Stressful Experiences Research Articles

Relationship between Academic Stress Level with Eating Behavior in Undergraduate Students of Faculty of Public Health Airlangga University

Background: College students are a group of individuals who belong to adolescence and young adulthood with generally poor eating habits that can be caused by various factors. Pressure in academic matters is one of the main factors of student stress, such as the desire to get high grades and student anxiety to try not to fail. Students often neglect some routines that can actually support performance in learning, one of which is eating. This kind of lifestyle is associated with poor health, which in turn affects life satisfaction. Life satisfaction of young adults is related to eating, because eating can determine health conditions. Objective: This study aims to analyze the relationship between academic stress levels and eating behavior in undergraduate students of the Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Airlangga. Methods: This study was a quantitative study with a cross sectional approach. The research samples was 60 people, obtained randomly by simple random sampling on Microsoft Excel. Data collection included filling out a questionnaire of respondent characteristics, academic stress levels with the Student-Life Stress Inventory, and eating behavior with the Adult Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Data analysis used in this study was Spearman correlation test. Results: It was found that 58.3% of students had eating behavior that tended to food avoidance and 41.7% of students have eating behavior that tended to food approach. A total of 58.3% of students experienced academic stress levels. There was a relationship between academic stress level (p = 0.001) and eating behavior. Conclusion: The conclusion of this study is that students who have moderate levels of academic stress experience eating behaviors that tend to be food avoidance. It is recommended that students still be able to manage stress well and regulate eating behavior by choosing foods that are in accordance with the principles of balanced nutrition and not skipping breakfast or eating.

Problematic Consumption of Alcohol, Cannabis and Cigarettes.

Even among minors, the use of psychotropic substances is widespread in Europe. Data on the use of tobacco, alcohol and cannabis are regularly reported in Germany, but data on problematic use are lacking. In the present study, established screening instruments were used to investigate the prevalence of problematic use of cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis among children and adolescents. A survey that was designed to be representative was conducted across Germany in a sample of 4001 persons aged 12-17. The survey consisted of established screening instruments for problematic consumption patterns and related psychosocial aspects. Prevalences were estimated, and bivariate and multivariate associated characteristics were studied. Among 12- to 17-year-olds in Germany, the prevalence values (with 95% confidence intervals) of problematic use were: for cigarettes, 0.5% [0.3; 0.7]; for alcohol, 11.3% [10.3; 12.3]; and for cannabis, 0.5% [0.3; 0.7]. For the problematic use of cigarettes, alcohol and cannabis, there were both bivariate and multivariate statistically significant associations with greater psychopathology, lower mindfulness, and a lower quality of life. For example, greater psychopathology and stress experience were both associated with an increased risk of problematic cannabis use (odds ratios 1.21 [1.11; 1.31] and 1.59 [1.33; 1.88]). A comparison with the few available previous findings implies that problematic alcohol consumption has become more prevalent. There were both similarities and differences across the three substances studied with respect to patterns of problematic consumption, particularly in relation to the experience of stress.

Effects of Social Support on Academic Resilience of Undergraduate Students

The current study aims at investigating the effect of social support on the academic resilience of undergraduate students. Students experience multiple academic challenges due to their transition to higher education. These challenges pave way for social support to significantly reduce stressful academic experiences to foster persistence among the learners. The support experiences by students focuses on informational support, esteem support, motivational support, and venting support. These support experiences facilitate students in resolving academic issues while preparing for their assignments, quizzes and exams. The current research used causal comparative research to study the above-mentioned constructs. The multistage stratified sampling technique was used to draw the sample (n=600) of undergraduate students from Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). The findings of the study revealed that social support significantly influence academic resilience (p= .000) and its sub constructs perseverance (p= .000), reflective and adaptive-help seeking (p= .000), and negative affect and emotional response (p= .000). Furthermore, esteem support, motivational support, and venting support significantly influence academic resilience (p= .000) of students. It can be concluded that students experience high levels of social support in sorting their academic problems and receiving emotional assistance. It can be further suggested that interactive learning strategies should be adopted for thorough understanding of concepts and ensuring hands-on experiences for students to instill soft/digital skills.

Burnout and Health Scores Among Residency Programs as an Indicator of Wellness.

With long hours, significant responsibilities, and a heavy workload, residency can be an incredibly stressful experience. The aim of our study was to assess the impact of residency on mental health and wellness. A secondary aim was to determine if the post-graduate year (PGY) of the different residents impacted their mental health or ability to cope with the stressors of residency. Residents in anesthesiology, family medicine, internal medicine, and surgery were invited to complete a survey. The first portion of the survey had residents rank their mental health on a scale from 1 to 5. There was also a short-form answer portion, which collected suggestions on how to improve wellness. An analysis of variance was used to compare the means of 2 continuous outcome variables-Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) and burnout scores compared across specialties and post-graduate years. Burnout scores were measured using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory. This survey was created and validated by psychology researchers to assess burnout based on the strongest indicators of burnout-emotional exhaustion and disengagement from work. The PHQ9 survey was chosen as it has a specificity of 91-94% and is a reliable method to screen for depression, a common companion to burnout. PHQ9 scores were highest among surgery residents (7.2 ± 7.07), followed by anesthesia (6.59 ± 6.64), emergency medicine (5.57 ± 4.09), and internal medicine (4.82 ± 3.68). Scoring was also higher among PGY4-6 residents. Burnout scores were highest among surgery (37.8 ± 8.69) and anesthesia (38.17 ± 7.09) residents and among PGY4-6 residents. PGY4-6 residents had a mean burnout score of 38.55 ± 7.67 compared to 36.17 ± 8.69 among first-year residents. Similarly, the P value noted no significant difference among burnout scores across either specialty or year: .5930 and .8061. There was no significant difference among specialties or years in training among their subjective ratings of depression.

THE EFFECT OF NATURAL MUSIC ON REDUCING STRESS LEVELS IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

College students are a transition period from adolescence to early adulthood. At that time, students had to be clever in adapting to their environment. College students who fail to adapt can experience anxiety, lack of self-expression and face obstacles and obstacles in the academic field. The aim of this research is to see whether or not there is an effect of natural music therapy on reducing stress levels in students. This research is a type of experimental research to observe the effects of changes before and after treatment. The sampling technique used was the purposive sampling method. The criteria for this research were 2022 psychology college students at the Padang campus who were/had experienced stress. The total sample consisted of 10 colege students. The measuring instrument in this study used the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) 21. The data was processed using the SPSS version 26.0 for Windows application using non-parameter statistical tests using the Wilcoxon test to test the difference between the DASS 21 scores before being given treatment and after being given treatment. Based on the results, the Asymp Sig (2 Tailed) (0.015) < (0.05) results show that there is a significant difference between college students' stress levels before being treated and after being treated.

Digitalization and job stress: exploring the mediating roles of job and personal aversion risk with gender as a moderator.

BackgroundThis time-lagged study delves into the impact of digitalization on job stress. Digitalization is defined as the incorporation of digital technologies into various aspects of work life, fundamentally transforming processes, interactions, and decision-making.AimThe present research focuses on the mediating roles of job-related risk and personal risk, and the moderating effect of gender. We hypothesized that employees’ aversion to risks, both in their professional and personal facets, mediates the relationship between the rapid digitalization of their work environment and the resultant job stress. Regarding gender as a moderator, recent research suggests that gender can influence the experience of workplace stress, with women often experiencing higher levels of stress than men in certain situations. This indicates that gender might also moderate the relationship between digital living, risk perception, and job-related stress. This approach allows for an examination of the ways in which digital technology adoption influences workplace stress, considering the temporally spaced data.MethodsConducted over three waves of data collection among 795 Chinese employees, the research utilizes Hayes’s Model 8, adept at revealing the dynamics of digitalization’s influence in the workplace and its effects on individual well-being.ResultsThe study corroborates Hypothesis 1 by establishing a significant, albeit less pronounced, relationship between digital living and job stress. The findings also support Hypothesis 2 by demonstrating that both job risk and personal risk mediate this relationship. The study’s results also validate Hypothesis 3, indicating that gender moderates the relationship between digital living, job risk, personal risk, and job stress. Finally, the significant interaction effects found in the study, particularly the stronger conditional negative effect of digital living on perceptions of job and personal risks for males, despite the absence of statistical significance failed to support Hypothesis 4.ImplicationsThis study sheds light on the dynamics of job stress in the context of a digitalizing work environment. The results have important implications for designing workplace strategies and interventions that are sensitive to risk perceptions and gender differences in the digital era.

