Changiz Mohiyeddini

Trained men show lower cortisol, heart rate and psychological responses to psychosocial stress compared with untrained men

Physical activity has proven benefits for physical and psychological well-being and is associated with reduced responsiveness to physical stress. However, it is not clear to what extent physical activity also modulates the responsiveness to psychosocial stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the reduced responsiveness to physical stressors that has been observed in trained men can be generalized to the modulation of physiological and psychological responses to a psychosocial stressor. Twenty-two trained men (elite sportsmen) and 22 healthy untrained men were exposed to a standardized psychosocial laboratory stressor (Trier Social Stress Test). Adrenocortical (salivary free cortisol levels), autonomic (heart rate), and psychological responses (mood, calmness, anxiety) were repeatedly measured before and after stress exposure. In response to the stressor, cortisol levels and heart rate were significantly increased in both groups, without any baseline differences between groups. However, trained men exhibited significantly lower cortisol and heart rate responses to the stressor compared with untrained men. In addition, trained men showed significantly higher calmness and better mood, and a trend toward lower state anxiety during the stress protocol. On the whole, elite sportsmen showed reduced reactivity to the psychosocial stressor, characterized by lower adrenocortical, autonomic, and psychological stress responses. These results suggest that physical activity may provide a protective effect against stress-related disorders.

Experience of stress in childhood negatively correlates with plasma oxytocin concentration in adult men

Early life experience is known to affect responses to stress in adulthood. Adverse experience in childhood and/or adolescence sensitises to life events that precipitate depression in later life. Published evidence suggests a relationship between depression and oxytocin (OT), but the extent to which early life experience influences OT disposition in adulthood deserves further exploration. This study hypothesised that early life stress (ELS) has a long-term negative effect on OT system activity. The study was performed on 90 male volunteers (18–56 years; mean ± standard deviation = 27.7 ± 7.09 years). Several questionnaires were used to assess: health, early life stressful experiences in childhood (ELS-C, up to 12 years) and early life stressful adolescence (13–18 years), recent stressful life events, depressive symptoms, state–trait anxiety and social desirability. Plasma OT concentration was estimated by means of a competitive enzyme immunoassay. Lower OT concentrations were significantly associated with higher levels of ELS-C (p < 0.01), and with depressive symptoms and trait anxiety (both p < 0.05). The interaction between ELS-C and trait anxiety was significant (p < 0.05), indicating that the link between ELS-C and plasma OT concentration is moderated by trait anxiety. These results contribute to the evidence that early life adverse experience is negatively associated with OT system activity in adulthood, and offer further insight into mediator and moderator effects on this link.

Individual differences in negative group work experiences in collaborative student learning

This paper reports the development of the Negative Group Work Experiences questionnaire (NGWE), an assessment tool for measuring negative experiences of group work. Study 1 involved two samples of undergraduate psychology students (second‐year sample n = 425; first‐year sample n = 443), who completed research modules incorporating substantial elements of assessed group work. Participants completed a 39‐item inventory designed to measure their negative experiences of group work as part of their general module evaluation. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of the second‐year sample indicated four interpretable and reliable factors: lack of group commitment, group fractionation, task disorganisation, and storming. Confirmatory factor analysis of the first‐year data set confirmed and cross‐validated the factor structure of the second‐year sample. Study 2 (n > 254) confirmed the criterion validity of the NGWE. The NGWE is proposed as a useful tool for evaluating group processes, especially in large group teaching which involves collaborative group work.

Emotion regulation through listening to music in everyday situations

Music is a stimulus capable of triggering an array of basic and complex emotions. We investigated whether and how individuals employ music to induce specific emotional states in everyday situations for the purpose of emotion regulation. Furthermore, we wanted to examine whether specific emotion-regulation styles influence music selection in specific situations. Participants indicated how likely it would be that they would want to listen to various pieces of music (which are known to elicit specific emotions) in various emotional situations. Data analyses by means of non-metric multidimensional scaling revealed a clear preference for pieces of music that were emotionally congruent with an emotional situation. In addition, we found that specific emotion-regulation styles might influence the selection of pieces of music characterised by specific emotions. Our findings demonstrate emotion-congruent music selection and highlight the important role of specific emotion-regulation styles in the selection of music in everyday situations.

