The psychophysiology of stress and adaptation: Models, pathways, and implications

Stress exposure, perceived stress, protective psychosocial factors, and health status in Ukraine after the full-scale invasion

The concept of stress as a cause of ill health has received much attention in social sciences. The distinction between stress exposure and perceived stress emphasizes the importance of cognitive dimension of stress. This quantitative study (N = 213) conducted in Ukraine in November 2022 collected self-reported cognitive data on stress exposure, perceived stress, and self-rated heath. The goals of the study included (1) testing if stress exposure and perceived stress differ in terms of breadth and depth of their impact; (2) isolating psychosocial factors that reduce stress; and (3) testing if individuals who have relocated within Ukraine or abroad to escape the war had worse health outcomes than those who remained at their domiciles. The results suggest that while perceived stress was a stronger predictor of negative health outcomes, optimism and social support served as protective psychosocial factors. Having moved abroad predicted higher stress levels and more adverse health symptoms.

Can ancient and modern stressors be distinguished? A mixed-methods exploration of psychosocial characteristics and health symptoms in young and older adults

A novel conceptualisation of stress includes a distinction between ancient (AS) and modern stressors (MS); the notion that established adaptive psychophysiological coping processes may enable individuals to better withstand AS than MS. Two consecutive mixed-methods studies assessed the feasibility of distinguishing between AS and MS in young and older adults, using questionnaires and interviews. MS were positively associated with cold symptoms in older adults; and five psychosocial characteristics were identified to profile AS and MS along a continuum. An evolutionary distinction between AS and MS provides an important psychological dimension in better understanding and assessing stress-health processes.

Oxytocin-enhanced group therapy for methamphetamine use disorder: Randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Methamphetamine (METH) use is a public health crisis that disproportionately affects men who have sex with men (MSM). There are currently no FDA-approved pharmacological interventions to treat methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). MUD is associated with social impairments and extremely high treatment attrition rates. Administration of oxytocin, a neuropeptide involved in social attachment, may be a novel approach to addressing these issues. Moreover, oxytocin administration has shown promise for reducing METH-related addictive behavior in animal models, but has not yet been investigated in clinical trials for MUD. Last, oxytocin is known to modulate stress responsivity via regulation of the autonomic nervous system, which is dysregulated in METH users. We hypothesize that oxytocin, in combination with group psychotherapy, will increase treatment engagement, reduce addiction behavior, and mitigate stress hyperreactivity.

METHODS

This is a randomized, double blind trial of oxytocin 40-IU (n = 24) or placebo (n = 24) administered intranasally prior to each of six weekly motivational interviewing group therapy (MIGT) sessions for MUD in MSM.

PRIMARY OUTCOME

(a) session attendance.

SECONDARY OUTCOMES

(b) group cohesion, (c) anxiety, (d) METH craving, (e) METH use, and (f) in-session cardiac physiology.

RESULTS

Participants receiving oxytocin had significantly higher group therapy attendance than those receiving placebo, OR 3.26, 95% CI [1.27-8.41], p = .014. There was a small effect of oxytocin on group cohension, but not anxiety or craving. METH use did not change over the six-week MIGT course in either treatment arm. Participants receiving oxytocin had lower average heart rates during MIGT sessions and higher heart rate variability. There were positive main effects of MIGT over Time regardless of study drug.

CONCLUSIONS

This evidence, and the lack of any serious adverse events, suggests that oxytocin may safely increase treatment attendance. One possible mechanism by which it may do so is its modulation of the autonomic nervous system. Further investigation is warranted.

Design and evaluation of a context-aware model based on psychophysiology

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Psychotherapy is one of the most common pathways to help individuals address any mental disorders. However, the traditional method of assessing mental health has a margin for improvement. The recent advances in digital technology (e.g., smartphones and wearables) and machine learning techniques can support psychotherapy through the addition of psychophysiology. This paper presents RevitalMe, a context-aware model for assisting a psychotherapeutic understanding of human behavior, providing psychophysiological insights from real-life.

METHODS

Five volunteers used RevitalMe's prototype in natural environments for eight days each. Ecological Momentary Assessment was used to collect individuals' stressful states, and to label real-life data. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test was performed to verify a significant difference between the labeled states. Then, RevitalMe classified psychological states based on physiological measurements through machine learning, associating them with the behavior of the individual. After that, visual insights were generated through contexts processing and presented to psychotherapists as evidence of an individual's daily behavior and psychological state. Twelve psychotherapists evaluated the clinical acceptability of RevitalMe, answering six quantitative statements and two qualitative questions. Furthermore, a t-Test was performed to investigate clinical acceptability given therapy field and clinical years.

RESULTS

The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test succeeds in proving that labeled states were statistically significant, and RevitalMe achieved an F1-Score of 75% in the binary classification of stressed states in natural environments. The evaluation showed clinical acceptability of 90%, composed by partial agreement of 62% and a total agreement of 28%. In this regard, the t-Test provided that the level of interest from cognitive-behavior therapists in psychophysiological insight was higher than that from psychodynamic therapists.

CONCLUSIONS

The psychophysiological insights approximate cognitive-behavior psychotherapy to individual's behavior and daily events, focusing on assistance in mental healthcare.