Related Fear Research Articles

Community stakeholder feedback for development of a volunteer-coached behavioral activation for youth in a low-resource community

Youth in low-resource communities have limited access to mental health (MH) services. This exploratory study reports community stakeholder feedback for stressors affecting youth MH and development of a volunteer-coach provided behavioral activation (BA) program for youth in a low-resource community. Eight focus groups with youth (n = 7) and adults (n = 35) were conducted during January-September 2023. Data analysis followed the inductive thematic analysis steps. Participants attributed the high prevalence of youth MH problems to high-pressure environment, lack of support, hopelessness about the future, and negative impact of social media. Youth participants expressed mistrust of MH professionals and were hesitant to endorse a volunteer-coached BA program. They stated the non-professionals will be better than professional therapists but mentioned the stigmatization of mental-health help-seeking and related fear of bullying. Adults were more supportive of the program but pointed out such practical barriers as lack of parental support and availability of youth time due to after-school extracurricular activities. Participants also provided suggestions to increase parents’ buy-in of the program. Stakeholder feedback illustrated multiple challenges for developing and implementing an evidence-based MH intervention program for youth in a low-resource community. MH literacy education and alleviation of stigma about MH help-seeking are essential steps.

Psychosexual trauma: Examining public perceptions and approaches to destigmatization

Background and purposePsychosexual trauma can have a serious impact on the psyche and emotional state of victims, it can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety and other mental disorders that are difficult to treat, so the issue of psychosexual trauma is constantly discussed and researched by scientists, which indicates its relevance and importance for society. The study aims to examine the features of psychosexual trauma and its consequences to develop an effective programme to raise awareness of this problem in society. MethodsThe following research methods were used: analysis, systematisation, and surveys, which helped to study the issue of psychosexual trauma as an obstacle to a full life for victims in more depth. ResultsThe study examined the consequences of psychosexual trauma, including severe psychological stress, traumatic depression, PTSD, adjustment disorders, gender identity disorders, fear of sexual relations, and a sense of isolation. The study identified ways to overcome psychosexual trauma: seeking professional psychological individual and group support, pharmacotherapy, taking care of physical health, having support from family and friends, and contacting a lawyer or human rights organisation. The study conducted a survey, the results of which indicate significant variability in attitudes towards victims of sexual violence, which correlates with the age and gender of the respondents. According to the survey, tolerance and understanding are more prevalent amongst younger age groups and women, while older age groups and men may be more likely to have negative attitudes. ConclusionsThe survey results served as the basis for the development of an information campaign to eliminate stigma against victims of sexual violence. The findings of the study can be used by psychologists, psychotherapists, and educators to develop training programmes on psychosexual trauma and psychological support to raise public awareness of the seriousness of the problem of psychosexual trauma, its prevalence, and the need for support for victims of violence.

When regional energy cooperation fails: learning from the struggles of Northeast Asia’s joint oil import mechanism

The question of why some regions reject energy cooperation initiatives that aim to improve their overall security of supply puzzles scholars and policymakers advocating for deeper regional integration through energy trade. This was the case in Northeast Asia, where efforts to create a joint oil import mechanism to improve China, South Korea and Japan’s collective bargaining power against Middle East suppliers repeatedly failed and turned instead into competing bilateral contracts at higher prices for all three countries. This article offers two explanations for this puzzle. First, the unique technical challenges and costly logistics of establishing reliable oil and gas supply routes make bilateral agreements more credible than multilateral guarantees in regions characterised by geographical remoteness and high differential vulnerability to disruptions among its members. Second, the tendency of policymakers to securitise their country’s energy supply pushes them to overemphasise their relative vulnerabilities and fear any loss of autonomy over their supplies.

Risk Perception and Maternal Prenatal Depressive Symptoms in the Early Stage of COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Role of Negative Emotions and Family Sense of Coherence.

