Impact Of Stressful Life Events Research Articles

Positive Mental Health, Stressful Life Events, and Suicide Ideation.

Background: Stressful life events and suicide ideation regularly occur together. Yet, little is known about factors that buffer individuals against the development of suicide ideation. Aim: In a long-term follow-up study design, it was investigated whether positive mental health, that is, high levels of subjective and psychological well-being, buffers the association between stressful life events and suicide ideation. Method: A total of 126 German students (80.2% female; age: M = 24.29, SD = 5.21) were assessed at a baseline evaluation and again 24 months later. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires. Results: Linear hierarchical regression analysis was used to analyze the data. Positive mental health was considered to moderate the impact of stressful life events on suicide ideation - controlling for age and gender. Limitations: Current results are limited to university students. Conclusions: Positive mental health interacts with stressful life events, such that those with high levels of positive mental health show an attenuated increase in suicide ideation at elevated levels of stress. Positive mental health seems to confer resilience and should be focused on in counseling centers for students.

Impact of stressful life events in mood disorders

Background: Life events are defined as discrete experiences that disrupt an individual's usual activities, causing a substantial change and readjustment, such as marriage, physical illness or death in the family. A temporal relationship has been established between such stressful life events and the onset and severity of psychiatric illness in many studies. Aims: To assess the impact of stressful life events in patients with mood disorders. Materials and Methods: 70 patients with an established diagnosis of an affective disorder according to ICD-10 were sampled via consecutive sampling. Sociodemographic proforma and HAM-D or YMRS were applied as relevant to rate the severity of illness. Presumptive stressful life events scale (PSLES) was applied to assess for the number and score of stressful life events during the patient's lifetime and the past one year. Results: Stressful life events were found to have a significant contribution to the illness in the context of the socio-demographic background of the subjects. Significant correlation was also seen between severity of illness and stress scores from PSLES with events occurring over lifetime, desirable events and impersonal events eliciting a more severe illness. Conclusion: Life events can behave as acute and ongoing stressors during the course of an illness. Establishing their impact and addressing coping mechanisms should be done to make for a comprehensive management of any patient diagnosed with a mood disorder.

The Infl uence of Stressful Life Events on the Internet Addiction of College Students: The Mediating Role of Subjective Well-being and the Moderating Role of External Locus of Control

Based on the resource conservation theory, this study analyzed the relationships among stressful life events, external locus of control, subjective well-being and internet addiction. There are three hundred and seventy-four college students participated in this survey who come from the universities of Macau, Zhuhai, Nanjing and Shenyang. The research results showed that (1) stressful life events have negative impact on subjective well-being; (2) stressful life events have positive impact on internet addiction; (3) subjective well-being mediates the relationship between stressful life events and internet addiction; (4) external locus of control moderates the relationship between stressful life events and subjective well-being. According to the research results, this study raise the suggestions for college students about how to decrease the negative impact of stressful life events on subjective well-being and how to overcome internet addiction.

Neuroendocrine Stress System in Bipolar Disorder.

Hormones have a crucial part in the progress and manifestation of a wide variety of different behaviors. The main influence of the neuroendocrine system on behavior is its action on the neurobiology of neuropsychiatric disorders and its relationship with the pharmacodynamics of medicines. Of all the neuroendocrine axes, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been the most extensively studied. There is evidence that disturbance in the HPA axis, the primary stress hormone system, could increase treatment resistance and relapse, worsen illness outcome, and cause cognitive deficits. Glucocorticoids mediate their actions in negative feedback binding in two different cytoplasmatic receptors described as mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) and glucocorticoid receptors (GRs). Different psychopathologies underlying bipolar disorders are supposed to involve persistent dysfunctions in the expression and role of both MR and GR in the hippocampus. We review and analyze the evidence related to the correlation between bipolar disorders and the consequences and impact of stressful life events on the HPA axis, exploring the importance of these findings in bipolar disorders and as potential new targets for treatment.

