Home Stressors Research Articles

DAILY STRESSOR CONTROL AND AFFECTIVE REACTIONS: THE UNIQUE ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL STRESS

Abstract Perceived control over daily stressors varies across life and stressor domains, but little is known about the function of perceived control as a protective resource for the impact of daily stressors on affective well-being. Using the third wave of the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDEIII; N=1,263, Mage=62.62, 57.20% women), we examined how stressor control across domains (interpersonal stress, work and home overloads, network stressors) was associated with both negative and positive emotions on the same-day (i.e., reactivity) and next-day (i.e., residue). Over eight consecutive days, participants reported their daily negative and positive emotions, as well as exposure to and control over stressful experiences. After adjusting for age and gender, two-level multilevel models revealed a protective patterning of stressor control for dampened affective reactions to daily stressors driven by stressor control domains specific to interpersonal interactions (ps<.05). Days when people perceived more control over their arguments or avoided arguments were related to less negative and positive affective reactivity (smaller increases/decreases in negative/positive affect, respectively) compared to days with less perceived control. Perceived control over daily work stressors and home stressors were associated with dampened negative and positive affective reactivity, respectively. No associations between perceived stressor control and affective residue were significant. Results underscore the import of perceived stressor control for interpersonal stressors and the utility of perceived control as a protective factor for the effects of arguments and avoided arguments. Individuals may aim to leverage additional resources to feel more in control of their own daily arguments and avoided arguments.

1045 Resolution of Sexsomnia with Positive Airway Pressure

Abstract Introduction Sexsomnia is an infrequently encountered non-rapid eye movement (NREM) arousal disorder that can overlap with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Treatment of underlying OSA has been reported to resolve sexsomnia episodes. Report of case(s) A 26-year-old overweight man was referred to our Sleep Disorders Center for evaluation of possible “REM sleep behavior disorder.” The patient’s wife reported that he would fondle her breasts while he slept. Episodes began 6 months prior to his referral and occurred once every 1-2 months. During episodes, the patient did not get out of bed. He did not recall the events and denied dream recall. The patient had an infant at home with resultant sleep deprivation. He slept between 5-7 hours a night and stated episodes were more common with decreased total sleep time. Additionally, he reported recent increase in stressors after moving in with his in-laws. On evaluation, patient endorsed bruxism for which he wore a mouth guard. He reported history of sleepwalking in elementary school. He denied excessive daytime sleepiness, snoring, witnessed apneas, gasping arousals, morning headaches, unrefreshing sleep, insomnia, or substance use. He was advised to increase total sleep time and pursue a baseline polysomnogram to evaluate for sleep-disordered breathing. The polysomnogram demonstrated moderate OSA (apnea/hypopnea index of 17). Excessive arousals out of N3 sleep were not reported. He was initiated on auto-titrating positive airway pressure (APAP) and maintained moderate adherence for 2 months. At his follow-up visit, he reported no further episodes of nocturnal fondling after PAP initiation despite persistent sleep deprivation and home stressors. Conclusion This case highlights the importance of screening for sleep-disordered breathing which can coexist with NREM parasomnias such as sexsomnia. Even in patients without clear symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing, the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of possible OSA could decrease the frequency of sexsomnia episodes. Although this case study was mainly limited by short follow-up duration, the patient’s resolution of sexsomnia in that time demonstrates the importance of treatment of concurrent sleep-related breathing disorders. Support (if any) None.

Ohio Health Care Professionals’ Survey: Work and Home Stressors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought unparalleled strain to the United States’ already overburdened health care workforce, and research is just beginning to shed light on its effects. This study sought to document health care pro-vider stressors during the pandemic to inform prevention and intervention strategies to better support their well-being. Methods: A one-time online survey was completed in July and August 2021 by Ohio health care professionals employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed for work and employment status changes and measured the severity of various work and home stressors among respondents who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 12 807). Results: Over a quarter of respondents had a change in work setting, and 59% had an increase in their workload; 20% of respondents were furloughed, laid off, or unemployed at some point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 37% reported a negative financial impact. The work stressors causing the greatest concern were spreading the virus and insuf-ficient communication from leadership. The primary home stressors were a lack of quality time with family and friends, being too tired when home from work to cook, do chores, etc, and being a supportive, present parent. At least half of the sample scored each of these as moderate, significant, or extreme stressors. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic caused unrelenting stress affecting Ohio health care professionals at work and at home. Prevention and early intervention programs and public policies are required to prevent burnout and better support health care worker well-being.