Prenatal depression is associated with adverse health outcomes for both mothers and their children. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has presented new risks and challenges for expectant mothers. The aims of the study were to investigate the underlying mechanism between COVID-19 risk perception of Chinese pregnant women and their prenatal depressive symptoms and potential protective factors such as family sense of coherence (FSOC). A total of 181 Chinese pregnant women (Mage = 31.40 years, SD = 3.67, ranged from 23 to 43) participated in an online survey from April 22 to May 16, 2020. Risk perception and negative emotions (fear and anxiety) related with COVID-19, FSOC, and prenatal depressive symptoms were assessed. The experience of maternal COVID-19 related negative emotion fully mediated the positive relationship between COVID-19 risk perception and prenatal depressive symptoms of pregnant women (β = 0.12, 95% CI [0.06, 0.19]). When confronting COVID-19 related fear and anxiety, expectant mothers from higher coherent families experienced a significantly lower level of prenatal depressive symptoms. Contextual negative emotional experience was demonstrated to explain how risk perception impacts depressive symptoms during severe public health crisis for pregnant women. FSOC may be a psychological resource protecting pregnant women from experiencing adverse psychological outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 related barriers to institutional childbirth during the early phase of the pandemic in rural Arsi zone, Ethiopia, 2022: A qualitative study

IntroductionGlobal, national, and local studies revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced institutional childbirth. However, it is not well understood how the COVID-19 epidemic affected institutional childbirth service utilization. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate COVID-19 related impediments to institutional childbirth service uptake during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 20/2020–June 20/2020) in the rural Arsi zone of Ethiopia. MethodsA community-based Phenomenological study was conducted from January 10–25/2022, among mothers who gave birth in the Arsi zone during the early phase of the COVID-19 epidemic (March 20/2020–June 20/2020) in Ethiopia. Data was collected by the primary author and a university graduated Midwives with experience in qualitative data collection. Eight focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews were conducted among mothers who gave birth in selected rural areas of the Arsi zone during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nine key informant interviews were also conducted among Midwives, Maternity Ward Heads, and Community Health Extension Workers. Data was transcribed, translated, and analyzed thematically using Atlas Ti.7 version. ResultsFour major themes and eleven sub-themes emerged regarding the barriers to institutional childbirth during the early phase of COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 related fear was a reason for avoiding institutional childbirth for almost all participants. COVID-19 restrictions such as transportation bans, market bans and public transport price doubling were also critical concerns to seeking institutional childbirth. Perceived Poor quality of institutional childbirth care during the curfew was also an impeding factor. Poor communication, incomplete care components and absenteeism were mentioned under this theme. Unbalanced mass media tragedies and rumors of unknown sources were COVID -19 related infodemics found affecting the practice of institutional childbirth. ConclusionsCOVID-19 related fears, COVID-19 restrictions, Perceived Poor quality of care during the COVID-19 pandemic and the COVID-19 Infodemic were the main reasons for reduced institutional childbirth service utilization during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia. Therefore, strategies must be designed proactively to maintain essential maternal health services, particularly institutional childbirth, during pandemics like COVID-19 and similar future epidemics.

Impact of online psychological services on academic achievement and COVID-19 fear in students with addicted parents

BackgroundThe use of online psychological services has shown potential in alleviating mental health concerns during the coronavirus epidemic. This study aimed to investigate the effects of online psychological services on COVID-19 fear and academic achievement among students with addicted parents. MethodsThe current study is a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, and control group. The statistical population of this study included all male and female students in Tehran province in 2022. In order to select the sample, the call to participate in the study was made by the social media (Telegram, WhatsApp, Instagram, LinkedIn) for two months. Then, corona fear questionnaire link was sent to the email addresses of the respondents and 120 students who met the inclusion criteria were selected as the sample of the study. In the next stage, 120 students were randomly assigned in the experimental and control groups. After 8 online sessions, 4 students from the experimental group and 5 students from the control group ended their cooperation due to personal reasons and as a result, 56 and 55 students constituted the experimental and control groups, respectively. ResultsThe results indicated a significant increase in academic achievement for students in the experimental group post-intervention compared to the control group. Additionally, online psychological services appeared to mitigate COVID-19 related fears. ConclusionThis study suggests that online psychological services play a pivotal role in enhancing student's mental well-being during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Evaluation of a novel General Education Courses on Radiation Protection for Undergraduates.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a general education course titled "The Basis of Radiation Protection" in building and strengthening undergraduate awareness of radiation safety and cultivating innovative individuals with reasonable knowledge structures and strong practical abilities. Methods: All students from 2021 to 2022 enrolled in the core general education course "The Basis of Radiation Protection" at Shandong University of China were invited to participate. A questionnaire survey was conducted to determine changes in the students' basic cognition of radiation safety and scientific protection before and after the course. Results: The survey indicated that the cognitive level of radiation science protection had significantly improved through course completion. The Liszt quantification score range increased from 3.45 to 4.77 to 4.81 to 4.98 (p < 0.001). Further analysis revealed that different professional backgrounds significantly affected students' understanding of radiation safety protection; medical students were superior to electrical engineering students in their knowledge of ionizing radiation before the course (p < 0.001). However, after course completion, the understanding of students from both majors regarding radiation safety had relatively improved, and no significant difference was detected (p > 0.05). Feedback on the course showed that the awareness of "daily radiation protection" had significantly improved (96.8%), pseudoscience and pseudo-information could be correctively identified (93.6%), "nuclear power"-related fears had been dispelled (95.7%), and the concept of "cherishing life" had been effectively established (91.5%). Conclusion: The course effectively improved the awareness of radiation safety, strengthened the knowledge system, and provided a new way to cultivate innovative talent with reasonable knowledge structures.

