Stress Research
Tracking perceived stress, anxiety, and depression in daily life: a double-downward spiral process
IntroductionPrevious studies using retrospective questionnaires have suggested a complex relationship between perceived stress and related negative emotions and emphasized their importance in mental health. However, how daily perceived stress, anxiety, and depression interact dynamically in a natural context remains largely unexplored.MethodsThis study conducted a longitudinal survey that applied experience sampling methodology to data from 141 Chinese college students (58% women, mean age = 20.1 ± 1.63 years).ResultsThe hierarchical linear models confirmed that daily perceived stress and negative emotions (i.e., perceived depression and anxiety) could reciprocally reinforce one another with the characteristic dynamics of a cognitive–emotional downward spiral. Additionally, anxiety and depression could further circularly aggravate each other imminently. These two intertwined downward-spiral processes constitute a double-downward-spiral model.DiscussionThe findings contribute to a better understanding of the interactive mechanisms underlying perceived stress and its related negative emotions in everyday life and highlight the significance of early emotion regulation and stress relief in healthy people.
Postpartum people’s experiences of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the first year of the pandemic: A descriptive qualitative study
Women’s Health, Volume 19, Issue , January-December 2023. Background:Most evidence on the impact of pandemic on perinatal population’s experiences has reported such effects in a portion of the pandemic.Objectives:The aim of this study was to understand the postpartum people’s experiences of and responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic during the first year and to identify their health care needs.Design:This is a descriptive qualitative study.Methods:This study was conducted in British Columbia, Canada, between March 2020 and April 2021. Participants (N = 268) were at 4 months postpartum and were recruited as part of the Pregnancy Specific Anxiety Tool study through prenatal care clinics and classes, community laboratory services and social media. Qualitative data were obtained using six online open-ended questions and were analysed using thematic analysis.Results:Findings were grouped under five central themes: protecting baby (with three categories including hypervigilance, constant decision-making to find balance and developmental issues); psychological adjustments (with three categories including coping, anxiety and grief); experience of isolation and lack/loss of support (with two categories including isolation and loss of expected support); unexpected interruptions and life events (with four categories including interrupted maternity leave, unexpected changes/life events, positive impacts and interruption in health care services); and perceived postpartum care needs (with five categories including in-person visits, allowing support persons, providing information/education/support groups, mental health and social support and pro-active check-ins).Conclusion:Several impacts of the pandemic persisted throughout the first year, particularly isolation and lack of support. These findings can inform responsive health care services to address the emerging needs of postpartum people throughout the pandemic.
The integration of yoga breathing techniques in cognitive behavioral therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial
In trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), stabilization techniques are used before confrontation ones to increase stress/affect tolerance and thus effectiveness of CBT. This study investigated the effects of pranayama, meditative yoga breathing and breath holding techniques, as a complimentary stabilization technique in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Seventy-four PTSD-patients (84% female, 44.2 ± 13 years) were randomized
Network analysis of the relationships between problematic smartphone use and anxiety, and depression in a sample of Chinese college students
… the aim of this study was to closely examine the relationships between [problematic smartphone use] (PSU) and anxiety and depression to identify the pathological mechanisms underpinning those relationships. A second aim was to identify important bridge nodes to identify potential targets for intervention. … … Five strongest edges appeared within the communities in both
Exposure, perceived risk, and psychological distress among general population during the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China
… This study aimed to examine the relationships between exposures, perceived risk, and psychological distress among the general population in Wuhan during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were from a cross-sectional online survey conducted from 20 February to 4 March 2020. Final analyses included 4,234 Wuhan respondents. A 5-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist was adopted to assess
Restraint stress induced anxiety and sleep in mice
In humans and animals, exposure to changes in internal or external environments causes acute stress, which changes sleep and enhances neurochemical, neuroendocrine, and sympathetic activities. Repeated stress responses play an essential role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases and sleep disorders. However, the underlying mechanism of sleep changes and anxiety disorders in response to acute
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The effects of anxiety on practice behaviors and performance quality in expert pianists
IntroductionDuring their career, musicians need to undergo intense periods of training to master musical instruments and become accomplished artists. Dysfunctional practice behaviors and anxiety are often mentioned among the possible risk factors for playing-related injuries in musicians. However, the mechanism through which these might lead to the onset of these injuries is still unclear. The present study aims at overcoming this limitation by investigating the relationship between quantitative measurements of anxiety, practice behaviors and music performance quality.MethodsThe experiment consisted in monitoring practice behaviors in 30 pianists practicing a short musical task.ResultsMost self-report anxiety measurements were positively correlated with practice time, especially those collected right before the practice sessions. Similar correlations were identified between anxiety and the number of repetitions of the musical task. Physiological markers of anxiety were only weakly related to practice behaviors. Subsequent analyses showed that high levels of anxiety were associated with poor quality of music performances at baseline. Nevertheless, the interaction between participants’ learning rate and anxiety measures showed no association with performance quality scores. Moreover, anxiety and performance quality co-developed during practice sessions, showing that pianists who improved their playing were also less anxious in the latter part of the experiment.DiscussionThese findings suggest that anxious musicians are likely at higher risk of developing playing-related injuries related to overuse and repetitive strains. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.
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