Stress, Mental Health, and Risk-Taking: Associations among a Sample of Agricultural Adolescents.

Farm stress and mental health research has largely focused on adult producers, even though youths live and work on farms. The purpose of this study is to describe the stress and mental health experience of agricultural youths and describe participation in risk-taking behaviors. Farm families in the U.S. were invited to participate in an online survey that inquired about farm economics, stress (ASQ-S), mental health (PHQ-A and SCARED), parenting, social support, and risk-taking behaviors during the summers in 2021 and 2022. This analysis is limited to adolescent respondents (N = 298). Just over 70% of the farm adolescent sample met the criteria for at least mild symptoms of depression (PHQ-A score ≥ 5). Among anxiety disorders, 62.8% of the farm adolescent sample met the criteria for probable panic disorder, and 70.5% met the criteria for probable separation anxiety disorder. Adolescents reported the most stress around future uncertainty and school performance. The stress scores were significantly associated with more symptoms of depression. Over a quarter (27.7%) of the participants reported carrying a weapon at least 1 day in the past month, and 22.5% reported carrying a weapon on school property at least 1 day in the past month. Violence-related risk-taking behaviors were also associated with increased symptoms of depression. The results underscore the need for community- and school-based stress and mental health interventions in rural and agricultural communities.

Psychological Outcomes in Families of PICU Survivors: A Meta-Analysis.

Pediatric critical illness exposes family members to stressful experiences that may lead to subsequent psychological repercussions. To systematically review psychological outcomes among PICU survivors' family members. Four medical databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL and PsycInfo) were searched from inception till October 2023. Studies reporting psychological disorders in family members of PICU patients with at least 3 months follow-up were included. Family members of nonsurvivors and palliative care patients were excluded. Screening and data extraction was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. Data were pooled using a random-effects model. Of 5360 articles identified, 4 randomized controlled trials, 16 cohort studies, and 2 cross-sectional studies were included (total patients = 55 597; total family members = 97 506). Psychological distress was reported in 35.2% to 64.3% and 40.9% to 53% of family members 3 to 6 months and 1 year after their child's PICU admission, respectively. Post-traumatic stress disorder was diagnosed in 10% to 48% of parents 3 to 9 months later. Parents that experienced moderate to severe anxiety and depression 3 to 6 months later was 20.9% to 42% and 6.1% to 42.6%, respectively. Uptake of mental counseling among parents was disproportionately low at 0.7% to 29%. Risk factors for psychiatric morbidity include mothers, parents of younger children, and longer duration of PICU stay. The majority of studies were on parents with limited data on siblings and second degree relatives. There is a high burden of psychological sequelae in family members of PICU survivors. Risk stratification to identify high-risk groups and early interventions are needed.

Rejection in romantic relationships: Does rejection sensitivity modulate emotional responses to perceptions of negative interactions?

BackgroundRejection is a highly stressful experience and individuals tend to avoid it whenever possible. In intimate relationships, experiences of rejection can shape the interaction dynamics between partners. Highly rejection sensitive people fear that their romantic partner will reject them and they overreact to any ambiguous cues that might indicate rejection. Furthermore, because they focus on the threat of rejection, they may have difficulty disengaging from rejection-related emotions, persevere in a rejection-focused state and have a reduced capacity to regulate their emotions. The prolonged experience of strong negative emotions, together with maladaptive attempts to respond to rejection, may undermine key relationship maintenance processes that contribute to relationship functioning and lead to negative reciprocity in interactions. The goal of the present study was to shed light on how individuals experience rejection-related emotions and determine whether, following perceptions of negative interactions, rejection sensitivity was associated with stronger negative responses and less efficient downregulation of negative emotions. In addition, we examined whether dyadic patterns of rejection sensitivity were associated with negative emotion dynamics following perceptions of negative interactions.MethodsThe participants (N = 298) were couples experiencing the transition to parenthood. A multilevel modelling approach was used to assess the associations between rejection sensitivity, perceptions of negative interactions and emotional states. The analyses included repeated daily reports for both rejection and emotions.ResultsThe results suggest that rejection sensitive individuals do not report higher negative emotions when they perceive negative interactions. Moreover, rejection sensitive men and women did not remain longer in a negative emotional state after they perceived negative interactions with their partner. Finally, when both men and women partners reported higher levels of rejection sensitivity, neither reported having higher negative emotions after experiencing negative interaction perceptions.ConclusionsOur findings provide further insights into emotional dynamics and rejection sensitivity in romantic relationships. Our results do not provide evidence for a link between rejection sensitivity and higher negative emotions or slower recovery after reports of negative interactions. If individuals suppress their emotions, they may not benefit from regulation with their partner and instead may protect themselves over their relationships. However, in this context, rejection sensitivity might also not constitute a strong predictor of daily emotion fluctuations, but other variables– such as relationship satisfaction – might. Future research may investigate emotional responses in a sample with higher levels of rejection sensitivity and use more diverse measures of perceptions of negative interactions.