P.667 The impact of stressful life events on the psychotic phenotype and cannabis consumption in early psychosis

P.667 The impact of stressful life events on the psychotic phenotype and cannabis consumption in early psychosis

COPING BEHAVIORS THAT INCREASE STRESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS

This study examined the efficacy of a series of 28 behaviors (e.g., comfort eating, attending worship services, getting a massage, etc.) in moderating the perception of stress among older adults. First, 28 individual behaviors were assessed to determine whether they buffered or exacerbated the impact of an objective stress measure (i.e., the count of stressful life events) on perceptions of stress (measured using Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale [PSS]). A full sample analysis used data from 1,000 randomly selected U.S. adults age 40 and older, but subsequent analyses explored coping behaviors for two age groups—those age 40 to 59 and those 60 and older. In the full sample analysis, multiple moderating conditions were noted including stress-buffering for worship service attendance, recreational shopping, and getting a massage. Also among the full 40+ sample, stress-exacerbation was noted for social media use and coping by “overreacting to things.” Factor analysis (employing a polychoric correlation matrix) reduced the 28 individual behaviors into 9 clusters comprised of related behaviors and representing a general coping approach. Looking within the age groups, significant stress-buffering was limited to those age 60 and older for two coping approaches—a “Self-Care and Travel” approach and an Inspirational approach (e.g., praying, attending church, etc.). For both age subgroups there was no coping approach, not even the hedonistic “blowing off steam” approach, that was found to exacerbate the impact of stressful life events on the perception of stress.

Interconnections Among Perceived Stress, Social Problem Solving, and Gastrointestinal Symptom Severity

Maladaptive social problem-solving (SPS) plays a significant mediating role in the negative impact of stressful life events on wellbeing. With a basis in D’Zurilla and Nezu’s (Problem-solving therapies, 2nd ed., The Guilford Press, New York, pp. 211–245, 2001) relational/problem-solving model of stress and wellbeing, we examined interrelations amongst stress, SPS, and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and tested several mediational models: maladaptive forms of SPS as mediators of the relationship between stress and GI symptoms, and stress as a mediator of maladaptive forms of SPS and GI symptoms. Undergraduates (N = 345) completed the Perceived Stress Scale, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised, and the Birmingham IBS Symptom Questionnaire. Pearson correlation coefficients revealed that all measures were significantly related in the expected directions. Stress was a significant mediator in the models with maladaptive SPS dimensions as independent variables, but SPS did not mediate the stress/GI symptom relationship. Results demonstrate links amongst stress, SPS, and GI symptoms, and suggest that poorer SPS leads to higher levels of stress, which, in turn, increases GI symptom severity.

Understanding Sex Differences in Depressive Symptomatology among Malaysian Adolescents

Depressive symptomatology is among the major psychological problems experienced by adolescents. Sex differences in the occurrence of depressive symptoms have likewise been extensively reported in literature. However, a great majority of related research have primarily been carried out in the Western context. Hence, we conducted a study to identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms among Malaysian adolescents, and to determine its relationship with certain risk factors as well as the potential moderating role of sex. The sample comprised 964 adolescents from 20 secondary schools across Malaysia. Using logistic regression, results demonstrated that stressful life events and maternal verbal aggression significantly predicted symptoms of depression. In the moderation tests, sex significantly interacted with stressful life events and parental verbal aggression in predicting depressive symptoms. Hence, there is evidence to suggest that the depressogenic impact of stressful life events and parental verbal aggression on depressive symptomatology differs between male and female adolescents.

The Role of Religion in Buffering the Impact of Stressful Life Events on Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Depressive Episodes or Adjustment Disorder.

Most studies into the role of religiousness in relation to depression severity have mainly found an inverse relationship between greater religiousness and lower levels of depressive symptoms. There is reason to assume that religiousness has a buffering effect on the relationship between stressful life events and depressive symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of religiousness in moderating the impact of stressors on depressive symptoms. n = 348 patients with either a depressive episode or adjustment disorder were assessed at referral to the liaison psychiatry services in three Dublin hospitals and n = 132 patients were followed up six months later. We assessed depressive symptoms, life events, social support, and religiosity, and used hierarchical and multiple linear regression for data analysis. The interaction of organised religious activity and the amount of life events was significant (β = −0.19, p = 0.001) in the cross-sectional prediction of depressive symptoms while non-organised religious activity (β = −0.23, p = 0.001) and intrinsic religiousness (β = −0.15, p = 0.033) interacted significantly with life events in the longitudinal analysis. This study demonstrated that various dimensions of religiousness buffered the impact of life events on outcome.

High Cortisol and the Risk of Dementia and Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of the Literature.

Introduction: Cortisol effects on the brain are exerted through two distinct receptors, inducing complex and even opposite effects on the cerebral structures implicated in the various cognitive functions. High cortisol may also have deleterious effects on the brain structures and contribute to neurodegeneration, in particular Alzheimer’s disease (AD), via different mechanisms.Objective: To examine the interrelationships between cortisol, cognitive impairment and AD.Methods: Review of the literature.Results: Clinical studies found that elevated cortisol was associated with poorer overall cognitive functioning, as well as with poorer episodic memory, executive functioning, language, spatial memory, processing speed, and social cognition; while in animals, glucocorticoid administration resulted in cognitive impairment and abnormal behavior. In cognitively healthy subjects, higher cortisol levels have been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and AD. Subjects with dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) due to AD have been found to have higher CSF cortisol levels than cognitively healthy controls. Elevated CSF cortisol may also be associated with a more rapid cognitive decline in MCI due to AD. Elevated cortisol levels have been also found in delirium. High cortisol may mediate the impact of stressful life events, high neuroticism, depression, sleep disturbances, as well as cardiovascular risk factors on cognitive performance, neurodegeneration, and cognitive decline. High cortisol may also exert neurotoxic effects on the hippocampus, and promote oxidative stress and amyloid β peptide toxicity. Further possible underlying mechanisms include the interactions of cortisol with inflammatory mediators, neurotransmitters, and growth factors.Conclusion: Elevated cortisol levels may exert detrimental effects on cognition and contribute to AD pathology. Further studies are needed to investigate cortisol-reducing and glucocorticoidreceptor modulating interventions to prevent cognitive decline.

Stressful Life Events and Relapse in Bipolar Affective Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Center of Southern India.

Background:Bipolar affective disorder (BAD) is a severe mental illness which results in serious lifelong struggles and challenges. The full impact of stressful life events (SLEs) on the course of BAD is poorly understood.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on 128 consecutive patients with BAD currently admitted with a relapse. Our objectives were (1) to estimate the proportion, type, and timing of preonset SLEs in relapsed BAD patients and (2) to study the association between SLEs and selected clinical variables in this group. Semi-structured proforma, Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Presumptive Stressful Life Events Scale, and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale were used. Statistical analysis was done using R software for Windows.Results:About 69.5% (89/128) of patients reported preonset SLEs – among which 50 (56.2%) had mania and 39 (43.8%) had depression. Conflict with in-laws and financial problems were the commonly reported SLEs. The mean duration between SLEs and the relapse was 19.73 ± 4.8 days. BPRS score was significantly high in subjects with preonset SLEs (P = 0.022). No significant association was detected between SLEs and the type of episode during relapse (P = 0.402).Conclusion:This study emphasizes the significance of SLEs in the relapse and longitudinal course of BAD. Understanding the association of SLEs and relapse in BAD will help in predicting further relapses and developing newer pharmacological and nonpharmacological measures targeting this aspect, thereby maximizing both symptom reduction and quality of life in patients with BAD.

The influence of stressful life events, psychopathy, and their interaction on internalizing and externalizing psychopathology

Exposure to stressful life events increases risk for both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, but less is known about moderators of the association between stressful life events and psychopathology. The present study examined the influence of stressful life events, psychopathy, and their interaction on internalizing and externalizing psychopathology in 3877 individuals from the community. We hypothesized that (1) exposure to stressful life events would be a transdiagnostic risk factor for psychopathology, (2) primary and secondary psychopathy would be differentially associated with internalizing psychopathology, and (3) primary psychopathy would moderate the association between stressful life events and internalizing psychopathology. Confirming existing findings, our results were consistent with the first and second hypotheses. In contrast to our third hypothesis, primary psychopathy was not associated with stressful life events in childhood, inconsistently associated with stressful life events in adolescence, and did not moderate the association between stressful life events and internalizing psychopathology. Furthermore, stressful life events across development were associated with secondary psychopathy and internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. We also found similar associations between stressful life events, psychopathy, and psychopathology in females and males. Future studies investigating the impact of stressful life events on psychopathology should include psychopathic traits and stress-reactivity.

EARLY CHILDHOOD ADVERSITY AND RECENT STRESS AFFECT RISK FOR DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN OLDER ADULTS

The stress sensitization hypothesis (SSH) postulates that the psychological impact of stressful life events (SLEs) is greater for adults with childhood trauma than those without. Most prior research evaluating the SSH and depressive symptoms (DepSx) is based on younger adults in cross-sectional studies, which cannot rule out alternative explanations, including reporting bias (i.e., DepSx cause higher endorsement of SLEs). We address these limitations in a longitudinal study of a U.S. population-representative sample of adults aged 50 and older using “objective” SLEs, unlikely to be influenced by DepSx. Childhood adversity was collected from 12,119 participants in the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (60% female; age mean=58). Current DepSx, assessed by a modified CES-D, and recent SLEs were obtained in biannual interviews conducted in 1994–2010, yielding 83,633 observations. Results from multi-level logit random effects models found individuals reporting early childhood adversity had much higher odds for DepSx, with a trend of declining strength of effect with increasing age. Odds for DepSx were higher in periods with recent SLEs than in periods without SLEs, with a stable effect through older age. Despite that higher depressive symptoms were independently associated with childhood trauma and recent stress, there was little evidence for the SSH; thus, childhood trauma did not amplify the effect of recent stress. In contrast to prior research, this lack of support found for the SSH is likely due to the sample age and greater methodological controls in this study.

Gender, stressful life events and interactions with sleep: a systematic review of determinants of adiposity in young people

ObjectivesOverweight and obesity among young people are high and rising. Social stressors and sleep are independently associated with obesity, but are rarely studied together or examined for gender-specific effects. The...

Effect of Significant Family Life Events in the First Year of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)

Objective: Examine the impact of stressful life events on families in the first year after diagnosis of T1D in a young child using a mixed methods design. Methods: In a prospective study of 5-9 year-olds new to T1D (mean age 7.4±1.3 years, T1D duration 4.7±3.3 months), we measured A1c, changes in family health, marital status, coping, and income every 3 months up to 12 months post-baseline using surveys. Results: Of 135 families, 40 reported job/income changes (11 promoted, 20 changed job, 7 quit job, 2 lost job), 4 marital changes (2 divorces, 1 separation, 1 spouse death), and 42 health changes (78.6% family member health, 21.4% child). Of those, 4 family members were also diagnosed with T1D and 3 youth were diagnosed with an additional autoimmune disorder in the 12 month follow-up. Income decrease at any time point in first 12 months correlated with health change (r=0.142, p=0.048) and marital status change (r=0.169, p=0.049) at any time point in the first 12 months, while baseline Active Avoidance Coping correlated with future income decrease (r=0.169, p=0.03). There was a cross-sectional association between A1c and income decrease at time point 4, corresponding to ∼1 year post-T1D diagnosis (Table). Longitudinal HbA1c, incidence of life events, and correlation of income decrease and HbA1c in youth.Baseline3 Months6 Months9 Months12 MonthsMean HbA1c, % (SD)7.66 (±1.3)7.72 (±1.2)8.(±1.2)8.20 (±1.2)8.25 (±1.2)Health Change, n (%)14 (12.1%)11 (10.1%)8 (8.3%)9 (9.8%)Marital Status Change, n (%)75.7% married3 (2.6%)001 (1.1%)Income Decrease, n (%)5 (4.3%)9 (8.3%)4 (4.2%)5 (5.4%)Cross-sectional Correlation HbA1c To Income Decrease0.077-0.1080.260**0.083Sig. (1-tailed)0.2070.1310.0050.216N1351161099692 Conclusions: Families can experience significant concurrent life stressors during the first year of T1D. Future research should explore if these events have a direct effect on T1D management and long-term glycemic control. Disclosure K.R. Stanek: None. S. Majidi: None. E.M. Youngkin: None. A. Noser: None. M.A. Clements: Speaker's Bureau; Self; Medtronic. Advisory Panel; Self; Glooko, Inc.. S.R. Patton: None.

Impact of stressful life events on central adiposity in the Pelotas Birth Cohort.

ABSTRACTOBJECTIVE:To investigate how stressful life events and social support relate to central adiposity in Southern Brazil.METHODS:Data included information from 802 participants in the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort that was collect in 2004-2005 and 2006. Stratifying by sex, we studied self-reported stressful life events during the year before 2004-2005 in relation to change in waist circumference between 2004-2005 and 2006 and waist-to-hip ratio in 2006, using both bivariate and multivariate linear regression models.RESULTS:In adjusted models, the experience of stressful life events during the year before 2004-2005 predicted a change in waist circumference in 2006 in men and a change in both waist-to-hip ratio in 2006 and waist circumference between 2004-2005 and 2006 in women. Men who experienced two or more stressful events had on average a one centimeter increase in their waist circumference between 2004-2005 and 2006 (β = 0.97, 95%CI 0.02-1.92), compared to those reporting no stressful events. For women, those who had one and those who had two or more stressful life events had over a 1 cm increase in their waist circumference from 2004-2005 to 2006 (β = 1.37, 95%CI 0.17-2.54; β = 1.26, 95%CI 0.11-2.40, respectively), compared to those who did not experience any stressful event. For both sexes, social support level was not significantly related to either waist-to-hip ratio or change in waist circumference, and it did not modify the association between stress and central adiposity.CONCLUSIONS:The experience of more than one stressful life event was associated with distinct indicators of central adiposity for men versus women.

The Impact of Stressful Life Events on the Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in U.S. Adults From the Health and Retirement Study.

We evaluated the association between cumulative stressful life events (SLE) and type of stress (lifetime vs recent) and incident diabetes (Type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]) in middle-aged U.S. adults. Data from the 2006-2014 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) were analyzed (n = 7,956). Stress-related differences in age at T2DM diagnosis were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. The adjusted risk of T2DM significantly increased by 6% per unit increase in cumulative SLE (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 1.11), by 5% per unit increase in lifetime stress (95% CI = 1.00, 1.09), and by 23% per unit increase in recent stress (95% CI = 1.12, 1.36). Each level of cumulative SLE (1, 2, 3, and ≥4 events) and recent stress (1 and ≥2 events) compared to no stress was significantly associated with an increased risk of T2DM. Each level of lifetime stress compared to no stress was significantly associated with an elevated risk of T2DM except for 3 events. Cumulative SLE and type of stress were associated with incident T2DM in middle-aged adults. Reducing the direct effect of stress with management interventions may reduce the indirect effect of developing T2DM and warrants further investigation.

WeChat Addiction Suppresses the Impact of Stressful Life Events on Life Satisfaction.

The current study examined the influences of stressful life events and WeChat addiction on life satisfaction, and investigated the mediating role of WeChat addiction on the relationship between the two research variables. A total of 463 undergraduates completed self-reported scales for stressful life events, WeChat addiction, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the questionnaire data. The results showed the suppressing effect of WeChat addiction on the negative impact of stressful life events on life satisfaction. Stressful life events affect life satisfaction both directly and indirectly. Stressful life events are positively associated with WeChat addiction, which exerts positive impact on life satisfaction. The contributions of the findings are discussed.

Depression and fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Relation to exposure to violence and cerebrospinal fluid immunomarkers

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neuroinflammatory condition characterized by chronic dysregulation of immune responses leading to repeated episodes of inflammation in the central nervous system. Depression and fatigue are common among MS patients, even in early disease phases, and the disease course can be negatively affected by stressful events. IL-6 and IL-8 have been associated with depression and stressful life events in non-MS patients. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between depression, fatigue, and exposure to violence, with IL-6 and IL-8 levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS patients. Levels of IL-6 and -8 were analyzed in the CSF of 47 patients with relapsing-remitting MS. Correlations between IL-6 and IL-8 levels and self-rated depression and fatigue symptoms, as well as clinician-rated history of being exposed to interpersonal violence, were analyzed with correction for age, sex and MS disability status. IL-6 correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with depressive symptoms (adjusted Spearman’s ρ = 0.39), fatigue (ρ = 0.39), and exposure to violence in adult life (ρ = 0.35). Depression correlated with both fatigue and being exposed to violence. Associations were not present among patients exposed to disease modifying drugs. In exploratory analyses, the relationship between exposure to violence and IL-6 was non-significant when controlled for depression. Further research should focus on replication of these results, as well as exploring the impact of stressful life events on immune regulation and the clinical characteristics and prognosis of MS patients.

Stress and Disease Onset in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis.

To explore the potential contribution of stress as a trigger for disease onset in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV). 53 AAV and 85 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients as well as 53 healthy controls (HC) were thoroughly asked for the number and impact of stressful life events, coping strategies, and available social support 12 months prior to disease onset. Anxiety, depression, personality dimensions, insomnia, and fatigue were also determined. AAV patients reported higher scoring of the impact of stressful life events compared to the RA and HC group prior to disease onset (2.8 ± 3.1 vs 1.8 ± 2.1 vs 1.7 ± 2.3, p-values: 0.047 and 0.053, respectively). While the number of reported stressful events was found to be significantly higher in AAV vs RA patients but not HC, certain coping strategies and social support features were more commonly implemented by AAV patients compared to HC, but not RA patients. As far as personality and other psychosocial characteristics, AAV patients displayed significantly higher psychoticism traits compared to RA, with no other differences being detected between AAV patients and both RA and HC. After adjusting for potential cofounders, scoring of the impact of stressful life events >3 was independently associated with AAV development compared to both RA and HC [ORs (95% CI): 4.6 (1.6-13.4) and 4.4 (1.0-19.0), respectively]. The perceived impact of stressful life events prior to disease onset emerged as a contributing factor for AAV development.