AGING-RELATED CHANGES IN DAILY STRESSOR CONTROL AND GENERAL PERCEIVED CONTROL ACROSS THE LIFESPAN

Abstract Perceived control is an important psychosocial resource for healthy aging. Using data from the National Study of Daily Experiences (N=2,021, M=55.82 years, SD=10.35, 57.27% Female), we examined aging-related changes in stressor control across 10 years and compared these trajectories with measures of general control (mastery, constraints). Over 8 consecutive days in waves conducted in ~2008 and ~2017, people reported their perceived control over four types of stressors (arguments, avoided arguments, work, home). Longitudinal analyses revealed declines in stressor control across 10 years (p<.001), driven by declines in home stressors specifically. The rate of decline did not depend on baseline age. General control trajectories showed unique patterns of age differences in aging-related change such that declines (less mastery, more constraints) were steeper among older adults (p<.001). Results suggest that stressor control is a distinct domain of control beliefs with aging-related declines that differ based on type of stress experienced.

COVID-19 work from home stressors and the degree of its impact: employers and employees actions

COVID-19 work from home stressors and the degree of its impact: employers and employees actions

COVID-19 work from home stressors and the degree of its impact: employers and employees actions

COVID-19 work from home stressors and the degree of its impact: employers and employees actions

Stay at Home Stressors and Coping Strategies of Students due to COVID-19

The study aims to look into the stressors of the stay at home order and their psychological effects as well as the adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies used by high school students. A total of 240 respondents participated in the descriptive quantitative study. The study was conceptualized and conducted from May 2020 to March 2021 at the height of the stay at home order due to the COVID-19. The respondents completed a survey questionnaire with three parts. The study used simple random sampling. The quantitative data was treated with descriptive statistics; moreover, weighted mean and ranking were used. Results revealed that the respondents were moderately affected by the stressors of stay at home order and their psychological effects with a grand mean of 2.74 (e.g. inadequate supplies and access to regular medical care etc.) Moreover, the respondents often use the adaptive coping strategies with a grand mean of 2.61 (e.g. performing with the use of online application such as TikTok, tending ornamental plants etc.). Finally, the respondents sometimes use the maladaptive coping strategies with a grand mean of 2.22 (e.g. being emotional, playing online games excessively etc.). In conclusion, the respondents moderately felt the stressors of stay at home order and their psychological effects, they often use the adaptive coping strategies and they sometimes use the maladaptive coping strategies.

Age and socioeconomic differences in coping with home stressors: A daily diary study of mindfulness and anticipatory coping

Anticipatory coping involves efforts to reduce the consequences of upcoming, future stressors, but the individual and contextual predictors of anticipatory coping are not well understood. The current study focuses on individual differences in age and income and contextual fluctuations in mindfulness (present-centered thinking) to predict daily fluctuations in anticipatory coping with future home-related stressors. In the Mindfulness and Anticipatory Coping Everyday study, 223 adults (116 aged 60–90, 107 aged 18–36) completed an online questionnaire for nine consecutive days via Qualtrics, providing demographic information on Day 1. For the subsequent 8 days, participants reported mindfulness and anticipatory coping. Multilevel models revealed that within-person increases in daily mindfulness were related to decreases in daily anticipatory coping among younger adults and higher income older adults. This research provides evidence of tension between mindfulness and future-oriented coping and shows how this depends on one's life stage and access to resources.

Daily stressor forecasting and anticipatory coping: Within-Person processes in age differences in positive emotional reactivity

Objectives: Whereas previous work has almost exclusively focused on negative emotional reactivity to daily stressors, we focus on positive emotional reactivity - changes in positive emotions in response to a stressor. We examine daily forecasting and anticipatory coping for next-day home-related stressors within the temporal space before stressors to examine positive emotional reactivity in younger and older adults. Methods: We recruited 107 younger (M age = 19.44, range 18-36) and 116 older (M age = 64.71, range 60-90) participants who completed a nine day daily online diary for 1,627 total days. Participants reported demographics on Day 1 and then stressor forecasts, anticipatory coping, stressor exposure, and positive affect on Days 2-9. Results: Older adults had more positive affect when using outcome fantasy for next-day home stressors compared to younger adults, but forecasting a home stressor was associated with a stronger increase in positive affect for younger adults compared to older adults. Conclusion: These results reveal complex and dynamic links that exist in age differences in stressor forecasting, anticipatory coping, and their association with positive affect. The context of daily stressors is important to understand the nuances of matching stressor forecasts and anticipatory coping for positive emotional well-being in younger and older adults.

