Primary Stressors Research Articles

Exploring the Background, Context, and Stressors of Caregiving to Elderly Burned Patients: A Qualitative Inquiry.

Elderly persons are at risk of experiencing burns and require support from both formal and informal caregivers. Informal caregiving in this situation has been minimally explored. Guided by the Stress Process Model, this study aimed at exploring the background, context, and stressors of informal caregivers of elderly burned persons during hospitalization. A qualitative descriptive design was utilized. Purposive sampling approach was used to recruit fourteen (14) informal caregivers who rendered care to elderly burned persons during hospitalization. Interviews were conducted and transcribed verbatim following which directed content analysis was undertaken deductively. Three categories and six subcategories emerged which characterize the background, context, and stressors of informal caregiving to elderly burn patients. All the injuries occurred in the home setting and its sudden nature led to varied postburn emotional responses which characterized the context of burns caregiving. Primary stressors that emerged were related to the injury, actual caregiving demand, and concerns regarding increasing frailty levels. Secondary stressors identified were financial concerns and lifestyle changes. The findings suggest that the occurrence of burn injury served as a precursor to postburn stress response among informal caregivers. Increasing frailty levels, adequacy of household safety measures, and financial issues were key concerns which emphasize the need for psychosocial/transitional support, innovative healthcare financing measures, and continuing education on burns prevention in the home setting.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Interventions for Mood in Older Adults: How Do Qualitative Experiences Inform Clinical Response?

Older adulthood presents unique challenges to mental health. We explored how a mindfulness training intervention adapted for older adults addressed these challenges, contributing to a qualitative profile of mindfulness pedagogy for older adults. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) was adapted for a geriatric community sample with elevated depressive symptoms. Intervention effects were examined through a combination of scale-based assessment and qualitative interviews. Scales measured depressive symptoms, cognitive function, quality of life, and mindful attitudes. Interviews assessed stressors, goals, perceived obstacles, outcomes, and practice habits. A grounded-theory approach was used to identify responses in each category. Multiple regression analyses were used to identify qualitative responses that best predicted symptom reduction. The program was well-tolerated, positively endorsed, and associated with reduced depressive symptoms. Qualitatively, participants who identified family and mood as their primary stressors benefitted the most from course participation. A focus on present moment awareness was associated with decreased depressive symptoms, whereas a focus on hedonics, i.e., “feeling good,” was associated with poorer treatment outcomes. Participants maintained strong future practice intentions and preferred guided meditations to self-directed practice. The adapted MBSR program was well-tolerated and efficacious in a geriatric community sample. Efficacy may be improved by emphasizing skill development outcomes rather than achievement of positive feeling states, and by prioritizing program referrals for coping with socioemotional rather than environmental stressors. Future research could extend this mixed-methods approach to deepen our understanding of the relationship between participants’ lived experiences and clinical outcomes.

Cultural Bereavement and Resilience in Refugee Resettlement: A Photovoice Study With Yazidi Women in the Midwest United States.

This study explored how ethnic Yazidi refugee women overcome adversity to promote psychosocial health and well-being within the context of U.S. resettlement. Nine Yazidi women participated in two small photovoice groups, each group lasting eight sessions (16 sessions total). Women discussed premigration and resettlement challenges, cultural strengths and resources, and strategies to overcome adversity. Yazidi women identified trauma and perceived loss of culture as primary stressors. Participants' resilience processes included using naan (as sustenance and symbol) to survive and thrive as well as by preserving an ethnoreligious identity. Findings suggest that women's health priorities and resilience-promoting strategies center on fostering a collective cultural, religious, and ethnic identity postmigration. Importantly, women used naan (bread) as a metaphor to index cultural values, experiences of distress, and coping strategies. We discuss implications for this in promoting refugees' mental and psychosocial health in U.S. resettlement.

Identifying primary and secondary stressors, buffers, and supports that impact ECE teacher wellbeing: implications for teacher education

ABSTRACT Stress has been shown to negatively impact early childhood teachers’ abilities to provide high quality, responsive environments for young children. Previous studies of early childhood teacher stress have focused on the tasks and responsibilities inherent in the job as well as on structural conditions within the field of early childhood education. The present study explored inter- and intra-personal dimensions of early childhood teacher stress and applied the Stress Process model to teachers’ experience of work-related stress. Results from this qualitative study suggest that teachers experience primary stressors associated with the work itself and interactions with others within the workplace. They also experience secondary stressors when their work interferes with other domains of their lives. Despite these stressors, teachers have developed a variety of coping strategies and created networks of social support to buffer the impact of stressors on their practice. These findings use teachers’ own experiences to inform the types of pre-service training, professional development, and policy interventions that have the greatest potential to reduce ECE teacher stress and enable them to provide the highest quality early care and education for all children.

Assessing multiple stressor effects to inform climate change management responses in three European catchments

ABSTRACT Interactions between stressors in freshwater ecosystems, including those associated with climate change and nutrient enrichment, are currently difficult to detect and manage. Our understanding of the forms and frequency of occurrence of such interactions is limited; assessments using field data have been constrained as a result of varying data forms and quality. To address this issue, we demonstrate a statistical approach capable of assessing multiple stressor interactions using contrasting data forms in 3 European catchments (Loch Leven Catchment, UK: assessment of phytoplankton response in a single lake with time series data; Pinios Catchment, Greece: macroinvertebrate response across multiple rivers using spatial data; and Lepsämänjoki Catchment, Finland: phytoplankton response across multiple rivers using spatiotemporal data). Statistical models were developed to predict the relative and interactive effects of climate change and nutrient enrichment sensitive indicators (stressors) on indicators of ecological quality (ecological responses) within the framework of linear mixed effects models. In all catchments, indicators of nutrient enrichment were identified as the primary stressor, with climate change-sensitive indicators causing secondary effects (Loch Leven: additive, total phosphorus [TP] × precipitation; Pinios: additive, nitrate × dissolved oxygen; Lepsämänjoki: synergistic, TP × summer water temperature), the intensity of which varied between catchments and along the nutrient stressor gradient. Simple stressor change scenarios were constructed for each catchment and used in combination with mechanistic models to explore potential management responses. This approach can be used to explore the need for multiple stressor management in freshwaters, helping practitioners navigate a complex world of environmental change.

Long-term primary production trends in the Laurentian Great Lakes: a comparison of geochemical methods

Sediment cores from 12 locations throughout the Laurentian Great Lakes basin were analyzed for geochemical indicators of primary production. Sediment analytes included organic and inorganic contents, carbonates, sediment accumulation rates, total organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations, carbon and nitrogen isotope composition, and trends in spectroscopically inferred chlorophyll a (and its main diagenetic products). When multiple indicators were considered, production records related to recent cultural eutrophication and catchment activities were clear in the paleorecords. Indicators derived from loss-on-ignition (organic and inorganic content) were strongly associated with periods of human settlement in the catchments that increased overall sediment loads to the lakes. The ratio of carbon to nitrogen tracked catchment inputs of carbon, especially during periods of watershed development in western Lake Superior. Sediment records such as chlorophyll a and δ13Corg appear to be reliable indicators of trends in past algal abundance, particularly in Lake Erie, which has a well-known history of higher production and cultural eutrophication. These analytes also correlated well with past measured water quality surrogates for lake primary productivity and stressor data such as human populations in adjacent watersheds. A comparison among indicators revealed that several show redundancy as good proxies of production or productivity, though context was important. For instance, heavier isotopes of carbon and nitrogen are often prescribed as sedimentary indicators of lake productivity, but these two analytes were negatively correlated in Lake Superior, possibly due to long-term increases in cyanobacteria or changes in the nitrogen source. An increase in sediment carbonates can indicate summer blooms of cyanobacteria (a phenomenon that was clearly apparent in Lake Ontario) or catchment erosion. To make convincing geochemical inferences of primary production in the Great Lakes, it is recommended that a weight of evidence be built through the use of multiple indicators.

Emotions, Stressors, Coping Strategies, and Motivational Factors in Private Higher Education Institutions amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Private school teachers among Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) continue to strive to sustain quality education despite the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis. This study aimed to assess the emotions, stressors, coping strategies, and motivational factors of private HEI's teachers in Southern Philippines. Both negative and positive teachers' emotions were observed. Low salary scheme was the primary teachers' stressor. But, teachers utilized helpful strategies to cope with stress. Several motivational factors were seen as significant steps for their institutions to implement and follow. The high level of stressors of teachers during the pandemic influences the emotions towards the community and work situations. As they increasingly practice varied coping strategies and augment motivation to continue to work despite the situation, the better emotional state with lesser adverse feelings they will have. Government support is needed to aid private schools to continue the quality delivery of higher education. It is necessary to address stress-related problems of teachers during the pandemic, and help them strengthen their coping practices and motivation at work.

Dementia Caregiving and Cognition: An Extension of the Stress Process Model

As cases of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) continue to rise, informal caregivers are critical resources in providing dementia care, yet caregiving is associated with high levels of burden, stress, anxiety and depression. Caregiving can be a prolonged and stressful experience, and impaired cognitive functioning in caregivers could impact their own health and quality of life and compromise the quality of care provided to their care-recipient. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to use the Stress Process Model as a guiding theoretical framework to identify whether primary stressors (e.g., care recipient functional status, cognitive problems) or secondary stressors (e.g., loss of self, economic conflict) predict performance across seven domains of cognition in 50 primary ADRD caregivers. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine which primary and secondary stressors emerge as predictors of cognitive performance. Results indicated that primary stressors (e.g., problematic dementia behaviors and relational deprivation) significantly predicted working memory performance and secondary stressors (e.g., economic strain, loss of self) significantly predicted implicit memory performance. Additionally, higher levels of caregiver burden predicted worse performance on executive functioning and implicit memory measures. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that the stress associated with caregiving may have adverse effects beyond psychosocial outcomes, and findings can be used to inform policies and practices with regard to caregiver health and well-being.

Predicting Depression in Dementia Caregivers: Do Religious/Spiritual Struggles Play a Role?

Using a stress process framework model, this study is the first to comprehensively examine the role that religious/spiritual struggles play in the lives of informal dementia caregivers. A convenience sample of 156 informal dementia caregivers completed a scale measuring six domains of religious/spiritual struggles, as well as other measures of primary stressors, background/contextual variables, and mental health outcome (depression). Overall levels of religious/spiritual struggle were low, but 26 percent of the sample were classified as possible cases of clinically significant religious/spiritual struggle for at least one of the six domains. Of this group, 49 percent acknowledged struggles with ultimate meaning. Religious/spiritual struggles predicted greater self-reported depression over and above number of care recipient problem behaviors (primary stressor), caregiver sex, and caregiver personality (i.e., emotional stability). Although no individual domain of religious/spiritual struggle emerged as most salient, caregivers reported significantly more ultimate meaning struggles than demonic or interpersonal struggles. These findings support the growing body of research suggesting that religious/spiritual struggles serve as a secondary stressor, adding predictive power to background/contextual factors and to primary stressors for informal dementia caregiver mental health outcomes. Further research in this area may advance efforts to better equip both secular and religious professionals to provide evidence-based counsel to informal dementia caregivers.

Individual Differences in Caregiving: Application of a Stress Process Model

Stress process models propose individual differences in caregiver outcomes depending on background characteristics and primary caregiving stressors, and resilience factors including stress appraisals, and internal and external resources. This paper will examine individual differences in the effects of the transition to caregiving on indicators of well-being and biomarkers of inflammation. Completed analyses show that, contrary to previous findings from cross-sectional studies, changes in well-being after caregiving generally do not differ by caregiver race, gender, age, or relationship category (spouse, adult child, others). Additional analyses examine the relationship of primary caregiving stressors (e.g. ADL and behavioral problems), stress appraisals (e.g., perceived stressfulness of ADL and IADL problems, perceived benefits of caregiving), and personality with changes in well-being and inflammation after the transition to caregiving. The lack of differences on most biomarker measures suggests that caregivers show substantial resilience in the face of significant, chronic caregiving stress.