Dynamics of Perceived Stress, Stress Appraisal, and Coping Strategies in an Evolving Educational Landscape.

In the evolving landscape of education, college teachers often find themselves at the crossroads of myriad stressors, ranging from institutional demands to personal challenges. Understanding the factors that influence their stress perceptions and coping mechanisms is pivotal, not just for their well-being, but also for the overall quality of education imparted. This study sought to investigate the intricate relationships between gender, marital status, institutional affiliation, and their collective impacts on perceived stress, stress appraisal, and coping strategies among college teachers. A sample of 300 college teachers, evenly split with reference to gender, was engaged. Employing tools including Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Stress Appraisal Measure (SAM), and Brief COPE, the analysis of the study used independent samples t-test and Pearson Product Moment Correlation to derive insights. Findings revealed pronounced gender disparities in stress perception and appraisal, with women teachers manifesting heightened levels. Marital status emerged as a significant modulator of stress and coping, with married teachers depicting nuanced stress and its appraisal with reported coping strategies compared to their unmarried peers. Furthermore, a significant variance in perceived stress and coping was observed between teachers of private and governmental institutions, with private institution teachers displaying elevated stress levels. The study underscores the multifaceted nature of stress experiences among college teachers in Pakistan, influenced by a blend of personal and institutional determinants. These insights are pivotal for institutions aiming to enhance the well-being and effectiveness of their teachers. However, given the specific cultural context of the study, there is an imperative for more global, comparative research, ensuring holistic support mechanisms for teachers worldwide.

Stress-Induced Hypercoagulability: Insights from Epidemiological and Mechanistic Studies, and Clinical Integration.

By integrating findings from comprehensive reviews, meta-analyses, and cutting-edge genetic studies, this article illuminates the significance of stress-induced hypercoagulability in clinical medicine. In particular, the findings from numerous prospective cohort studies indicate that stress and hemostatic factors of a hypercoagulable state are associated with increased incident risk and poor prognosis for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and venous thromboembolism. Mendelian randomization studies suggest that these associations are partially causal. The review synthesizes extensive research on the link between acute and chronic stress and hypercoagulability, outlining a potential pathway from stress to thrombosis risk. Consistent with the allostatic load concept, acute stress-induced hypercoagulability, initially adaptive, can turn maladaptive under chronic stress or excessive acute stress, leading to arterial or venous thrombotic events. Individuals with predisposing factors, including atherosclerosis, thrombophilia, or immobilization, may exhibit an increased risk of thrombotic disease during stress. Contextual sociodemographic characteristics, the stress experience, and coping resources additionally modulate the extent of stress-induced hypercoagulability. Research into the neuroendocrine, cellular, and molecular bases reveals how stress influences platelet activation coagulation and fibrinolysis. The activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, along with vagal withdrawal, and the effects of catecholamines, cortisol, and vasopressin, are the central mechanisms involved. Hemoconcentration, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and thrombopoiesis additionally contribute to stress-induced hypercoagulability. Further research is needed to prove a causal link between chronic stress and hypercoagulability. This includes exploring its implications for the prevention and management of thrombotic diseases in stressed individuals, with a focus on developing effective psychosocial and pharmacological interventions.