Prejudice and Fear as Influences in Relation to a Successful Organ Donation - Experiences of Immigrants Living in Sweden.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether fear and prejudice in relation to organ donation and the transplantation of organs may influence the decision to become an organ donor. Data were collected through four group interviews using open-ended questions and qualitative content analysis. Forty participants, 16 males and 24 females from seven countries, participated in the focus group interviews. The analysis resulted in three main categories, and nine subcategories. Fears and prejudice caused by tradition and customs, approval of organ donation by family members, perception of the body as a gift from parents, the influence of religious leaders, knowledge about the religious understanding of organ donation, influence of social ambience on respondents, knowledge of the donation process in the healthcare system, including knowing about life after eventual organ donation, were some of predictors in the decision to agree to organ donation. More education on the factors that influence organ donation, more information in schools, health institutions and through the media, as well as more research with the aim of "dispelling" fears and prejudice about organ donation would significantly improve the current situation and result in a larger number of potential organ donors.

Explanation–Question–Response dialogue: An argumentative tool for explainable AI

Advancements and deployments of AI-based systems, especially Deep Learning-driven generative language models, have accomplished impressive results over the past few years. Nevertheless, these remarkable achievements are intertwined with a related fear that such technologies might lead to a general relinquishing of our lives’s control to AIs. This concern, which also motivates the increasing interest in the eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) research field, is mostly caused by the opacity of the output of deep learning systems and the way that it is generated, which is largely obscure to laypeople. A dialectical interaction with such systems may enhance the users’ understanding and build a more robust trust towards AI. Commonly employed as specific formalisms for modelling intra-agent communications, dialogue games prove to be useful tools to rely upon when dealing with user’s explanation needs. The literature already offers some dialectical protocols that expressly handle explanations and their delivery. This paper fully formalises the novel Explanation–Question–Response (EQR) dialogue and its properties, whose main purpose is to provide satisfactory information (i.e., justified according to argumentative semantics) whilst ensuring a simplified protocol, in comparison with other existing approaches, for humans and artificial agents.

Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy European Patient Survey: Assessing Patient Reported Disease Burden and Preferences in Clinical Trial Participation.

Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetic disorder characterized by progressive muscle weakness leading to permanent disability. There are no curative treatments, however, there are several upcoming clinical trials testing new therapies in FSHD. This study aimed to explore the disease burden and patient preferences of people with FSHD to ensure that clinical trials can be designed to include outcome measures that are relevant and important to patients. A survey was developed with a steering committee clinicians and physiotherapists with relevant experience in the disease, patient representatives, a registry expert and industry consultants. Themes of the survey included; participant demographics, disease progression and impact on function, factors encouraging or discouraging clinical trial participation, and positive outcomes of a clinical trial. 1147 participants responded to the online survey, representing 26 countries across Europe and a range of disease severities. The study highlighted the key symptoms causing concern for FSHD patients - muscle weakness and mobility issues - reflecting what participants want targeted for future therapies. The need for clear information and communication throughout clinical trials was emphasised. Factors most encouraging trial participation included access to new investigational therapies, access to trial results and benefits for the FSHD community. Factors most discouraging trial participation included travel related issues and fear of side effects. The results from this study identify the patient reported burden of FSHD and should provide researchers and industry with areas of therapeutic research that would be meaningful to patients, as well as supporting the development of patient centric outcome measures in clinical trials.