Gender, Race, and Immigrant Status: Intersecting Implications for Health in Middle and Later Life

Although the negative implications of gender, race and immigrant inequalities for health and well-being in the middle and later years of life are well-documented, there is a lack of research addressing their combined implications as well as the mechanisms linking them to various health-related outcomes. Yet, as intersectionality theory reminds us, the consequences of gender, race, immigrant and other inequalities for physical and mental health outcomes must be understood in terms of these overlapping social identities. Moreover, linking intersectionality to stress process theory provides us with an explanation of the mechanisms potentially linking intersecting structural inequalities to health outcomes. This paper draws on data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA - N=51,338) to assess the additive and interactive implications of gender, race and immigrant status for physical and mental health outcomes, together with the mediating effects of primary and secondary stressors on these outcomes. The results of a series of weighted least squares regression analyses suggest that immigrant status interacts with race and/or gender to influence health outcomes. Socioeconomic and other stressors also play a role in linking these intersecting structural inequalities to health outcomes. Overall, our findings provide initial support for the value of linking intersectionality and stress process frameworks for an understanding of the health implications of structural inequalities in middle and later life.

Use of Home Care Services Reduces Caregiving-Related Strain in Long-Distance Caregivers

Long-distance caregivers (LDCs) comprise a growing yet relatively understudied segment of the caregiving population. The current study (N=166) investigated the mediating role of home care hours on the association between primary caregiving stressors (care recipient [CR] levels of cognitive and functional impairment) and LDCs’ perceived strain (perceived interference of caregiving with other family responsibilities and work). Results from path analyses showed that home care hours fully mediated the negative effect of CRs’ functional impairment on family interference and the negative effect of CRs’ cognitive impairment on work interference. Further, the negative effect of CRs’ cognitive impairment on family interference was partially mediated by home care hours. Thus, a mediating role of home care service hours in the associations between objective stressors and LDC strain was established for both family and work domains. Findings highlight the potential of home care services in alleviating strain in LDCs of community-dwelling CRs.

Ocean Acidification and Ocean Warming Effects on Pacific Herring (Clupea pallasi) Early Life Stages

Increasing green house gas emissions are expected to raise surface seawater temperatures and lead to locally intensified ocean acidity in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) are ecologically and economically important forage fish species native to this region. While the impacts of ocean acidification and ocean warming on organism physiology have been extensively studied, less is known on how concurrent climate change stressors will affect marine fish. Therefore, our study focused on the combined effects of ocean acidification and warming on Pacific herring early life history stages. Pacific herring embryos were incubated under a factorial design of two temperature (10°C or 16°C) and twopCO2(600 μatm or 1200 μatm) treatments from fertilization until hatch (6 to 15 days depending on temperature). ElevatedpCO2was associated with a small increase in embryo mortality. Elevated temperature, as a single stressor, generated greater embryo mortality and embryo heart rates, larger yolk areas upon hatch, lower hatching success, and shorter larval lengths; compared with the same parameters measured under ambient temperature. The interaction of elevated temperature andpCO2was associated with greater embryo heart rates and yolk areas compared to ambient conditions. This study suggests that while temperature is the primary global change stressor affecting Pacific herring embryology, interaction effects withpCO2could introduce additional physiological challenges.

Stressor-Oriented MUlticomponent Intervention and the WeLl-Being of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial (SOUL-P).

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience various stressors that negatively impact well-being. Most studies have, however, small effect size and are limited by the experiences of severe patients. Therefore, we conducted a single-blind, randomized controlled trial, which has included patients at different stages. The stressor-oriented multicomponent program was designed as an intervention for AD patients to enhance well-being. Patients were randomly assigned to control or SOUL-P conditions according to disease severity. The SOUL-P group received 15 intensive sessions over 6 months and 6 maintenance sessions over a 6-month follow-up by a multidisciplinary team comprising psychologists, occupational therapists, and community nurses. The control group received a similar number of sessions by community nurses. Stress-related outcomes (primary stressors and well-being outcomes) were obtained from in-person baseline and follow-up interviews conducted at 6- and 12-months post-baseline. A treatment compliance survey was conducted at the intervention endpoint for patients. Of the 863 patients screened, 218 (25.3%) were eligible. At 6 months, compared to controls, SOUL-P patients had improved quality of life (QoL) (p < 0.001; Cohen d = 0.56), depression (p = 0.020; Cohen d = -0.33), neurobehavioral symptoms (p = 0.034; Cohen d = -0.30), perceived stress (p = 0.030; Cohen d = -0.31), and family conflict (p = 0.026; Cohen d = -0.32). QoL, depression, perceived stress, and family conflict were still significantly different at 12 months. Most patients were satisfied with SOUL-P, while caregivers in the SOUL-P group reported overloading tasks. SOUL-P may reduce perceived stress and improve psychological outcomes in AD patients. Stressor-based interventions, patient-oriented goals, and a multidisciplinary team are essential features for a successful SOUL-P.

