Physical activity and nutrition in relation to resilience: a cross-sectional study.

A healthy lifestyle is often discussed as being a characteristic of or a prerequisite for quality of life. In phases of high subjective stress (work overload, negative thoughts), however, its protective function can be limited. The two present survey studies examined two facets of a health-related lifestyle (physical activity and nutritional awareness), in particular, the correlations with general life satisfaction and their adaptive function in respect to stress (resilience). In addition, because episodes of increased stress can have a negative effect on eating, the interactions with the consumption of less healthy food were examined. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted successively with adults aged between 18 and 72 in Germany. Study 1 (N = 685) examined the research questions with correlations, moderated regression analyses, and structural equation models. Study 2 (N = 628) differentiated between sport, occupational and daily activities. Study 1 showed that the amount of physical activity and nutritional awareness are correlated with life satisfaction. The relationship between stress appraisals and general life satisfaction was moderated by physical activity and nutritional awareness (stress-buffer effect). Study 2 replicated the stress-buffer effects of nutritional awareness, daily activities, and occupational activities. Both studies showed that stress is associated with consumption of less healthy food and found interactions with physical activity and nutritional awareness. Discussed are the adaptive role of physical activity and nutritional awareness in times of stress.Trial Registration EK UniBw M 23-06, 12/16/2022.

Coping with a global crisis-Changes in worries about the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Global crises, such as the Russo-Ukrainian War, can lead to worrying, which in turn can result in health problems when not positively coped with. This study investigates how the worries of Germans are related to general coping strategies. Three consecutive online surveys were distributed from the beginning of March until the beginning of May 2022. The surveys assessed participants' worries about the Russo-Ukrainian War and their use of four coping domains for the two preceding weeks. A total of 175 (54.3% female; Mage  = 33.3, SD = 13.6, 18-66 years) participants completed all three questionnaires. Worries and coping (meaning-focused, problem-focused, social, and avoidance coping) declined over time. Cross-sectionally all coping domains, except meaning-focused coping, correlated positively with initial worries, indicating a higher use of coping strategies when worries were present. In line with this, the use of both social and avoidance coping declined over the course of the study when worries were reduced. Furthermore, a higher initial use of avoidance coping was associated with a stronger decline in worries. Worries and coping strategies both declined following the Russian invasion of Ukraine which suggests that worries and coping strategies adapt to one another over time.

Different facets of COVID-19-related stress in relation to emotional well-being, life satisfaction, and sleep quality.

Introduction: As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, it is of great importance to investigate how people can maintain their mental health during chronically stressful times. This study therefore investigated which facets of COVID-19-related stress (Fear of COVID-19, financial worries, and social isolation) impacted people the most during a third COVID-19 infection wave from March until May 2021 and how these facets relate to well-being (emotional well-being and life satisfaction) and sleep quality. Methods: A study sample of 480 German participants (M age = 43, SD age = 13.7, 20-69 years, 50.8% female) completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire. Results: As predicted, social isolation was reported most often, followed by fear of COVID-19 and financial worries. In accordance with our expectations more social isolation and financial worries predicted lower emotional well-being and sleep quality. In contrast to our hypothesis, fear of COVID-19 only predicted emotional well-being and not sleep quality. Life satisfaction was solely predicted by financial worries and not by social isolation and fear of COVID-19, which only partly confirmed our hypotheses. These associations remained stable after controlling for age, gender, household income, and living alone. Discussion: Financial worries, although reported the least often, were the strongest and most stable predictor for emotional well-being, sleep quality, and life satisfaction. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Well-being and sleep in stressful times of the COVID-19 pandemic: Relations to worrying and different coping strategies.

The present study examined the relationships between emotional well-being (positive and negative affect), sleep-related variables (sleep quality, sleep duration, and change in sleep quality and duration compared to weeks before lockdown), and worrying about coronavirus disease (COVID-19) challenges during the beginning of the outbreak in Europe. In addition, four different coping strategies were investigated. The study was conducted in Germany with data from 665 participants (53.8% female; 18-73 years), who completed an online questionnaire in April 2020. The results revealed that COVID-19 worry was associated with impaired well-being and sleep. Meaning- and problem-focused coping were the most frequently used coping strategies, and showed positive associations with well-being and sleep. Social and avoidance coping were associated with decreased well-being and worse sleep outcomes. Three coping strategies showed moderating effects. People who worried more showed higher levels of positive affect when they used problem-focused coping compared to those who did not. Similarly, highly worried participants showed lower levels of negative affect when they reported using meaning-focused coping more often. In contrast, social coping increased the risk of high negative affect levels in worried participants. In conclusion, problem-focused and meaning-focused coping strategies seemed to be most effective in coping with COVID-19 challenges.