Traditional versus modern values, self-perceived interpersonal factors, and posttraumatic stress in Chinese and German crime victims

OBJECTIVES The influence of cultural factors on mental health is not disputed in general - but elaborated research approaches are still lacking. We investigate cultural influences not only by nationality but also by value orientation (modern vs. traditional). A cross-cultural comparison with Chinese and German crime victims included an assessment of value orientation according to Schwartzs theory (Schwartz, 1994) of personal values. DESIGN Chinese and German adult crime victims were assessed. By means of structural equation multi-sample analysis, data of the two groups were compared. METHOD Traditional (conformity, benevolence, customs orientation) and modern values (achievement, hedonism, stimulation), traumatic exposure, posttraumatic stress (PTS), and two self-perceived interpersonal mediator processes (disclosure intentions, social acknowledgement as a victim) were assessed by self-report measures in 130 Chinese and 151 German crime victims. RESULTS The two patterns of prediction for PTS differed between the countries: In the German sample both value types but in the Chinese sample only traditional values were directly or indirectly predictive of PTS. Traditional values inhibited social acknowledgement as a victim in China and Germany. In Germany, traditional values were related to increased PTS severity. Modern values predicted social acknowledgement as well as lower symptoms in Germany, but not in China. CONCLUSIONS The study shows cultural and interpersonal factors that may contribute to the development of PTSD that are under-researched in contemporary psychology and psychotherapy.

Displacement behaviour regulates the experience of stress in men

Behavioural coping strategies represent a key means by which people regulate their stress levels. Attention has recently focused on the potential role in coping of ‘displacement behaviour’ – activities such as scratching, lip biting and face touching. Increased levels of displacement behaviour are associated with feelings of anxiety and stress; however, the extent to which displacement behaviour, as a short-term behavioural response to emotionally challenging stimuli, influences the subsequent experience of stress remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of displacement behaviour in coping with stress. In a study population of 42 healthy adult men (mean age = 28.09 years, SD = 7.98), we quantified displacement behaviour during a Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), and used self-report questionnaires to assess trait and state anxiety before the TSST, and the experience of stress afterwards. We predicted displacement behaviour would diminish the negative impact of the stressful situation, and hence be associated with lower post-TSST stress levels. Furthermore, we predicted displacement behaviour would mediate the link between state and trait anxiety on the one hand and the experience of stress on the other. Results showed the rate of displacement behaviour was positively correlated with state anxiety but unrelated to trait anxiety, and negatively correlated with the self-reported experience of stress, in agreement with the idea that displacement behaviour has a crucial impact on regulation of stress. Moreover, serial mediation analyses using a bias-corrected bootstrapping approach indicated displacement behaviour mediated the relationship between state anxiety and the experience of stress, and that state anxiety and displacement behaviour – in combination, respectively – mediated the link between trait anxiety and experience of stress. These results shed important new light on the function of displacement behaviour, and highlight promising new avenues for research into emotional expression and stress regulation.

Displacement Behaviour Is Associated with Reduced Stress Levels among Men but Not Women

Sex differences in the ability to cope with stress may contribute to the higher prevalence of stress-related disorders among women compared to men. We recently provided evidence that displacement behaviour - activities such as scratching and face touching - represents an important strategy for coping with stressful situations: in a healthy population of men, displacement behaviour during a social stress test attenuated the relationship between anxiety experienced prior to this test, and the subsequent self-reported experience of stress. Here, we extend this work to look at physiological and cognitive (in addition to self-reported) measures of stress, and study both men and women in order to investigate whether sex moderates the link between displacement behaviour and the response to stress. In a healthy study population, we quantified displacement behaviour, heart rate and cognitive performance during the Trier Social Stress Test, and used self-report questionnaires to assess the experience of stress afterwards. Men engaged in displacement behaviour about twice as often as women, and subsequently reported lower levels of stress. Bivariate correlations revealed that for men, higher rates of displacement behaviour were associated with decreased self-reported stress, fewer mistakes in the cognitive task and a trend towards lower heart rate; no relationships between displacement behaviour and stress measures were found for women. Moreover, moderation analyses revealed that high rates of displacement behaviour were associated with lower stress levels in men but not in women, and that high displacement behaviour rates were associated with poorer cognitive performance in women, but not men. These results point to an important sex difference in coping strategies, and highlight new avenues for research into sex biases in stress-related disorders.

