Cross-sectional and prospective associations between stress, perseverative cognition and health behaviours

The role of perseverative cognition in the job strain-health outcome relationship

Objective.

Job strain has been implicated in a variety of adverse health outcomes, particularly cardiometabolic and inflammatory diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain largely unknown. One possibility is that the maladaptive coping response to stress, (perseverative cognition (PC); the cognitive representation of past stressful events (rumination) or feared future events (worry)), either in work or more generally, mediates the relationship between job strain and physical disease. The aim of this study was thus to test the potential role of both general, and work- related PC as a mediating, or potentially moderating, mechanism between job strain and ill- health outcomes.

Design & Measures.

Using an online cross- sectional design, 650 full- time employees completed measures of job strain, general and work- related PC (rumination & worry) and health outcomes (burnout, somatization, health behaviours & sleep quality).

Results.

General and work- related worry and rumination significantly mediated, often independently, the relationship between job strain and burnout, somatization, and sleep quality. No significant mediation effects were observed for health behaviours and no type of PC (general or work- related) moderated job strain- health outcome relations.

Conclusion.

Both general and work- related worry and rumination are likely to play important, and partly independent, roles in understanding the adverse relationships between job strain and various health outcomes.

Perseverative cognition and health behaviours: exploring the role of intentions and perceived behavioural control

OBJECTIVE

Worry and rumination (Perseverative Cognition, PC) have been associated with health behaviours, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Given the role of physiological experiences on perceived behavioural control (PBC) and emotion regulation on intention-health behaviour relationships, we tested whether: PC prospectively predicts poorer health behaviours; PC moderates the relationship(s) between intentions/PBC and health behaviour, as well as whether the relationship between PC and health behaviour is mediated by intentions and PBC.

METHODS AND MEASURES

In a prospective design, 650 participants (mean age = 38.21 years; 49% female) completed baseline measures of intentions, PBC and PC (worry and rumination) and 590 (mean age = 38.68 years; 50% female) completed follow-up (Time 2) measures of health behaviours (physical activity, sleep, sedentary activity, unhealthy snacking) 1-week later.

RESULTS

Worry and rumination (at T1) predicted poorer sleep quality. Worry, but not rumination, moderated PBC-physical activity frequency relations. Consistent with mediation, the indirect paths from both worry and rumination, through PBC, to sleep quality and total sleep time were significant.

CONCLUSION

PC is associated with poorer sleep quality and PBC can play a mediating role in such relationships. Future research should further consider the role that PBC plays in PC-health behaviour relations.

The emotional states and associated behavioral responses (flexible-adaptive behaviors vs. inflexible-maladaptive behaviors) of cancer patients during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak: A multi-center cross-sectional study in Italy

OBJECTIVE

Distress during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak affected also cancer patients' well-being. Aim of this study was to investigate patient' reactions and behavior (flexible-adaptive vs. inflexible-maladaptive) during the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was designed with a self-report questionnaire, "the ImpACT questionnaire," developed for the study. Regression analysis was performed on data.

RESULTS

Four hundred and forty five cancer patients from 17 Italian regions participated in the study. 79.8% of participants were female (mean age of 58 years). 92.6% of participants reported feeling vulnerable to COVID-19 contagion; 75.6% reported helpless, 62.7% sad, 60.4% anxious, and 52.0% anger. Avoidance of thinking about coronavirus is the principal maladaptive behavior that emerged. Participants who reported feeling anxious were more likely to have fear of staff being infected with COVID-19 (OR = 3.01; 95% CI = 1.49-6.30) and to have disrupted sleep due to worry (OR = 2.42; 95% CI = 1.23-4.83). Younger participants reported more anxiety (OR = 0.97; 95% CI = 0.94-1.00); men reported feeling calm more than women (OR = 2.60; 95% CI = 1.27-5.43).

CONCLUSIONS

Majority of cancer patients reported serious concerns regarding SARS-CoV-2 infection; reliable information and psychological support must be offers to respond to these needs.

Occupational Stress: A Concept Analysis with Implications for Immigrant Workers' Mental Health in the United States

Background

Occupational stress is a phenomenon affecting people worldwide. Investigating occupational stress among immigrant worker populations will unravel some of the intricacies of this condition and its psychological effects on this population.

Aim

This paper conceptually examined occupational stress within the context of immigrant workers' mental health and offer an operational definition to aid nurse researchers, educators, and practitioners in assessing and managing patients and developing culturally appropriate interventions for this population.