Berlin Inventory of Caregiver Stress-Dementia (BICS-D).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dementia is becoming increasingly prevalent and family caregivers have been providing most of the care for persons with dementia. This caregiving is a mentally and physically demanding task. "The Berlin Inventory of Caregiver Stress-Dementia" (BICS-D) is a theory driven, multidimensional assessment which was developed as part of the Longitudinal Dementia Caregiver Stress Study (LEANDER). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The inventory consists of 25 subscales with a total of 121 items. Analyses of the psychometric properties of the inventory were based on responses from 594 caregivers. RESULTS: Factor analyses confirm the multidimensionality of the inventory. The reliabilities of the subscales (Cronbach's α) are between .72 and .95. Validity and sensitivity of the inventory were also confirmed. Differing patterns of burden could be demonstrated for different relatives (partners, children, and daughters-in-law) as well as for different degrees of severity of dementia. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The scores derived for the instrument have support for reliability and validity, and sensitivity to change. It is suitable for the differential measurement of burden experienced by different subgroups of caregivers as well as for the evaluation of interventions. The different subscales of the battery can also be used separately, depending on the study's objectives.

Facets of accommodative coping in adulthood.

Accommodative coping has often been measured as a one-dimensional disposition with the Flexible Goal Adjustment Questionnaire (FGA; Brandtstädter & Renner, 1990). Because several ways of accommodative coping have been proposed, we constructed the Accommodative Coping Facets Questionnaire (ACCO-5), a multidimensional questionnaire encompassing five dimensions: positive reappraisal/personal growth, lowering of aspirations/acceptance, downward comparison, reorientation, and detachment from goal. The present study examined (a) the multidimensional structure of accommodative coping, (b) the correlations between the ACCO-5 dimensions, age, and indicators of positive adaptation, and (c) differences in age correlations that result from a dispositional and goal-specific approach to accommodation. Study 1 (N = 702) investigated the dimensional structure of ACCO-5 dimensions (disposition) and showed significant correlations with age and positive adaptation. Study 2 (N = 150) investigated the correlations with the FGA Scale. In Study 3 (N = 321) ACCO-5 was applied to concrete blocked goals reported by the individuals. This study showed no age differences but significant correlations between the ACCO-5 dimensions and indicators of positive adaptation. Study 4 (N = 240) investigated the correlations between goal-specific ACCO-5, subjective goal control, and age. In summary, the present paper provides evidence that the components of ACCO-5 do measure similar, but not identical facets of a complex construct in developmental regulation. Differentiating between these facets contributes to a better understanding of the structure and function of accommodative processes in adulthood. We emphasize that the differentiated assessment of these facets is important for intervention studies or longitudinal research examining the complexity and dynamics of accommodative coping. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Fear of Crime in Old Age: A Sample Case of Resilience?

Objectives: Research on fear of crime (FOC) in adulthood has often shown a positive age relation, whereas the risk of criminal victimization decreases with age. The present study distinguishes three dimensions of FOC (affective, cognitive, and behavioral component) and attempts to investigate possible explanations for differential age correlations by referring to processes of adaptation and resilience. In particular, the functionality of FOC and its impact on the individual's well-being is assumed to be influenced by the individual's capacity to accommodate to adverse circumstances. Method: These hypotheses are investigated within a cross-sectional assessment using questionnaire data (1,792 participants between 18 and 98 years of age). Results: As predicted, age was a strong predictor of the behavioral but not affective and cognitive component of FOC. In particular, the results support a twofold adaptive function of accommodation: Accommodation facilitates cautious behavior with increasing age and, at the same time, dampens the impact of FOC on depressivity. Discussion: The adaptive role of cautious behavior in advanced age and accommodation is discussed within a developmental regulation framework.

Short-term induction of assimilation and accommodation.

The dual-process model of developmental regulation distinguishes two processes of self-regulation (assimilation = tenacious goal pursuit, and accommodation = flexible goal adjustment) that depend on differing conditions, but both contribute to successful development. Four experiments were conducted to investigate whether assimilation and accommodation can be induced or at least shifted by sensorimotor and cognitive manipulations. Experiment 1 investigated the relation between body manipulation and self-regulation. It was shown that assimilation could be triggered when participants were asked to hold on to golf balls as compared to being asked to drop them. Experiment 2 showed that a semantic priming of "let go" or "hold on" via instructions influenced the processes of self-regulation. Experiment 3 and Experiment 4 investigated the role of cognitive sets (divergent thinking) and motivational processes (thinking about one's action resources) in enhancing accommodation or assimilation. As expected, accommodation was triggered by an intervention activating divergent thought, and participants were more assimilative when they thought about their action resources. In sum, the results indicate that assimilation and accommodation can be induced experimentally; they were systematically dependent on physical, cognitive, and motivational states. The implications of the findings were discussed in the light of the dual-process model.

Personal growth and cognitive complexity in caregivers of patients with dementia.

According to several theoretical models, crises or demands can result in enhanced cognitive maturity. Two studies examined whether demands on caregivers provide an opportunity to experience increased cognitive maturity (e.g., cognitive complexity, personal growth through caregiving). In Study 1 (126 relatives of dementia patients; cross-sectional design), personal growth through caregiving was associated with two specific caregiving demands: duration of caregiving and lack of social acknowledgment. Cognitive complexity correlated with duration of caregiving and crystallized intelligence. The caregivers in the second study (N = 321) were participants in LEANDER, The Longitudinal Dementia Caregiver Stress Study. Caregivers were examined in four waves over 27 months. The results indicated an increase in personal growth over time. Using latent growth models, we found that increases in personal growth through caregiving were predicted by increases in the objective caregiving tasks. Cognitive processes (e.g., ruminative thoughts, life reflection) provide a possible explanation for an increase in cognitive maturity.