Eine Latent-State-Trait-Analyse zur Bestimmung der dispositionellen und zustandsbedingten Anteile dreier Instrumente zur Erfassung von Depressionen: ADS, BDI und SDS

Zusammenfassung. In einer Langsschnittstudie wurden unter Einsatz der Methode der Latent-State-Trait-Analyse die Konsistenzanteile, die messgelegenheitsspezifischen Anteile sowie die Anteile der Messfehler der Allgemeinen Depressions-Skala (ADS), des Beck-Depressionsinventars (BDI) sowie der “Self-Rating Depression Scale“ (SDS) bestimmt. 188 Probanden wurden im Abstand von vier Monaten zweimal befragt. Die Konsistenzkoeffizienten betragen .40 fur die ADS, .49 fur das BDI und .53 fur die SDS. Die messgelegenheitsspezifischen Anteile belaufen sich fur die ADS auf 40%, auf 22% fur das BDI und auf 19% fur die SDS. Diesen Ergebnissen zufolge erfasst die ADS dispositionelle Neigungen zur Depression, ist aber auch in der Lage, sensitiv auf situative Veranderungen zu reagieren. Das BDI weist hohere Trait-Anteile auf als die ADS und reagiert entsprechend weniger sensibel auf situative Veranderungen. Die SDS erfasst uberwiegend dispositionelle Neigungen zur Depression. Die Ergebnisse betonen die Notwendigkeit einer...

Emotional suppression explains the link between early life stress and plasma oxytocin

Early life stress (ELS) has been found to be associated with lower concentrations of plasma oxytocin (OT) in adulthood. It is not yet clear, however, what mechanisms underlie this association. The goal of the present study was to test the role of emotional suppression as an intervening variable between ELS in childhood and plasma OT. In a nonclinical sample of 90 men, ELS, emotional suppression, and plasma OT were assessed. Emotional suppression was positively associated with ELS (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) and negatively associated with plasma OT concentrations (r = −0.30, p < 0.01). In contrast, cognitive reappraisal – an alternative emotion regulation strategy – was not correlated with ELS or plasma OT concentrations. Cross-sectional regression analyses revealed that the ELS explained variance in plasma OT via emotional suppression. Moderation analyses revealed that the combination of high ELS and high emotional suppression was associated with the lowest concentrations of plasma oxytocin. These findings are consistent with the view that emotional suppression may be one pathway linking ELS and OT.

Intentions-Verhaltens-Lücke bei sportlichen Aktivitäten

Zusammenfassung. Mit dem Schlagwort “Intentions-Verhaltens-Lucke” wird das Phanomen bezeichnet, dass psychologische Modelle zur Vorhersage des Sportverhaltens (z. B. die Theory of Planned Behavior, TPB) zwar eine beachtliche Leistung bei der Vorhersage von Intentionen zeigen, diese pradiktive Leistung jedoch bei der Vorhersage des auf Grund der relevanten Intentionen zu erwartenden Verhaltens erheblich abnimmt. Wahrend sich bisherige Losungsansatze zur Uberbruckung dieser Lucke fast ausschlieslich auf kognitive Variablen konzentriert haben, versucht die vorliegende Arbeit durch die Hinzunahme emotionaler Variablen die Modellannahmen der TPB zu erweitern, um die pradiktive Leistung des Modells zu erhohen. In einer Studie mit 273 Probanden wurden ein traditionelles Modell (basierend auf der TPB) und ein um die Variable Emotionen erweitertes Modell mittels Strukturgleichungsmodellen getestet. Die Ergebnisse belegen einen substantiellen Zuwachs an Varianzaufklarung von 12 % fur das erweiterte Modell bei der V...