Psychophysiological stress response after a 6-week Mindful Self-Compassion training in psychiatric rehabilitation inpatients: a randomized post-test only study.

Objectives: Mindfulness-based interventions (including self-compassion interventions) are effective in improving stress management at psychological and physical levels. Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is a newly developed program particularly aimed at increasing self-compassion. The main objective of this study was to determine whether the psychophysiological stress response during a social-evaluative speaking task differs in inpatients participating in the MSC or the Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) program at the end of their 6-week psychiatric rehabilitation stay (i.e., post-test only design). Method: Data from 50 inpatients (25 MSC, 25 PMR, 35 female) aged 19 to 76 years (M = 47.22, SD = 12.44) were analyzed in terms of psychophysiological stress response. For this purpose, heart rate variability, heart rate, and blood pressure were assessed together with several psychometric variables: positive and negative affect (PANAS), subjective stress perception (Visual Analog Scale), self-compassion (Self-Compassion Scale), cognitive reappraisal and suppression (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire), psychological distress (Brief Symptom Inventory-18), and appraisal and rumination (selected items). Results: After correction for alpha inflation no differences in the psychophysiological stress response and psychometric parameters between the MSC and PMR group were found. Discussion: In general, our results indicate that MSC is not superior to PMR training. However, more research with clinical randomized controlled trials investigating larger samples are needed to further affirm these initial findings.

Resilience moderates the relationship between the psychological impact of COVID-19 and anxiety.

Psychological resilience is considered to constitute an important factor for protecting mental health, especially during times of crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. However, there is a lack of research on the potential buffering effect of resilience on the psychological impact of COVID-19 as related to mental health. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to examine protective effects of resilience on mental health during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak in Austria. Analysis was based on data collected from 4,113 Austrian residents, who participated in an anonymous online survey. The survey addressed sociodemographic data, the subjective response to COVID-19 (Impact of Event Scale; IES-R), mental health status (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale; DASS-21), and resilience (Resilience-Scale; RS-11). Structural equation modelling showed significant positive associations between the IES-R score and depressive symptoms, stress and anxiety, respectively. Resilience was significantly negatively associated with depression, stress, and anxiety. Furthermore, resilience moderated the relation between the impact of COVID-19 and anxiety symptoms. However, there was no moderating effect of resilience on the relationship between IES-R and both depression and stress. The psychological impact of COVID-19 on anxiety symptoms seems to vary with the level of resilience. Moderating effects of resilience on the relation between impact of COVID-19 and stress and depression symptoms could not be confirmed. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of resilience on stress and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychological correlates of COVID-19 pandemic in the Austrian population.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 poses the greatest challenge for the entire world since the Second World War. Governments are forced to define strict measures to avoid the spreading of the virus, which may further impose psychological burden for the majority of the population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychological distress in Austria during the initial stage of the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: From 25 March to 3 April 2020, an anonymous online survey was conducted. Target group included all members of the Austrian population older than 16 years. The survey addressed the following areas (1) and sociodemographic data, (2) physical and mental health; (3) knowledge and concerns about COVID-19; (4) contact with infected people; (5) prevention efforts; (6) need for further information. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) were used to assess mental health. Analyses were based on 4126 individuals (74% female, age: M = 38.68, SD = 13.36). RESULTS: 43.3% rated the psychological impact as moderate (5.6%) or severe (37.7%). 26.5% reported moderate (13.3%) to severe (13.2%) depression; 20.3% moderate (8.9%) to severe (11.4%) anxiety and 21.2% reported to suffer from moderate (10.5%) or severe stress (10.7%). Being female, higher age, lower levels of education, concern about family members, internet as main source of information, student or pupil status, poor self-rated health, and downplaying the seriousness of the problem were significantly associated with higher psychological burden. Protective factors were the possibility to work in home office, frequent (indirect) contact with family or friends, the availability of virus-specific information, confidence in the diagnosis capability, and physical activity during the crisis. CONCLUSION: This study is among the first in Europe on the psychological correlates of the COVID-19 pandemic. 37.7% of the Austrian study population reported a severe psychological impact on the event and 1 in 10 is considered to suffer from severe depression, anxiety or stress. The present findings inform about the identification of protective factors, psychologically vulnerable groups and may guide the development of psychological interventions.

Psychophysiological concomitants of burnout: Evidence for different subtypes.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that chronic stress and emotional exhaustion are related to physiological dysregulations, which could negatively impact physical and mental health. This study aimed to identify the specific physiological clusters which are most reliable and prominently associated with burnout. Emphasis was placed on variables of the autonomic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Burnout was assessed using the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the German version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-GS). METHODS: A sample of 105 individuals aged between 28 and 60 years (M = 42.7, SD = 7.75) and working under highly demanding conditions participated in this study. 46 participants reported a low risk of burnout, and 58 participants a high risk. They underwent 24 h of ECG monitoring, had cortisol awakening response collected, and had blood pressure measured two times within a week. RESULTS: Compromised HRV, higher cortisol values, and higher blood pressure were found in individuals with high burnout symptoms. Furthermore, a discriminant function analysis on cardiac and neuroendocrine variables suggested two subgroups within the high burnout individuals, with only one group showing evidence for autonomic dysfunction as indicated by lower vagal efference. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that burnout might not necessarily imply physiological disturbances, thus calling for a more differentiated and individualized view of burnout.

Life Satisfaction and Hemodynamic Reactivity to Mental Stress.

BACKGROUND: Satisfaction with life has been considered a health-protective variable, which could impact cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. However, few studies have examined the physiological pathways involved in the potentially salutary effect of life satisfaction. It was hypothesized that life satisfaction should be associated with a cardiovascular response profile that signals challenge (i.e., higher cardiac output, lower peripheral resistance), rather than threat during a mental stress task. METHODS: A sample of 75 healthy, medication-free men without clinical signs of psychological disorders who worked full-time and occupied highly demanding positions participated in this study. They performed two mental stress tasks (n-back) with varying degrees of difficulty. The tasks were embedded between a baseline and a recovery period. Cardiovascular and hemodynamic variables (heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance) were recorded by means of impedance cardiography. RESULTS: Individuals who were more satisfied with their life displayed higher cardiac output and lower peripheral resistance levels during the stress tasks, indicating a challenge rather than a threat profile. Findings were robust when controlled for physical activity, smoking, age, and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Life satisfaction could be positively correlated with beneficial hemodynamic stress reactivity, indicating that individuals with higher levels of life satisfaction can more adaptively cope with stress. Increased cardiac output and decreased peripheral resistance during stress may constitute one route through which life satisfaction can benefit health.