Exploring Gender Based Listening Anxieties in Computer Based IELTS Tests: An In-depth Investigation

The current study investigates diverse listening anxieties experienced by both genders during the computer-based IELTS listening test. Three key anxieties are examined: cognitive and physical stress, pronunciation and accent challenges, and language and vocabulary knowledge issues. A notable difference in responses between genders is observed, with females exhibiting increased anxiety levels when listening and typing simultaneously. In contrast, males face challenges comprehending different accents within the same audio. Both genders express significant apprehension regarding encountering unknown words. Employing a quantitative approach, the study analyses data from 88 participants who have recently appeared in the Computer-Based IELTS exam. Descriptive statistics serve as the primary analytical tool. Results indicate that the transition to screen-based IELTS introduces a few challenges for students accustomed to paper-based testing, exacerbating existing anxieties. The study advocates for integrating realistic practice tests into classroom curricula to alleviate screen related fears and prepare students for the exam environment. This research sheds light on the nuanced dynamics of listening anxieties in screen-based testing contexts, providing insights for educators and test administrators to enhance student preparation and performance.

Sleep disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from the second phase of web-based EPICOVID19 study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced significant impairments, including sleep disturbances. The present study aimed to explore the impact of fear in relation to stress on sleep disorders among Italian adults and older participants in the second phase of the EPICOVID19 web-based survey (January-February 2021). Sleep disturbances during the pandemic were evaluated using the Jenkins Sleep Scale, perceived stress through the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale and fear of contagion and about economic and job situation with four ad hoc items. The strength of the pathways between stress, sleep disturbances and fear was explored using structural equation modelling, hypothesising that stress was related to sleep disturbances and that fear was associated with both stress and sleep problems. Out of 41,473 participants (74.7% women; mean age 49.7±13.1years), 8.1% reported sleep disturbances and were more frequently women, employed in a work category at risk of infection or unemployed, and showed higher deprivation scores. Considering an a priori hypotheses model defining sleep and stress scores as endogenous variables and fear as an exogenous variable, we found that fear was associated with sleep problems and stress, and stress was associated with sleep problems; almost half of the total impact of fear on sleep quality was mediated by stress. The impact of stress on sleep quality was more evident in the younger age group, among individuals with a lower socioeconomic status and healthcare workers. Fear related to COVID-19 seem to be associated with sleep disturbances directly and indirectly through stress.

An investigation of factors associated with COVID-19 related fear and preventive behaviour among young adults in Bangladesh: a case study

An investigation of factors associated with COVID-19 related fear and preventive behaviour among young adults in Bangladesh: a case study

An investigation of factors associated with COVID-19 related fear and preventive behaviour among young adults in Bangladesh: a case study

An investigation of factors associated with COVID-19 related fear and preventive behaviour among young adults in Bangladesh: a case study

COVID-19 in social media: the effect of fear appeal messages in Facebook on users’ perception of hygienic measures to prevent contracting the disease

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in late 2019, a massive wave of fear appeal messages related to this disease was published on social media platforms, including Facebook. This research uses the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) to explore the impact of COVID-19 related fear appeal messages in Facebook on the perception of hygienic measures of Facebook users in Afghanistan. A nationwide paper-and-pen survey was conducted among Facebook users exposed to fear appeal messages related to COVID-19 in five highly populated cities in Afghanistan. The EPPM questionnaire was developed using the World Health Organization’s recommendations for preventive hygiene. By using the stratified random sampling method, 425 participants were selected. Pearson correlation coefficients and multilinear regression tests were used to analyze the data. The results show a significant relationship between exposure to fear appeal messages related to COVID-19 and perceptions of threat severity, susceptibility to COVID-19, self-efficacy, and response efficacy. The multilinear regression results show that exposure to fear appeal messages can help us predict the perception of threat severity and susceptibility. Finally, Facebook users in this study perceived a higher level of threat of COVID-19 than their level of perception of self-efficacy, so they were led to the process of fear control.