Association of work performance and interoceptive awareness of ‘body trusting’ in an occupational setting: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesWork performance has been known to be influenced by both psychological stress (mind) and physical conditions (body). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between work performance...

BFF: Bayesian, Fiducial, Frequentist Analysis of Age Effects in Daily Diary Data.

We apply new statistical models to daily diary data to advance both methodological and conceptual goals. We examine age effects in within-person slopes in daily diary data and introduce Generalized Fiducial Inference (GFI), which provides a compromise between frequentist and Bayesian inference. We use daily stressor exposure data across six domains to generate within-person emotional reactivity slopes with daily negative affect. We test for systematic age differences and similarities in these reactivity slopes, which are inconsistent in previous research. One hundred and eleven older (aged 60-90) and 108 younger (aged 18-36) adults responded to daily stressor and negative affect questions each day for eight consecutive days, resulting in 1,438 total days. Daily stressor domains included arguments, avoided arguments, work/volunteer stressors, home stressors, network stressors, and health-related stressors. Using Bayesian, GFI, and frequentist paradigms, we compared results for the six stressor domains with a focus on interpreting age effects in within-person reactivity. Multilevel models suggested null age effects in emotional reactivity across each of the paradigms within the domains of avoided arguments, work/volunteer stressors, home stressors, and health-related stressors. However, the models diverged with respect to null age effects in emotional reactivity to arguments and network stressors. The three paradigms converged on null age effects in reactivity for four of the six stressor domains. GFI is a useful tool that provides additional information when making determinations regarding null age effects in within-person slopes. We provide the code for readers to apply these models to their own data.

Daily Stressor Forecasts and Anticipatory Coping: Age Differences in Dynamic, Domain-Specific Processes.

We focused on the temporal space before stressor exposure and examined two constructs-daily stressor forecasting and anticipatory coping-for daily emotional well-being. One hundred and seven younger (M age = 19.44, range 18-36) and 116 older (M age = 64.71, range 60-90) participants reported on 1,627 total days via an online daily diary study. Participants reported baseline demographic information (Day 1) and stressor forecasts, anticipatory coping, stressor exposure, and negative affect (Days 2-9). We found significant intraindividual variability in stressor forecasts. Increases in forecasts of upcoming stressors were associated with increases in anticipatory coping of those stressors in some domains. Older adults forecasted more upcoming home stressors than younger adults, but older adults reported less anticipatory coping than younger adults. Finally, we found age differences in emotional reactivity to daily home stressors depending on previous-day forecasts and coping of those home stressors. Forecasting home stressors was associated with a stronger reduction in reactivity for younger adults relative to older adults, but stagnant deliberation coping was associated with increased reactivity for younger adults, not for older adults. Daily stressor forecasts are dynamic and situation-specific and linked to daily anticipatory coping and age differences in reactivity to home stressors.

Self‐Reported Everyday Psychosocial Stressors are Associated with Greater Impairments in Endothelial Function in Young Adults with Major Depressive Disorder