Cardiovascular Responses to Stress Utilizing Anticipatory Singing Tasks

Abstract. Models of psychobiological stress reactivity have a foundation in the measurement of responses to standardized stress tasks. Tasks with anticipatory phases have been proposed as an effective method of stress induction, either as a stand-alone task or replacement constituent elements for existing stressor paradigms. Tasks utilizing singing as a primary stressor have been proposed but the efficacy of these tasks have not been demonstrated while maintaining adherence to a resting/reactivity/recovery framework desirable for heart rate variability (HRV) measurement. This study examines the viability of an anticipatory sing-a-song task as a method for inducing mental stress and examines the utility of the task with specific reference to measures of cardiovascular reactivity and recovery activity, and standard protocols to examine HRV reactivity and recovery. Participants completed a dual task with a math task and an anticipation of singing component. Responses were examined according to a resting/reactivity/recovery paradigm and the findings indicate that the sing-a-song stimulus is effective in generating a stress response. Significant differences in heart rate and self-reported stress between baseline and stressor conditions were detected, with greater magnitude differences between baseline and anticipatory phases. This study has demonstrated the viability of the anticipation of singing as a standardized stressor using cardiovascular measures and has described variants of this task that may be used for repeated measures study designs.

The Lonely, Isolating, and Alienating Implications of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

This article provides a narrative review on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) through a psychosocial lens and examines how this impairment affects its sufferers during adolescence and adulthood, as well as how it impacts family caregivers and healthcare professionals’ mental health. Since there has been a lack of investigation in the literature, the primary psychosocial stressor that this review focuses on is loneliness. As such, and in an attempt to help establish a theoretical framework regarding how loneliness may impact ME/CFS, loneliness is comprehensively reviewed, and its relation to chronic illness is described. We conclude by discussing a variety of coping strategies that may be employed by ME/CFS individuals to address their loneliness. Future directions and ways with which the literature may investigate loneliness and ME/CFS are discussed.

Molecular Markers Improve Abiotic Stress Tolerance in Crops: A Review.

Plants endure many abiotic stresses, such as temperature (heat or frost), drought, and salt. Such factors are primary and frequent stressors that reduce agriculture crop yields. Often alterations in nutrient management and constituents, along with variations in biosynthetic capacity, ultimately reduce or halt plant growth. Genetically, stress is an environmental condition that interferes with complete genetic expression. A vast range of molecular genomic markers is available for the analysis of agricultural crops. These markers are classified into various groups based on how the markers are used: RAPD (Random amplified polymorphic DNA) markers serve to identify and screen hybrids based on salinity and drought stress tolerance, while simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers are excellent for the assessment of stress tolerance. Such markers also play an important role in the QTL (Quantitative trait loci) mapping of stress-related genes. Dehydrins for drought and saltol for salinity stresses are primitive genes which regulate responses to these conditions. Further, a focus on traits using single-gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers supports genetic mapping and the sequencing of stress-related traits in inbred lines. DNA markers facilitate marker-assisted breeding to enhance abiotic stress tolerance using advanced techniques and marker modification.

Anthropogenic chemicals and their impacts on microbes living in buildings.