Wet corrosion of incinerators under chloride deposits: Insights from experimental study on stainless steels and nickel-based alloy weldments

The deliquescence of the corrosion species produced by nuclear waste incineration, in particular ZnCl2, makes wet corrosion possible even in dehumidified atmosphere complicating the corrosion risk management of the equipment. A specific cyclic corrosion test was used to assess the compatibility of corrosion resistance alloys to such conditions. Thereby, AISI 316 L welds resisted somehow to pitting but experienced severe stress corrosion cracking, while UR66™ showed only pitting in the heat affected zone. Hastelloy® C22 exhibited better performance, with localized corrosion only in the fusion zone, that was greatly influenced by the composition of the filler materials and welding techniques.

Stress level and interdialytic weight gain (IDWG) in hemodialysis patients

Stress has various impacts on hemodialysis patients. Stress in hemodialysis patients can cause physical symptoms (fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea, and vomiting), a decrease in quality of life, and non-compliance with self-management, one of which is compliance related to limiting fluid intake, thus adversely affecting on the patient's IDWG. IDWG is an important indicator for fluid monitoring in hemodialysis patients. Increasing IDWG that exceeds the tolerance limit can have a negative impact and can even cause mortality. This study aimed to determine the correlation between stress level and IDWG among hemodialysis patients. This study was conducted in the hemodialysis unit of RSD Mangusada, involving 95 respondents. This study was quantitative, with non-experimental research using a cross-sectional approach. Data collection was carried out with DASS questionnaires for stress and observation sheets for the IDWG. The data was analyzed using Pearson's Spearman Rank (α<0.05). Respondents with IDWG within tolerance limits were the majority unstressed, and none experienced severe stress or very severe stress. There is a positive and weak correlation between stress and IDWG among patients undergoing hemodialysis. The findings from this study may provide useful information in reviewing existing nursing care and standards of care provided in hemodialysis units, including the need to consider psychological assistance services in the care of hemodialysis patients. Qualitative research is needed to explore the in-depth experience of stress in hemodialysis patients and the factors associated with it.

Using Caring Theory to Guide Application of Psychological PPE to Support Graduate Nurse Wellbeing in a Pandemic and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted lives worldwide, including students pursuing secondary education. This disruption caused increased worry, anxiety, and overall stress in students. Graduate-level nursing students also not only experienced stress related to educational disruptions but also due to work and home life upheaval as well. Faculty were challenged to support students in reducing educational stress and anxiety. While the Institute for Healthcare Improvement introduced the concept of ‘Psychological Personal Protective Equipment’ (PPE) to support the mental well-being of healthcare workers, this article explores how faculty implemented psychological PPE in graduate-level education using Swanson's Theory of Caring as the theoretical framework during the pandemic and how these constructs can continue to support student wellbeing in today's challenging environment.

Nonpharmacological Interventions to Mitigate Procedural Pain in the NICU: An Integrative Review.

Small infants experience a myriad of stimuli while in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with many being painful or stressful experiences, although medically necessary. To determine what is known about nonpharmacological developmental care interventions used in the NICU to mitigate procedural pain of infants born under 32weeks gestation. Five electronic databases were searched: Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase and the Cochrane Library. The inclusion criteria were as follows: experimental and nonexperimental studies from all publication years with infants born at less than 32weeks gestational age; peer-reviewed research articles studying nonpharmacological interventions such as skin-to-skin care, facilitated tucking, nonnutritive sucking, hand hugs, and swaddling; and English language articles. Our search yielded 1435 articles. After the elimination of 736 duplicates, a further 570 were deemed irrelevant based on their abstract/titles. Then, 124 full-text articles were analyzed with our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Twenty-seven studies were reviewed. Sucrose, facilitated tucking, pacifier, skin-to-skin care, and human milk appeared to lessen pain experienced during heel sticks, suctioning, nasogastric tube insertions, and echocardiograms. All nonpharmacological interventions failed to prove efficacious to adequately manage pain during retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) examinations. Evidence review demonstrates that healthcare practitioners should use nonpharmacological measures to help prevent pain from day-to-day procedures in the NICU including heel sticks, nasogastric tube insertions, suctioning, echocardiograms, and subcutaneous injections. Future research is necessary to better understand and measure how pain is manifested by very small premature infants. Specific research on mitigating the pain of examinations for retinopathy of prematurity is also needed.