Vascular dysfunction is evident in adults with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and likely contributes to increased cardiovascular disease risk. Exposure to psychological stress plays a critical role in the etiology of MDD and is itself associated with endothelial dysfunction, accelerated atherosclerosis progression, and increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Despite this clear epidemiological association, to date, no studies have examined the relation between everyday psychosocial stressors and direct measures of vascular endothelial function in adults with MDD. We tested the hypothesis that young adults with MDD exposed to everyday psychosocial stressors would exhibit more severe impairments in microvascular endothelium‐dependent dilation (EDD). Twenty young healthy adults (HC; 22±1 yrs) and 23 otherwise healthy young adults with MDD (20±0.3 yrs), classified via the structured diagnostic Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, participated. Subjects completed a psychosocial experiences survey to document their exposure to any of seven stressors over the preceding week (e.g., arguments, work stressors, home stressors). Red blood cell flux (laser Doppler flowmetry) was measured during graded intradermal microdialysis perfusion of the endothelium‐dependent agonist acetylcholine (ACh; 10−10–10−1 M). EDD was expressed as a percentage of maximum cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC=flux·mmHg−1). Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the associations between self‐reported psychosocial stress, depression, and endothelial function. Adults with MDD reported a greater number of stressors, stressor severity, stressor‐related negative emotions, and rumination about stressors compared to HC (all p<0.05), validating the established link between stress and MDD. As expected, EDD was blunted in adults with MDD (HC: 91±2 vs. MDD: 74±3%; P<0.001), reflecting pronounced endothelial dysfunction. There was a significant interaction between experiencing a psychosocial stressor in the preceding week and depression status in predicting EDD (β = −17.28; p=0.049). In adults with MDD, the experience of a stressor was related to more severe impairments in EDD (no stressor: 81±3 vs. 1+ stressors: 69±5%; p=.04). In HC, experiencing a psychosocial stressor in the preceding week did not affect EDD (no stressor: 87±6 vs. 1+ stressors: 91±2%; p= 0.48). Neither the number of stressors (β = −2.85; p=0.13) nor stressor severity (β = −6.15; p=0.14) was related to endothelial function. These preliminary data provide the first evidence that exposure to everyday psychosocial stressors is associated with greater impairments in endothelial function in young otherwise healthy adults with MDD, suggesting a potential mechanistic link between daily stress and depression in increased cardiovascular disease risk.Support or Funding InformationHL133414This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Is there a risk profile for the vulnerable junior doctor?

Mental ill health is prevalent among doctors, especially those in the early stages of postgraduate training. However, a paucity of research has examined factors predictive of psychological distress in this population. To report the findings from a multi-centre survey of mental health among junior doctors in Ireland, and assess the extent to which moderator variables (e.g., age, academic performance, nationality, etc.) alter the levels of psychological distress caused by internship. An online, anonymous, questionnaire was distributed to all interns in the Republic of Ireland in January 2012. A total of 270 interns responded to the survey (45.0% response rate), with 48.5% of the respondents having a score indicative of psychological distress. A regression model found that nationality, academic performance, intern training network, rating of work stressors, home stressors, and work-life balance were associated with differing levels of mental health as measured by the General Health Questionnaire-12. There is a need to consider moderator variables when examining mental health in healthcare populations to avoid drawing overly simplistic conclusions. Interns in Ireland reported particularly high levels of psychological distress compared to other studies of mental health among healthcare populations.

The Effects of Employment Status and Daily Stressors on Time Spent on Daily Household Chores in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

This study examines how employment status (worker vs. retiree) and life course influences (age, gender, and marital status) are associated with time spent on daily household chores. Second, this study assesses whether the associations between daily stressors and time spent on daily household chores differ as a function of employment status and life course influences. Men and women aged 55-74 from the National Study of Daily Experiences (N = 268; 133 workers and 135 retirees), a part of the National Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), completed telephone interviews regarding their daily experiences across 8 consecutive evenings. Working women spent more than double the amount of time on daily household chores than working men. Unmarried retirees spent the most time on daily household chores in comparison to their counterparts. There was a trend toward significance for the association between home stressors from the previous day and time spent on daily household chores as a function of employment and marital status. These findings highlight the importance of gender and marital status in the associations between employment status and time spent on daily household chores and the role that daily stressors, in particular home stressful events, have on daily household chore participation.

Stress-related antecedents of teacher performance: case of the Indian educational system

This paper presents an examination of key stress antecedents of teacher performance in India. A review of literature of key constructs of stress is made with the aim of developing relevant hypotheses for home, work and health stressors. The impact of these three stressors on teacher performance is studied. Results with respect to instrument validation as well as testing of hypotheses are presented, followed by a discussion of underlying factors for the results. Finally, this paper concludes with a discussion of findings of questionnaire development and hypotheses testing in the light of implications for practicing managers of the educational system.

Chronic stressors and daily hassles: unique and interactive relationships with psychological distress.

