Higher Number Of Stressful Events Research Articles

Psychological distress, stressful events, and well-being in Spanish women through the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic and two years later

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted human lives and posed significant threats to the mental health and well-being of the population, with women being particularly affected. This study investigates the well-being, stress levels, and psychological distress experienced by women while also identifying both risk and protective factors across different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic: (i) the Spanish national lockdown during the first wave of the pandemic; (ii) the second wave; (iii) 2 years after the beginning of the pandemic; and (iv) 2 years following the second wave. To conduct this investigation, a total of 4,047 women aged 16 – 87 years old and drawn from the general population, completed eight questionnaires and scales. The findings revealed percentages of psychological distress among women, revealing rates of 60.5% during the lockdown, 65.7% during the second wave, 55.3% between February and April 2022, and 49.7% between October 2022 and February 2023. High self-esteem was the most important protective factor against psychological distress among women and was most associated with their well-being. In addition, high resilience and social support provided further protective effects, although to a lesser extent. Conversely, experiencing a higher number of stressful events was a risk factor for increased distress and posing a threat to women’s well-being.

The Evolution of Psychological Distress Levels in University Students in Spain during Different Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk and Protective Factors.

The present study assesses the evolution of stressful events and psychological distress in male and female students over three different time periods of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain: the initial "lockdown", with no face-to-face teaching; the "new normality" period, when classes were resumed; and two years after the first wave of the pandemic. The participants were 1200 Spanish university students who were assessed for psychological distress, COVID-19-associated stressful events, social support, and self-esteem. Female students reported more stressful events and higher levels of psychological distress than male students during the "lockdown" and "new normality" time periods of the first wave of the pandemic. However, these differences disappeared in the third period tested, two years after the first wave of the pandemic, with female and male students showing no differences in psychological distress or in the number of stressful events. The main risk predictors of psychological distress during the first wave of the pandemic were lower self-esteem and having suffered a high number of stressful events. The last variable, number of stressful events associated with COVID-19, lost most its effect two years later, when only self-esteem presented a strong and highly significant predictive role.

The Effects of Stressful Life Events on Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarkers, Neuroinflammation and Brain Integrity in Later Life: A Life Course Perspective

AbstractBackgroundStress is associated with adverse health outcomes, but the pathways through which stressful life events affect brain health, and the age periods most vulnerable to these effects, are unknown. We investigated these questions in relation to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathophysiology and brain integrity in cognitively unimpaired participants at risk for AD.MethodIn this cross‐sectional cohort study, 1168 participants completed the 18‐item Elder’s Life Stress Inventory measuring the occurrence (and age at occurrence) of stressful life events. Of these, 393 participants had data available on AD biomarkers (cerebrospinal fluid [CSF] phosphorylated‐tau and amyloid‐beta1−42/amyloid‐beta1−40 ratio measured with Elecsys® assays and NeuroToolKit panel of robust prototype assays [Roche Diagnostics International Ltd, Rotkreuz, Switzerland], respectively) and neuroinflammation markers (CSF interleukin 6 [IL‐6], soluble TREM‐2 and glial fibrillary acidic protein measured with NeuroToolKit). In total, 830 had structural magnetic resonance imaging data available for amygdala and hippocampal volume, and grey matter volume/thickness for areas of the prefrontal cortex. The association of stressful events with AD biomarkers, neuroinflammation and brain integrity (adjusting for total intracranial volume) was examined using multiple regression analyses adjusting for sex, age and education. Associations of stressful events during early life (ages 0−25), early adulthood (26−40), middle adulthood (41−55) and late adulthood (≥56) were also examined. Analyses were stratified by sex and Apolipoprotein ε4 (APOE ε4)‐status.ResultParticipants’ age ranged between 47−76 and 62.5% were women. A higher number of stressful events during life‐course was associated with an increase in IL‐6 levels among APOE ε4‐carriers; with a decreased amyloid‐beta ratio among APOE ε4‐noncarriers; and with a reduction in caudal anterior cingulate cortex volume among women. A higher number of events during early adulthood was associated with higher phosphorylated‐tau levels and prefrontal brain integrity, and during middle adulthood was associated with decreased prefrontal brain integrity (Table 1. & 2.).ConclusionStress may affect later‐life brain health through multiple pathways, including neuroinflammation, amyloid‐beta and brain integrity, depending on APOE ε4‐carrier status and sex. Stressful events during early adulthood may promote phosphorylated‐tau in later‐life, while events during early/middle adulthood may have differential effects on brain integrity, suggesting potential windows for stress‐prevention strategies.