Robots as Mental Health Coaches: A Study of Emotional Responses to Technology-Assisted Stress Management Tasks Using Physiological Signals.

The current study investigated the effectiveness of social robots in facilitating stress management interventions for university students by evaluating their physiological responses. We collected electroencephalogram (EEG) brain activity and Galvanic Skin Responses (GSRs) together with self-reported questionnaires from two groups of students who practiced a deep breathing exercise either with a social robot or a laptop. From GSR signals, we obtained the change in participants' arousal level throughout the intervention, and from the EEG signals, we extracted the change in their emotional valence using the neurometric of Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA). While subjective perceptions of stress and user experience did not differ significantly between the two groups, the physiological signals revealed differences in their emotional responses as evaluated by the arousal-valence model. The Laptop group tended to show a decrease in arousal level which, in some cases, was accompanied by negative valence indicative of boredom or lack of interest. On the other hand, the Robot group displayed two patterns; some demonstrated a decrease in arousal with positive valence indicative of calmness and relaxation, and others showed an increase in arousal together with positive valence interpreted as excitement. These findings provide interesting insights into the impact of social robots as mental well-being coaches on students' emotions particularly in the presence of the novelty effect. Additionally, they provide evidence for the efficacy of physiological signals as an objective and reliable measure of user experience in HRI settings.

Effects of early social isolation and adolescent single prolonged stress on anxiety-like behaviors and voluntary ethanol consumption in female Long Evans rats.

Exposure to stress during childhood and adolescence is a risk factor for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and comorbid conditions, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We previously established an adolescent social isolation (SI) model that leads to the emergence of a wide range of behavioral risk factors for AUD, including increased anxiety-like behavior, locomotor activity, and ethanol consumption in male and female rats. Here, we sought to test the hypothesis that SI may increase vulnerability to single prolonged stress (SPS), a rodent model of PTSD. Female Long Evans rats (n = 8/group) were either single-housed or group-housed (GH) (4/cage) on postnatal day 21. One week later, rats underwent testing in the open field test (OFT), elevated plus-maze (EPM), and successive alleys test (SAT). Following initial behavioral testing, a subset of SI/GH rats were exposed to SPS. All rats were then tested on the novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT) followed by fear conditioning and home cage two-bottle choice to assess ethanol consumption. SI significantly increased activity in the OFT and anxiety-like behavior on the SAT, but not the EPM. While SI and SPS alone had no effect on the NSFT, exposure to both stressors significantly increased approach latency. Complex effects of stress history were observed across a 3-day fear conditioning paradigm and no group differences were observed with home cage ethanol consumption, regardless of prior ethanol exposure. The results from this study provide novel evidence that SI interacts with SPS in female rats to influence behavior in assays of unconditioned anxiety-like behavior (NSFT) and conditioned fear. Surprisingly, stress exposure had no effect on home cage ethanol consumption. Ultimately, these models provide useful avenues to examine the interaction between stressful experiences, alcohol exposure, biological sex, and the neurobiological adaptations underlying potential risk factors for psychiatric conditions.

Stress in the collective: Psychophysiological reactivity to an orchestra concert as a collective naturalistic, real-life stressor of psychosocial nature

Background & objectivesThe investigation of collective stress experiences, including collective stressors and the psychophysiological reactivity of a collective to these stressors, has been widely neglected so far. Here, we examined public non-professional orchestra concerts as collective naturalistic, real-life stressors of psychosocial nature and the resulting psychophysiological reactivity in a collective of non-professional orchestra musicians. MethodsThe members of two non-professional music orchestras (N = 54) were accompanied during a public concert (stress condition) and a rehearsal (control condition). We repeatedly assessed heart rate, salivary cortisol, and excitement levels before, during, and after the concert/rehearsal in addition to the anticipatory cognitive stress appraisal. ResultsWe observed greater physiological reactivity to the concert compared to the rehearsal (p’s ≤.017), with higher increases in heart rate levels in anticipation of and in reaction to the concert and in cortisol levels in reaction to the concert compared to the rehearsal. Moreover, orchestra members reported greater psychological reactivity to the concert than to the rehearsal (p’s ≤.024) in terms of higher cognitive stress appraisal in anticipation and increased excitement levels before and during the concert compared to the rehearsal. DiscussionOur findings indicate that orchestra concerts by non-professional musicians constitute collective naturalistic, real-life stressors of psychosocial nature, resulting in significant psychophysiological stress responses with reactivity kinetics differing between the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary axis, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and the psychological response. Potential implications and modulating factors need to be elucidated in future studies.

