Browsing by Subject "Stress reactivity"

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    Cognitive-Affective Strategies and Early Adversity as Modulators of Psychosocial Stress Reactivity in Children and Adolescents
    (2013-09) Johnson, Anna
    The transition to adolescence is a key period in the reshaping of systems central to emotion and stress, including maturation of neural networks involved in cognitive-affective regulation and neuroendocrine changes driven by pubertal hormones. Adolescents experience an increased prevalence of everyday stressful events and seem to exhibit increased biological stress reactivity in response to psychosocial stressors. However, there is limited developmental evidence regarding what strategies adolescents use to regulate responses to stressors and even less evidence regarding how these regulatory strategies impact physiological stress reactivity. The purpose of this dissertation was to explore cognitive-affective strategies and early life experiences as predictors of physiological reactivity to a social stressor before and after the pubertal transition. The first study examined associations between cognitive-affective strategies and cortisol reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test for Children in typically developing children and adolescents. Across age and gender, higher trait levels of cognitive reappraisal of emotion predicted higher cortisol reactivity. The second study extended these findings by testing the impact of early life stress on the development of cognitive-affective and stress regulatory systems before and after the pubertal transition. In contrast to findings within the typically developing youth, cognitive-affective strategies did not predict cortisol reactivity in post-institutionalized internationally adopted youth. Findings are discussed in terms of future research directions and implications for the development of intervention efforts to promote self-regulation during the transition to adolescence.
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    The effects of relaxation and gratitude interventions on stress outcomes.
    (2011-09) Gavian, Margaret E.
    Research suggests that positive emotions play an important role in mental and physical health outcomes including combating the effects of stress. Research has also shown that positive emotions decrease autonomic nervous system reactivity and build personal resources, initiating an "upward spiral" of well-being (Frederickson, 2003). Two methods discussed in the literature to increase positive emotions are relaxation (e.g., progressive muscle relaxation; PMR) and gratitude interventions. Both are associated with positive physical and mental health outcomes including increased positive outcomes (e.g., quality of life, relaxation, sense of control, happiness) and decreased negative outcomes (e.g., depression, anxiety, health complaints). However, research on both PMR and gratitude interventions is limited in certain respects. Research on PMR focuses primarily on negative physical and mental health outcomes, whereas gratitude research relies heavily on correlational data. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of relaxation and gratitude interventions on physical and mental health outcomes, including reactions to stress. Using a controlled three group experimental, prospective design, 247 college students were randomly assigned to one of three groups (PMR, gratitude, control) for one week. At the end of the intervention, subjects participated in a stress-inducing activity. Baseline, pre-stress induction, post-stress induction and one-month follow up assessments were obtained. Both positive (i.e., life satisfaction, serenity, relaxation, positive affect, perceived control), negative (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress) and health indicators (i.e., physical symptoms) were measured. Results indicated that PMR is an effective intervention: At post-intervention, those in the PMR condition reported significantly more perceived control and serenity than both the gratitude and control groups. Those in the PMR group also had significantly lower negative affect than the control group. Group differences in stress and physical health symptom ratings, although marginally significant, revealed results again in favor of PMR. At follow up (30 days later) the PMR group maintained significantly lowered negative affect than the control group. There were no effects of the gratitude intervention on any outcomes nor were there group differences in stress reactivity. The role of positive psychology interventions in buffering stress and improving mental health functioning is discussed.