisol levels. RESULTS: Those who were paid for their performance experienced higher levels of stress, both in terms of perceived stress and in terms of objectively measured cortisol levels, compared to those who were paid a flat fee for minimum performance. CONCLUSIONS: Performance-related pay induces objectively measurable stress. Self-reported stress levels and the objective stress measure obtained by measuring cortisol move in a similar direction for the PRP and non-PRP groups, but only the cortisol group shows statistically significant differences between the PRP and non-PRP. This also suggests that individuals underestimate the stress caused by performance pay.

Assessing Stress in Pregnancy and Postpartum: Comparing Measures

Introduction Measuring early-life psychosocial stress is complicated by methodological challenges. This paper compares three survey instruments for the assessment of life in pregnancy/postpartum and investigates the effects of the timing of early-life stress for emotional/behavioral difficulties (EBD) of offspring during mid/late childhood and adolescence. Methods Observational data were obtained from the European Longitudinal Cohort Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC-CZ), which included 4811 pregnancies in two Czech metropolitan areas. We used data collected between 1991 and 2010 at 20 weeks of pregnancy (T1), after delivery (T2), at 6 months postpartum (T3), and at child’s age of 7 years (T4), 11 years (T5), 15 years (T6), and 18 years (T7). Life stress was assessed with (1) the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), (2) a stressful life events (SLE) count based on 42-item inventory, and (3) the SLE measure weighted by perceived stressfulness (PS). Each stress measure was administered at T1, T2, and T3. Child’s EBD were assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at T4, T5, T6, and T7. Results Each stress measure independently predicted long-term EBD. The best data fit was obtained in a model combining EPDS and SLE. Effect sizes for SLEs decreased between the first half of pregnancy and postpartum, while the effect of EPDS increased. Discussion SLE-based methods capture an aspect of perinatal stress not adequately assessed by EPDS. Combination of psychological distress measures and SLE-based measures is optimal in predicting EBD of the child. Stress measures based on SLE are suitable for early pregnancy, while self-reports of depressive symptoms may perform better in postpartum.

Validation of depressive symptoms, social support, and minority stress scales among Gay, Bisexual, and other men who have with men (GBMSM) in Nigeria, Africa: A Mixed Methods Approach

Background: Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) in Nigeria experience social marginalization, discrimination and violence due to their sexual identity, which may negatively impact physical, mental, and sexual health outcomes. Studies on GBMSM in Africa utilize measurement scales developed largely for populations in the Global North. The validity and reliability of these instruments—to our knowledge—have never been thoroughly investigated among GBMSM in Nigeria. The aim of the current study was to determine the validity and reliability of the English versions of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD-R), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and LGBT Minority Stress Measure among a large multi-state sample of GBMSM Nigeria.Methods: Between January and June 2019, we conducted cognitive interviews (N=30) and quantitative assessments (N=406) with GBMSM in Nigeria. The cognitive interviews assessed comprehension of scale items and elicited suggestions for scale modifications. The quantitative assessment was used to gather psychosocial health data and to evaluate psychometric properties and construct validity of the modified scales. We utilized confirmatory factor analysis to assess factor structure, correlation coefficients, and Cronbach’s alpha to examine scale validity and internal consistency. Results: Based on participant feedback from the cognitive interviews, we made slight modifications (i.e., culturally appropriate word substitutions) to all three scales. Results of quantitative analyses indicated good psychometric properties including high factor loadings, internal consistency and construct validity among the CESD-R, MSPSS, and LGBT Minority Stress Measure among GBMSM in Nigeria. Conclusion: These results suggests that modifying research scales to be more culturally relevant likely do not jeopardize their validity and reliability. We found that modified scales measuring depressive symptoms, perceived social support, and minority stress among GBMSM in Nigeria remained valid. More research is needed to explore whether the psychometric properties remain if the scales are translated into broken English (Pidgin) and other traditional Nigerian languages (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa).