Momentary stress-induced food craving: An ecological momentary assessment study comparing perceived interpersonal and non-interpersonal stressors.

Daily-life stressors and food cravings are dynamic and vary within and across persons. Some evidence suggests interpersonal stressors increase appetite. However, little is known about the association of food craving with different types of stressors at the momentary level in the general population. We aimed to explore the momentary relationships between daily-life stressful events and food craving in a non-clinical community sample, and to compare the associations with food craving when the most stressful event was perceived as interpersonal versus non-interpersonal. We used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to collect reports on the most stressful event, perceived stressor type, stressor appraisal, and food craving from 123 adults three times a day scheduled at fixed intervals over 10 days. Mixed effects random intercepts and slopes models examined the within- and between-person associations. Experiencing a stressor was significantly positively associated with within-person food craving at the same measurement. No differences in momentary food craving were found when the most stressful event was perceived as interpersonal or non-interpersonal (within-person level). However, frequently reporting the most stressful event as interpersonal (vs. non-interpersonal) was positively associated with food craving across the study (between-person level), particularly when the stressor was appraised as more unpleasant. Daily-life stressors were associated with momentary food craving. Individuals who generally perceived interpersonal stressors as their most stressful event tended to experience food cravings. Future research could further investigate the role of interpersonal stressors as a factor for overeating in daily life and the potential benefits of stress management in interventions.

The Effects of the Processing of Positive Memories Technique on Posttrauma Affect and Cognitions Among Survivors of Trauma: Protocol for a Daily Diary Study.

BACKGROUND: The Processing of Positive Memories Technique (PPMT) is a promising new treatment approach for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which involves detailed narration and processing of specific positive autobiographical memories. Indeed, preliminary case-series studies have found reductions in PTSD symptoms, negative affect, and negative cognitions among survivors of trauma who have received PPMT. However, PPMT's effects have not been investigated at the daily level. In this study, we describe the protocol for a study that will examine the daily-level impacts of PPMT in a trauma-exposed, nonclinical community sample. OBJECTIVE: This study uses an innovative research protocol that combines case-series design and daily diary approaches to examine changes in daily affect, daily cognitions, and daily PTSD symptoms pre- and post-PPMT. We hypothesize that at the daily level, in comparison to their own pre-PPMT levels, following the PPMT intervention, participants will report (1) a lower count of endorsed daily PTSD symptoms, (2) increases in daily positive affect and decreases in daily negative affect, (3) increases in positive affect reactivity to daily positive events, and (4) decreases in daily posttrauma cognitions. METHODS: We are currently recruiting participants (target n=70) from a metroplex in the southwest United States. Following a screening survey, eligible participants complete a preintervention baseline survey, followed by 21 daily surveys in their natural environments. Then, they receive 4 PPMT sessions on a weekly basis. After the conclusion of the PPMT intervention, participants complete a postintervention outcome survey and 21 daily surveys. To compare daily affect, daily cognitions, and daily PTSD symptoms before and after PPMT, we will use the daily diary report data and conduct multilevel random intercepts and slopes linear regression models. RESULTS: Data collection was initiated in March 2022 and is expected to end by June 2024. As of November 28, 2023, a total of 515 participants had consented to the study in the screening phase. No analyses will be conducted until data collection has been completed. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings could clarify whether deficits in positive autobiographical memory processes may also characterize PTSD alongside deficits in traumatic memory processes. Furthermore, PPMT could be an additional therapeutic tool for clinicians to help clients reduce posttraumatic distress in their everyday lives. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/51838.

Trauma history predicts depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms better than a psychiatric diagnosis: Comparing wartime, routine time, and early COVID-19 in Israel.

Individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis and those with a history of trauma are at high risk for depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) following exposure to new traumatic events. Nevertheless, research is scarce on how having both a psychiatric diagnosis and a trauma history affect reactions to new traumatic events, and how different trauma types may affect individuals with a psychiatric diagnosis. We thus examined whether different stressful contexts (War and COVID-19) affected individuals with and without a psychiatric diagnosis differentially and whether results might be explained by prior trauma exposure. In the same cohort, we assessed depression and PTSS during wartime (2014), routine time (2016), and during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020) in a sample with (n = 89) and without (n = 104) a self-reported psychiatric diagnosis. This cohort was recruited during the 2014 Israel-Gaza War using social media, snowballing and outreach to mental health rehabilitation centres. We used a linear mixed modelling approach on data from the entire sample, as well as on the two study groups separately. We found that trauma history predicted PTSS and depression whereas a history of psychiatric diagnosis did not. Regarding trauma types, we found that individuals in the psychiatric diagnosis group relative to themselves had more symptoms during COVID-19 compared to war and routine time, while those without diagnosis had more PTSS and depression symptoms during wartime compared to routine time and COVID-19. In conclusion, a traumatic past may have an important influence on reactions to different types of traumatic events. Distinct traumatic events may affect individuals with or without a psychiatric diagnosis differentially.

A Network Analysis of Peritraumatic Distress Reactions and Their Relation to Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in People Exposed to Community Fires.

Objective: Research indicates that people who experience more intense peritraumatic reactions are at higher risk of subsequently developing PTSD. The study used network analysis to: 1) explore the network structure of peritraumatic distress reactions; 2) identify clusters of peritraumatic distress reactions; and 3) assess whether central items in the peritraumatic network have stronger network associations with subsequent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS). Method: A convenience sample of adults living in communities affected by large-scale community fires in Israel (November 2016) were recruited. Participants completed the 13-item peritraumatic distress inventory (PDI) within one month of the fires (n = 372), and the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) four months after the fires (n = 199). Network analyses and exploratory graph analysis were conducted. Results: The PDI items were positively connected to each other in a network structure, which divided into two clusters: emotional reactions; and physical/somatic reactions along with guilt and shame. Loss of emotional control was the most central peritraumatic distress symptom. Highly central peritraumatic distress symptoms were not strongly associated with subsequent PTS; rather, physical reactions were most associated with PTS levels four months after the fires. Conclusions: Future studies should investigate targeting peritraumatic physical reactions as an early secondary prevention strategy for PTSD.

Evaluating a community fire as human-made vs. natural disaster moderates the relationship between peritraumatic distress and both PTSD symptoms and posttraumatic growth.

Objective: This study examined whether attributing a cause of a community fire to a human-made vs. natural disaster moderated the association between peritraumatic distress (PD) and posttraumatic stress (PTSD) symptoms, as well as between PD and posttraumatic growth (PTG). Method: Participants lived in Israeli communities affected by wide-scale fires in November 2016. At Time 1 (within one month of the fires), 390 participants completed measures. At Time 2 (four months after the fires), 223 of the original participants completed follow-up-questionnaires. Participants reported their PD symptoms at Time 1, and their beliefs regarding the cause of the fire, PTSD symptoms, and PTG at Time 2. Results: Higher levels of PD at Time 1 were associated with higher levels of both PTSD symptoms and PTG at Time 2. Participants who believed that the fires were more of a human-made than natural disaster had stronger associations between PD and PTSD symptoms, and stronger associations between PD and PTG. Conclusions: Attributions regarding the cause of a disaster may be related to both PTSD symptoms as well as PTG. Balanced and responsible public announcements regarding the causes of traumatic events may reduce the deleterious effects in the aftermath of a traumatic event.