Effect of aquatic exercise versus standard care on paraspinal and gluteal muscles morphology in individuals with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial protocol

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is one of the most disabling diseases and a major health issue. Despite the evidence of a link between paraspinal and gluteal muscle dysfunction and LBP, it is unknown whether aquatic exercises can lead to improvements in paraspinal and gluteal muscle morphology and function, and whether improvements in overall muscle health are associated with improvements in patients’ outcomes. The unique properties of water allow a water-based exercise program to be tailored to the needs of those suffering from LBP. This study uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the effect of an aquatic exercise program versus standard exercise on 1) paraspinal and gluteal muscle size, quality and strength and 2) pain, disability, and psychological factors (pain related fear, depression, anxiety, sleep quality) in chronic LBP.MethodsThis study will include 34 participants with chronic non-specific LBP and moderate to severe disability, aged between 18 and 65, who will be randomly assigned (1:1) to the aquatic exercise group or land-based standard care exercise group. Both groups will receive 20 supervised sessions, twice per week over 10 weeks. MRIs will be obtained along the lumbosacral spine (L1-L5) and pelvis at the start and end of the intervention to assess the effect of each exercise intervention on paraspinal and gluteal muscle size and quality. Pre- to post-intervention changes in all outcomes between each group will be assessed, and the association between the changes in back muscle quality and clinical outcomes will be examined. Between-subjects repeated measure analysis of variance will be used to examine the changes in paraspinal muscle morphology over the different time points. Linear mixed models will be used to assess whether baseline scores can modify the response to the exercise therapy treatment.DiscussionThis study will determine if water-based exercises targeting the lower back and gluteal muscles can lead to important changes in muscle quality and function, and their possible relation with patients’ pain and functional improvements. Our findings will have strong clinical implications and provide preliminary data to design a community program to better support individuals with chronic LBP.Trial registrationNCT05823857, registered prospectively on April 27th, 2023.

Prevalence and factors associated with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among home isolated COVID-19 patients in Western Nepal.

Globally, COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on mental health. In Nepal, COVID-19 positive cases have to self-isolate at home in multi-generational and multi-family households. This could be strongly associated with depression, anxiety, and stress-related health outcomes. Additionally, COVID-19 related stigma and fear of transmission may intensify depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. This study determined the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms and their association with presence of COVID-19 symptoms and comorbid conditions among home isolated COVID-19 positives in the Karnali province, Nepal. We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms among 402 home isolated COVID-19 patients of Karnali province from January to May 2021 using "Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21)". We interviewed patients to collect socio-demographic, DASS-21, COVID-19 symptoms, comorbid conditions, and self-treatment. We conducted a telephonic interview using a standardized questionnaire using Kobotoolbox. We calculated the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. We utilized univariate and multivariate logistic regression to determine their association with the presence of COVID-19 symptoms and comorbid conditions. In multivariate logistic regression, we adjusted sociodemographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, monthly family income, education level), smoking status and history of self-treatment. We reported adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals. All analyses were conducted in R (version: 4.0.3). The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress symptoms among home isolated COVID-19 patients were 8.0% (95% CI: 5.5 to 11.1), 11.2% (95% CI: 8.3 to 14.7), and 4.0% (95% CI: 2.3 to 6.4) respectively. Higher odds of depression symptoms (aOR: 2.86; 95% CI: 1.10-7.44,p= 0.03), anxiety symptoms (aOR: 3.81; 95% CI: 1.62 to 8.93;p= <0.01) and stress symptoms (aOR: 7.78; 95% CI: 1.43 to 42.28;p= 0.02) were associated significantly with presence of COVID-19 symptoms in past week. Higher odds of anxiety symptoms were associated with the presence of comorbid conditions (aOR = 2.92; 95% CI: 1.09 to 7.80;p= 0.03). Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were present in a significant proportion of home isolated COVID-19 patients in western Nepal and positively associated with the presence of COVID-19 symptoms. In this global COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to provide timely counseling to high-risk groups like those with comorbidities and COVID-19 symptoms to maintain a high level of mental health among home isolated COVID-19 patients.