Using daily telephone interviews of a U.S. national sample of adults, aged 25-74 (N = 1,031), the present analyses draw from theories of the stress process and recent research to examine how chronic role-related stressors and daily hassles affect psychological distress. Four separate hypotheses are examined. The first explores the association between chronic stressors and daily hassles. The second tests whether daily hassles function as an intervening variable between chronic stressors and psychological distress. The third tests whether a chronic stressor moderates the relationship between daily hassles and psychological distress. The fourth hypothesis tests for cross-domain effects of chronic stressors and daily hassles. Findings indicate that chronic stressors and daily hassles are distinct types of stressors with unique contributions to psychological distress. The study provides support for chronic home stressors functioning as a moderating factor on the relationship between daily hassles and psychological distress both within and across domains.

The contribution of gender-role orientation, work factors and home stressors to psychological well-being and sickness absence in male- and female-dominated occupational groups

The associations of work stress, types of work and gender-role orientation with psychological well-being and sickness absence were investigated in a questionnaire survey of 588 male and female nurses and 387 male and female accountants. We hypothesised that health might be impaired among women working in the male-dominated occupation (accountancy), and men in the female-dominated occupation (nursing), but that effects might be moderated by job strain (perceptions of high demand and low control), work and home hassles, and traditional male (instrumentality) and female (expressivity) psychological characteristics. Responses were analysed from 172 female and 61 male nurses, and from 53 female and 81 male commercial accountants. Female accountants were more likely than other groups to have high anxiety scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales, while male nurses had the highest rates of sickness absence. Male nurses and female accountants also reported more work-related hassles than did female nurses and male accountants. Men and women in the same occupation did not differ in job strain or job social support, but nurses reported greater job strain than accountants, due to higher ratings of demands and lower skill utilisation. After adjusting for age, sex, occupation, paid work hours and a measure of social desirability bias, risk of elevated anxiety was independently associated with higher job strain, lower job social support, more work hassles, more domestic responsibility, lower instrumentality and higher expressivity. The association between sex and anxiety was no longer significant after instrumentality had been entered into the regression model. Sickness absence of more than three days over the past 12 months was independently associated with higher job strain, more work hassles, lower instrumentality and higher expressivity. The results suggest that when men and women occupy jobs in which they are in the cultural and numerical minority, there may be adverse health effects that are gender-specific. Psychological traits related to socially constructed gender roles may also be relevant, and mediate in part the differences in psychological well-being between men and women.

The stress process of family caregiving in institutional settings.

This study adapts the Stress Process Model (SPM) of family caregiving to examine the predictors of depression in a sample of caregivers (n = 133) with demented relatives residing in suburban skilled nursing facilities. We interviewed family caregivers of family members residing in skilled nursing homes using a variety of measures to assess primary stressors, secondary strain, nursing home stressors, and caregiver depression. We used block-wise regression analyses to determine the predictors of caregiver depression. Results indicated that positive resident adjustment to placement was best predicted by the closeness of the resident-caregiver relationship and nursing home stressors. Caregiver strain, resident adjustment, and nursing home stressors best predicted caregiver adjustment. In turn, the best predictors of caregiver depression included caregiver age, caregiver adjustment to the nursing home, and nursing home stressors. These results suggest that caregiver depression is closely linked to how well both the resident and caregiver adjust to the nursing home environment. Results also indicate that by broadening the SPM to include stressors common to the nursing home experience, researchers will be able to understand more clearly the specific components of the stress process that may lead to depression in family caregivers of persons living in nursing homes.

Stratégies d'adaptation, symptômes dépressifs, anxiété et bien-être au sein des personnes âgées vivant en milieu institutionnel

ABSTRACTOlder persons living in Residential and extended care centres (RECC) have to cope with various Stressors associated with institutional life. While some residents cope successfully, a large proportion of this population presents difficulties in adjustment. Knowledge about the role of coping strategies in the adjustment process to nursing home Stressors is limited to strategies used in the first few months following admission to RECC. The goal of this exploratory study was to determine how various coping strategies are related to depressive symptoms, anxiety and well-being of 90 residents living in RECC for more than three months. Individual interviews were used to collect the data. Significant correlations were observed between measures of psychological adaptation and the strategies of escape-avoidance and seeking social support. These results confirm than certain coping strategies are associated with adaptation to life in RECC.