Design

Walker and Avant's eight-step concept analysis is used as an organizing framework.

Data Source

MEDLINE, CINAHL, OVID, PubMed, and APA Psych Info.

Review Methods

Keywords job stress, immigrant work stress, occupational stress scale, immigrant work-related stress, and mental health were used. The search yielded 142 articles; 17 were selected based on the effect of work stress on mental health.

Results

This analysis found that occupational stress can be attributed to communication problems, alienation, discrimination, and barriers to work-life balance can cause negative consequences among immigrants. An operational definition is also provided.

Conclusion

There is a growing need to examine closely and differentiate between occupational and acculturative stress to navigate a more profound understanding of how these conditions negatively complement each other.

Rumination and Worry Selectively Modulate Total Calorie Consumption within an Online, Nudge Tactic Paradigm

Rumination and worry, collectively referred to as perseverative cognition, have been implicated in the increased engagement of several health risk behaviours. The current study aimed to investigate the potential influencing role of these repetitive negative thought cognitions in an online snack paradigm. Participants were randomly assigned to either an even condition (a 3:3 ratio of ≤101 kcal and >201 kcal snacks) or an uneven condition (a 4:2 ratio in favour of ≤101 kcal snacks). Upon the presentation of six images of sweet treats, participants were asked to choose the snack they most wanted to consume “right now”, before completing the Ultra-Brief Penn State Worry Questionnaire (UB-PSWQ) and the brief (5-item) Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). The results showed that the reduced availability of higher calorie snacks significantly improved both snack choice and total calorie consumption. However, despite rumination and worry having no influence on the snack type chosen, higher levels of rumination still led to significantly higher overall calorie consumption. Although, contrary to predictions, higher levels of worry conversely led to significantly lower overall calorie consumption. This study adds to the growing work in the role of perseverative cognition and food consumption, which may aid in informing public health strategies. Further exploration is needed to assess whether rumination directly induces unhealthy eating behaviours or simply exacerbates them.

Bedtime repetitive negative thinking moderates the relationship between psychological stress and insomnia

Research suggests that psychological stress is associated with insomnia, but there is limited research on vulnerabilities that might amplify this association, particularly in college students. Based on a sample of 507 undergraduates, the current study demonstrates that the observed positive correlation between self-perceived stress and insomnia severity is moderated by the tendency to engage in repetitive negative thinking (RNT) at bedtime. Additionally, separate analyses of those who scored below/above the threshold for insomnia (non-insomniacs vs. insomniacs) revealed that the interaction between stress and these negative bedtime cognitions differed qualitatively between the two groups. In insomniacs, the stress-insomnia relationship was dampened for those with lower levels of bedtime RNT, but amplified for those with higher levels. For non-insomniacs, the stress-insomnia relationship was stronger for those with minimal bedtime RNT, while higher levels of bedtime RNT appeared to overshadow this association. To develop a better understanding of the contribution of stress and RNT to clinically relevant levels of insomnia, future studies should take into account the dissimilar patterns of moderation seen in non-insomniacs and insomniacs, either through prospective screening or separate analyses. Findings from the current study suggest that insomnia treatments that can simultaneously reduce stress and address bedtime RNT may be optimal.

Perseverative Cognition and Snack Choice: An Online Pilot Investigation

Perseverative cognition (PC), consisting of worry and rumination, has been consistently linked to a variety of poorer health outcomes, namely via the worsening of stress-induced health risk behaviours. However, research into PC and unhealthy food choice, a key health behaviour, still remains relatively unexplored. In the current pilot investigation, 284 participants were recruited to take part in an online food choice paradigm before completing the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) and the Brief State Rumination Inventory (BSRI). As a reduced availability of unhealthy snacks has been shown to improve snack choice, participants were randomly allocated to either an even condition (a 3:3 ratio of ≤99 kcal and ≥199 kcal snacks) or an uneven condition (a 4:2 ratio in favour of ≤99 kcal snacks). It was hypothesized that higher levels of PC may predict greater instances of poorer snack choices across, or even within, this paradigm. Despite an increase availability of lower calorie snacks leading to a healthier snack choice, both state and trait PC measures did not significantly influence snack choice irrespective of this varying availability. Although, marginal trends were found for higher state PC and higher calorie crisp selections. The current pilot therefore adds to the growing literature advocating for the use of behavioural economic tactics to engender healthier food choices, yet further work is needed to unpick the mediating role of PC (and its components) in snack consumption paradigms.