Emotions in search of words: Does alexithymia predict treatment outcome in chronic musculoskeletal pain?

Chronic pain, with its complex and multidimensional nature, poses significant challenges in identifying effective long-term treatments. There is growing scientific interest in how psychopathological and personality dimensions may influence the maintenance and development of chronic pain. This longitudinal study aimed to investigate whether alexithymia can predict the improvement of pain severity following a treatment-as-usual programme for chronic musculoskeletal pain over and above psychological cofactors (emotional distress, catastrophizing, and self-efficacy). A consecutive sample of 129 patients with diagnosed chronic musculoskeletal pain referred to two tertiary care centres was recruited and treated for 16weeks. Clinical pain, psychological distress, self-efficacy, catastrophizing, and alexithymia were assessed with validated self-report measures at the first medical visit (T0) and at 16-week follow-up (T1). Compared with non-responder patients (n=72, 55.8%), those who responded (i.e., reduction of >30% in pain severity; n=57, 44.2%) reported an overall improvement in psychological variables except alexithymia. Alexithymia showed relative stability between baseline and follow-up within the entire sample and remained a significant predictor of treatment outcome even when other predictive cofactors (i.e., pain interference, depressive symptoms, and catastrophizing) were considered simultaneously. Our results suggest that identifying patients with a co-occurrence between alexithymia, depressive symptoms, catastrophizing, and the stressful experience of chronic pain can be clinically relevant in pain prevention and intervention programs.

Comparative Study of Stress Levels and Coping Mechanisms among Women Bank Employees in Kanpur City: Public vs. Private Sector Banks

Purpose: The study compares stress levels and coping mechanisms among women bank employees in Kanpur City, focusing on key stressors, coping mechanisms, and differences in effectiveness. It aims to contribute to understanding stressors faced by women in the banking sector, inform strategies for improving well-being, and contribute to gender equity and workplace health efforts. Theoretical Framework: The study on stress levels and coping mechanisms among women bank employees in Kanpur City uses a theoretical framework. Key components include the transactional model of stress and coping, job demands-resources model, gender role theory, intersectionality theory, organizational factors, organizational culture and climate, and organizational support theory. The mixed-methods approach is used to capture the complexity of stress experiences and coping mechanisms. The framework also emphasizes creating healthy work environments to mitigate stress and enhance well-being. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study aims to assess stress levels and coping mechanisms among women bank employees in Kanpur City using a comparative design and mixed-methods approach. The target population includes women from public and private sector banks. Data collection methods include structured surveys and in-depth interviews. The study will analyze data using statistical techniques and qualitative analysis. Ethical considerations include informed consent, confidentiality, and ethical approval. Limitations include sampling biases and the study's specificity to Kanpur City. Practical implications include policy recommendations and contribution to existing literature on stress management and workplace support. Findings: The study on stress levels and coping mechanisms among women bank employees in Kanpur City is hypothetical. However, the findings can be presented and interpreted using a structured section. The summary should include a summary of the key findings, quantitative data comparison, demographic influences, qualitative themes, coping mechanisms, and sector differences. The findings should be compared and analyzed using theoretical frameworks, and the implications should be discussed for organizational policies and practices. Implications: The study on stress levels and coping mechanisms among women bank employees in Kanpur City suggests implementing gender-sensitive support programs, promoting work-life balance, and enhancing resilience training. It also emphasizes equal opportunities for career development and mentorship programs. The study also contributes to stress theory, gender equity, and policy development, urging regulatory oversight and industry collaboration. It also has societal implications, as it can lead to societal changes and inspire future generations. The findings can guide policy and practice in the banking sector.