Acceptance for coronavirus disease 19 vaccines among pregnant women seeking antenatal care in tertiary care hospital

: Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID -19) is caused by the Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus (SARS-COV-2). In the absence of an effective treatment, vaccination becomes the main modality to control the incidence of infectious diseases. Hence, there is a need to estimate the attitudes and willingness among pregnant women for COVID 19 Vaccine.To estimate the frequency of COVID 19 Vaccine acceptance and non acceptance in pregnant women attending antenatal OPD. To describe the factors associated with non acceptance of COVID 19 Vaccine in pregnant women attending antenatal OPDThis is an observational cross-sectional study where 500 pregnant women attending antenatal care were counseled about the COVID-19 vaccine. Women who refused the vaccine were asked about the reasons for refusal and the same was noted. 95.6% accepted the vaccine and 4.4% did not accept. Majority belonged to 21 to 25 years(45% acceptors and 72% non acceptors), were second gravidas (38.7% acceptors and 54.5% non acceptors) and were between 25 to 36 weeks gestation(52.7% acceptors and 50% non acceptors). 13.8% of acceptors and 4.5% of non acceptors had previous history of abortions. Commonest concern was fear of vaccine related complications and fear of harming the fetus. Vaccine reactions followed by fear of harming the baby were the commonest reasons for non acceptance. Vaccine acceptance was high in this study (95.6%). Vaccine induced reactions followed by fear of harming the baby were the commonest reasons for non acceptance.

Evaluating the interactive impact of acculturative stress and anxiety sensitivity on behavioral health outcomes among Latinx during a period of high COVID-19 impact

ABSTRACT As a multi-systemic disease, COVID-19 infection engendered a rise in co-occurring mental and physical health symptoms, particularly affecting the Latinx population. The current work sought to evaluate the main and interactive influence of acculturative stress and anxiety sensitivity in terms of mental and physical health symptoms among 181 Latinx persons (30.4% female, M age = 34.1 years, SD = 8.20). Data were collected during a period of high COVID-19 impact (2020–2021) and analyses included five separate, two-step hierarchical regressions that were conducted for each of the criterion variables: (1) fear of coronavirus; (2) somatic symptoms; (3) fatigue severity; (4) anxiety symptoms; and (5) depression symptoms. For all analyses, step 1 covariates included years living in the U.S. COVID-19 impact, gender identity, education, and work life distress and home life distress. Results revealed an interactive effect of anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress on COVID-19 fear, unique main effects for both anxiety sensitivity and acculturative stress on COVID-19 related fear and somatic symptoms, and main effects for anxiety sensitivity alone in relation to fatigue severity, anxiety, and depression. Overall, this study represents an initial investigation of the associations between acculturative stress, anxiety sensitivity, and a range of salient COVID-19 related outcomes among Latinx persons.

Controlling intrusive thoughts of future fears under stress

Negative outlooks of our future may foster unwanted and intrusive thoughts. To some extent, individuals have control over their ability to suppress intrusions and downregulate their frequency. Acute stress impairs intentional suppression, leading to an increased frequency of intrusions. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the mechanism underlying stress-induced impairments in intentional suppression of intrusions by investigating the combined and independent roles of the two major stress hormones, noradrenaline and cortisol. Healthy participants (N = 181) were administered propranolol (to block the noradrenergic response), metyrapone (to block the cortisol response), or a placebo before being exposed to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test. Intrusive thoughts of autobiographical future fears were then measured via the Imagine/No-Imagine task. Results demonstrated that the stress response was successfully altered because of the drug and stress manipulations. In all groups, repeated suppression of future fears reduced intrusions. Across the sample, an enhanced decrease over time was associated with greater attenuation of anxiety towards the related fears. The groups did not differ in the total frequency of intrusions. Though, trait anxiety increased the total number of intrusions. Our findings show that stress hormones did not influence the ability to suppress intrusions. However, our results do add support to previous research linking anxiety to memory control deficits. When using autobiographical content, future research should focus on the quality and characteristics of the individual memories to explain more of the variation observed in intentional memory control.