Humans spend the vast majority of their time indoors where complex interactions occur among indoor anthropogenic chemicals, indoor microbiomes and human occupants. This paper summarizes previous work addressing interactions between anthropogenic chemicals associated with indoor household products and building materials, and microorganisms found within the built environment. Water availability seems to determine the extent to which microbes are impacted by anthropogenic chemicals, since desiccation remains one of the primary stressors regulating microbial viability indoors. Several lines of evidence suggest that both fungi and bacteria are capable of transforming biodegradable ingredients originating from various products used indoors when water is present. Previous research also establishes positive and significant correlations between anthropogenic chemicals that are antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance gene abundance. As researchers move towards understanding complex indoor environments as well as the role of anthropogenic chemicals in shaping microbiomes, in situ activities associated with the viable indoor microbial population merit more attention.

Comparison of Effectiveness of Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Fungi (AMF) on Vitis vinifera under Low Irrigation Conditions

Background: Grapevine is an important perennial crop worldwide, consumed as fresh or dried (raisins) fruit. Grapevines are exposed to a variety of abiotic stresses during their growth. Water shortage is one of the primary stressors and severely restricts the development of the grape industry. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), a kind of beneficial soil microorganism, can create a symbiotic association with plant roots forming arbuscular mycorrhizas (AMs), which play a role in the regulation of plant growth. Methods: This research was accomplished in order to investigate the effect of 4 species mycorrhizal fungi on grapevine ‘Asgari’ cultivar under water stress conditions. We use of 3 irrigation regime that consist: 100% (as control), 70 and 40 % of field capacity. As well as, mycorrhizal treatments include: non-use of mycorrhizal (NM) and use of mycorrhiza (M) (Glomus mosseae, G. intraradices, G. etunicatum and G. verciform). Result: The results indicated that shoot and root dry weight, pigments (total chlorophyll and carotenoids), relative water content (RWC), P, Mg2+ and Ca2+ under water limitation decreased but electrolyte leakage (EL), proline and total soluble sugars (TSS) increased chlorophyll content, RWC and nutrient (P, K+ and Ca2+) in M plants was higher than NM plants. Generally, the use of mycorrhiza fungi in this experiment reduced the harmful effects of water stress. Our results shown that G. verciform and G. etunicatum were better for symbiosis with “Asgari” grapevine under water limitation.

Caregiver Well-Being and Burden: Variations by Race/Ethnicity and Care Recipient Nativity Status.

Background and ObjectivesDespite growing diversity among the aging population and extensive previous research on racial/ethnic minority caregivers, little research has been conducted on the potentially unique experiences and outcomes of informal caregivers of foreign-born care recipients. Using nationally representative data and the Stress Process Model, the current study examined the differences in caregiver outcomes (care burden, psychological well-being, and self-rated health) by care recipient nativity status (U.S.-born vs. foreign-born) and the extent to which caregiver outcomes vary by care recipient nativity status and caregiver race/ethnicity (non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and Others).Research Design and MethodsThe current study used Round 5 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study and the National Study of Caregiving (N = 1,436). We conducted ordinary least squares regression to analyze the differences in caregiver’s outcomes by care recipient nativity status and caregiver race/ethnicity and to investigate the impacts of the inclusion of caregiving factors (background factors, primary stressors, secondary stressors, and resources).ResultsRegression analyses showed that only care burden significantly varied by care recipient nativity status after controlling for covariates. Caregivers of foreign-born care recipients reported a higher burden. However, when interactions of care recipient nativity status × caregiver race/ethnicity were introduced, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic caregivers of foreign-born care recipients were more likely to report better psychological well-being and self-rated health compared to their counterparts. Across caregiver groups, better caregiver–care recipient relationship quality and less caregiver chronic conditions were associated with less burden and better caregiver psychological well-being and self-rated health.Discussion and ImplicationsCare recipient nativity status and caregiver race/ethnicity may have complex effects on caregiving experiences. Given the observed significant interaction effects for caregiver psychological well-being and self-rated health, cultural factors may affect the extent to which these caregivers appraise their caregiving. Future research should delve into the appropriate ways to assess care stress as well as resilience among each caregiver group. Our results indicate the need for research, education, and practice that assess cultural and within-group differences among caregivers and inform needed changes to structural barriers.