Connecting chronic stress and anxiety: a multi-dimensional perspective.

Studies show a connection between anxiety and stress, but with little differentiation between different domains of stress. In this article, we utilize a multi-dimensional approach to better understand the relationship between different chronic stress domains and anxiety. This will allow researchers to identify and address those areas of stress that are most relevant with regard to anxiety. We used data from a sub sample of the LIFE-Adult-Study (n = 1085) to analyze the association between nine different areas of chronic stress (Trier Inventory for Chronic Stress, TICS) and anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder 7, GAD-7), controlling for sociodemographic variables, personality, and social support. There was a significant and positive association between Work Overload, Pressure to Perform, Social Tensions, Social Isolation, Chronic Worrying, and anxiety. After including the control variables, only Work Overload and Chronic Worrying remained significant. By focusing on Work Overload and Chronic Worrying researchers, practitioners, and policy makers can help to mitigate anxiety and related health problems in the population in an efficient way.

The association between mental demands at the workplace and cognitive functioning: the role of the big five personality traits.

Objectives: Mental demands at the workplace can be preventive against cognitive decline. However, personality shapes the way information is processed and we therefore assume that Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, would moderate the beneficial effects of workplace stimulation on cognitive outcomes.Methods: We analyzed data from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study (n = 6529). Cognitive outcomes were assessed via the Trail-Making Test (TMTA, TMTB) and the Verbal Fluency Test. Personality was assessed via the Personality Adjective List (16 AM). Mental demands were classified with the indices Verbal and Executive based on the O*NET database.Results: Multivariate regression analyses showed only two significant moderation effects of personality, i.e. in individuals with low scores on Conscientiousness/Openness, index Verbal was connected to better TMTB performance, while this effect disappeared for individuals with high values on the personality trait. However, the additional explained variance remained marginal.Conclusion: The findings suggest that personality does not modify associations between high mental demands at work and better cognitive functioning in old age; however, there is a tendency that high levels of Openness and Conscientiousness may offset effects of mental demands.

Association Between Self-rating Depression Scores and Total Ghrelin and Adipokine Serum Levels in a Large Population-Based Sample.

Background: Ghrelin and the adipokines leptin and adiponectin have been suggested to be involved in mood and anxiety regulation and to be altered in affective disorders. However, studies investigating the association between ghrelin, leptin and adiponectin and depressive symptomatology are scarce but might contribute to a better understanding of their involvement in mood regulation. We thus aimed investigating the association between depressive symptomatology and total ghrelin as well as leptin and adiponectin serum levels in a large population-based sample. Methods: Total serum ghrelin, adiponectin and leptin levels were determined in 1666 subjects of a population-based cross-sectional study ("LIFE"). The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms - Self Rating (IDS-SR) were administered. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between total serum ghrelin, leptin and adiponectin and the intensity of depressive symptoms. Results: In the total sample (n = 1,092), neither ghrelin nor leptin or adiponectin serum levels showed a significant association with CES-D or IDS-SR sum scores (N = 1,092) or in depressed/non-depressed subjects. Leptin serum levels showed a significantly positive association with IDS-SR sum scores in elderly men (≥60 years; ß = 0.122, 95% CI: 0.009; 0.236; p = 0.035). Conclusion: Our study suggests that peripheral levels of ghrelin and adipokines in a cross-sectional study design might not be sufficient to measure their involvement in depression, suggesting that associations are more complex and multi-layered.

Analyzing the link between anxiety and eating behavior as a potential pathway to eating-related health outcomes.

Anxiety is a widespread phenomenon that affects various behaviors. We want to analyze in how far anxiety is connected to eating behaviors since this is one potential pathway to understanding eating-related health outcomes like obesity or eating disorders. We used data from the population-based LIFE-Adult-Study (n = 5019) to analyze the connection between anxiety (GAD-7) and the three dimensions of eating behaviors (FEV)-Cognitive Restraint, Disinhibition, and Hunger-while controlling for sociodemographic variables, smoking, physical activity, personality, and social support. Multivariate regression analyses showed significant positive associations between anxiety and Disinhibition as well as Hunger, but not between anxiety and Cognitive Restraint. Interventions that help individuals to better regulate and cope with anxiety, could be one potential pathway to reducing eating disorders and obesity in the population.

Higher fasting ghrelin serum levels in active smokers than in former and never-smokers.

OBJECTIVES: Ghrelin, an orexigenic peptide hormone, promotes drug reward and is suspected to play a role in nicotine dependence. However, there is little data on whether ghrelin levels are associated with active and/or former smoking. The relationship between ghrelin serum levels and smoking status in a population-based sample of individuals was studied. METHODS: Total ghrelin was determined after an overnight fast in 1519 subjects participating in a population-based cohort study ('LIFE-Adult'). Tobacco consumption was assessed using both the questionnaire and interview. Generalised linear models with gamma distribution and log-link function were performed to analyse the association of total serum ghrelin with smoking status and the association between serum ghrelin and the amount of tobacco consumed in active smokers. RESULTS: Ghrelin levels were positively associated with active, but not former smoking (OR = 1.095; p = .002). This association was not moderated by sex (interaction of 'active smoking' and sex: p = .346). Ghrelin levels were not associated with the amount of tobacco consumed in active smokers. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence that total ghrelin serum levels are positively associated with active smoking. No association was found for former smokers. A unique feature of the study is the large sample size.