Individual and contextual factors for the child abuse potential of Croatian mothers: The role of social support in times of economic hardship

The study assessed mothers’ risk for abusing their children in middle adolescence in relation to individual and contextual factors during the economic crisis in Croatia. Socioeconomic status of mothers, family economic pressure, and mothers’ exposure to stress were measured. Special attention was given to the perceived availability of social support as one of protective factors potentially buffering the negative impact of risks of child abuse. The community sample included 746 mothers (Mage = 42.85; SDage = 5.319). The results showed that the risk of child abuse is higher for mothers with lower education, those who perceive themselves as suffering greater family economic hardship, those who have experienced a higher number of stressful events, and those with lower social support. When the mothers perceive a lower availability of social support, the effects of exposure to cumulative risk, namely the combination of socioeconomic status, economic pressure, and exposure to stress, are stronger. Since social support proved to be one of the key protective factors in the relationship between adverse life circumstances and parenting, the development of effective and non-stigmatized interventions aiming to increase social support, positive social relationships, and adequate parenting practices for parents facing economic hardship is an important direction for future family policy measures.

STRESSFUL EVENTS AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING, WORKING MEMORY AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENTS

A number of studies have investigated the association between psychiatric disorders and alterations in cognitive development, academic performance and learning ability. However, few studies have explored the relationship between stressful events and grade repetition. Therefore, the main goal of the present study was to compare the frequency of exposure to stressful events, academic performance, executive functioning and performance on working memory tasks between adolescents with and without a history of grade repetition. This was a cross-sectional correlational study. The sample was composed of 83 adolescents, divided into two groups: (1) individuals with a history of grade repetition (n=39) and (2) participants who had never repeated a grade (n=44). Participants were administered tests to assess executive functions, intelligence, exposure to stressful events and academic performance. Individuals with a history of grade repetition reported to experiencing a higher number of stressful events in adolescence, had worse academic performance, and obtained lower scores on executive functioning and working memory tasks than non-repeaters. Results also showed that individuals who had lower executive function scores had experienced a greater number of stressful events. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that exposure to stressful events and impaired executive functioning may contribute significantly to worse academic performance.

Perinatal stress and food allergy: a preliminary study on maternal reports

Maternal stress in fetal and early life has been associated with the development of respiratory allergies, but no studies exist about food allergy. Stressful events and the quality of caregiving provided, as they affect the emotional and physiologic regulation of the infant, could alter the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal and immune system, facilitating an increased allergic response. This study aimed to investigate the influence of perinatal stress, as perceived by mothers, on developing food allergy in childhood. A survey on pregnancy and the first three months after giving birth was submitted to 59 Italian mothers of at least one child suffering from severe food allergy and one completely healthy child, for a total of 118 children examined. The presence of stressful events and the quality of perinatal period for each child were assessed retrospectively. The food allergic children’s data were compared to siblings’ data through inferential statistics. The results showed a significantly higher number of stressful events occurred during patients’ perinatal period, compared to siblings, in particular bereavements in pregnancy and parenting difficulties in postpartum. Mothers reported harder pregnancies and more stressful, harder, and, in general, worse postpartum when referring to their food-allergic children, in comparison with their siblings (p < .05). Psychological aspects are demonstrated to be involved in the development of allergic diseases. This study constitutes the first step to examine the role of early stress and perinatal psychosocial factors in the pathogenesis of food allergy; further studies are necessary to understand individual psychological impact and its relations with genetic and biological factors.

Partners' stress underestimations lead to women's distress: a study of pregnant inner-city women.

The authors examined how men's underestimation of the stress that their pregnant female partners reported influenced women's psychological distress and their sense that they were not supported. Participants included 68 pregnant inner-city women and their partners, among whom African Americans and European Americans were represented. Women who reported a greater number of stressful life events had increased depression if their partners did not report them as encountering these events. However, if their partners reported them as encountering a high number of stressful events, the otherwise negative impact of stress was buffered. Partners' stress report had no appreciable effect when women reported a low number of stressful events. This partner underestimation effect was independent of the influence of women's report of social support.

Effects of some psychosocial variables on different disease manifestations in 112 cadets: A longitudinal study

One-hundred and twelve cadets attending the 141st training course for reserve officers of the ‘Scuola Trasmissioni’ of the Italian Army were administered, 10 days after incorporation, a battery of personality tests and measures of stressful events in the preceding year. Test scores were considered both individually and grouped into factors. During the 6 months of the course all disease episodes for each cadet were recorded. Total episodes infections and traumas were considered. A significantly higher number of total episodes and, specifically, of infections was present in subjects reporting a higher number of stressful events, in interaction with attitudes towards parent figures, hardiness, loneliness, and an alienation factor. A younger age of subjects also appeared predictive of a higher number of total episodes and infections, as a main effect and in interaction with attitudes to mother, hardiness, and alienation. Very few effects were obtained for traumas, suggesting that the effects of variables are mediated through a biological route rather than through behaviour, as would be the case if traumas were involved. No effect was shown by measures of stressful events alone. Results are discussed in the light of a reconsideration of the notion of stressful events.