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Castillo-Navarrete JL, Bustos C, Guzman-Castillo A, Zavala W. Academic stress in college students: descriptive analyses and scoring of the SISCO-II inventory. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16980. [PMID: 38495757 PMCID: PMC10941763 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In a competitive and demanding world, academic stress is of increasing concern to students. This systemic, adaptive, and psychological process is composed of stressful stimuli, imbalance symptoms, and coping strategies. The SISCO-II Academic Stress Inventory (SISCO-II-AS) is a psychometric instrument validated in Chile. It evaluates stressors, symptoms, and coping, both individually and globally. For its practical interpretation, a scale is required. Therefore, this study aims to descriptively analyze the SISCO-II-AS and to obtain its corresponding scales. Employing a non-experimental quantitative approach, we administered the SISCO-II-AS to 1,049 second and third-year students from three Chilean universities, with a disproportionate gender representation of 75.21% female to 24.79% male participants. Through descriptive and bivariate analysis, we established norms based on percentiles. For the complete instrument and its subscales, significant differences by sex were identified, with magnitudes varying from small to moderate. For the full instrument and its subscales, bar scale norms by percentile and sex are presented. Each subscale (stressors, physical and psychological reactions, social behavioural reactions, total reaction, and coping) has score ranges defined for low, medium, and high levels. These ranges vary according to the sex of the respondent, with notable differences in stressors and physical, psychological, and social behavioural reactions. This study stands out for its broad and heterogeneous sample, which enriches the representativeness of the data. It offers a comprehensive view of academic stress in college students, identifying distinctive factors and highlighting the importance of gender-sensitive approaches. Its findings contribute to understanding and guide future interventions. By offering a descriptive analysis of the SISCO-II-AS inventory and establishing bar norms, this research aids health professionals and educators in better assessing and addressing academic stress in the student population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan-Luis Castillo-Navarrete
- Programa Neurociencias, Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, NEPSAM, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Programa Doctorado Salud Mental, Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Departamento de Tecnología Médica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Claudio Bustos
- Programa Neurociencias, Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, NEPSAM, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Programa Doctorado Salud Mental, Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Alejandra Guzman-Castillo
- Programa Neurociencias, Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, NEPSAM, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Programa Doctorado Salud Mental, Departamento de Psiquiatría y Salud Mental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
- Departamento de Ciencias Básicas y Morfología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Walter Zavala
- Carrera de Fonoaudiología, Facultad de Ciencias de Salud y Ciencias Sociales, Universidad de Las Americas, Concepción, Chile
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Kühnel A, Hagenberg J, Knauer-Arloth J, Ködel M, Czisch M, Sämann PG, Binder EB, Kroemer NB. Stress-induced brain responses are associated with BMI in women. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1031. [PMID: 37821711 PMCID: PMC10567923 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05396-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are associated with altered stress reactivity and increased inflammation. However, it is not known whether stress-induced changes in brain function scale with BMI and if such associations are driven by peripheral cytokines. Here, we investigate multimodal stress responses in a large transdiagnostic sample using predictive modeling based on spatio-temporal profiles of stress-induced changes in activation and functional connectivity. BMI is associated with increased brain responses as well as greater negative affect after stress and individual response profiles are associated with BMI in females (pperm < 0.001), but not males. Although stress-induced changes reflecting BMI are associated with baseline cortisol, there is no robust association with peripheral cytokines. To conclude, alterations in body weight and energy metabolism might scale acute brain responses to stress more strongly in females compared to males, echoing observational studies. Our findings highlight sex-dependent associations of stress with differences in endocrine markers, largely independent of peripheral inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kühnel
- Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany.
| | - Jonas Hagenberg
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Janine Knauer-Arloth
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Maik Ködel
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Elisabeth B Binder
- Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
- German Center for Mental Health, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Nils B Kroemer
- Section of Medical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health (TüCMH), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Cohen JE, Holsen LM, Ironside M, Moser AD, Duda JM, Null KE, Perlo S, Richards CE, Nascimento NF, Du F, Zuo C, Misra M, Pizzagalli DA, Goldstein JM. Neural response to stress differs by sex in young adulthood. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging 2023; 332:111646. [PMID: 37146439 PMCID: PMC10247431 DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2023.111646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Increase in stress-related disorders in women begins post-puberty and persists throughout the lifespan. To characterize sex differences in stress response in early adulthood, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants underwent a stress task in conjunction with serum cortisol levels and questionnaires assessing anxiety and mood. Forty-two healthy subjects aged 18-25 years participated (21M, 21F). Interaction of stress and sex in brain activation and connectivity were examined. Results demonstrated significant sex differences in brain activity with women exhibiting increased activation in regions that inhibit arousal compared to men during the stress paradigm. Women had increased connectivity among stress circuitry regions and default mode network, whereas men had increased connectivity between stress and cognitive control regions. In a subset of subjects (13F, 17M), we obtained gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) magnetic resonance spectroscopy in rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rostral ACC) and dorsolateral prefrotal cortex (dlPFC) and conducted exploratory analyses to relate GABA measurements with sex differences in brain activation and connectivity. Prefrontal GABA levels were negatively associated with inferior temporal gyrus activation in men and women and with ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation in men. Despite sex differences in neural response, we found similar subjective ratings of anxiety and mood, cortisol levels, and GABA levels between sexes, suggesting sex differences in brain activity result in similar behavioral responses among the sexes. These results help establish sex differences in healthy brain activity from which we can better understand sex differences underlying stress-associated illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justine E Cohen
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - Laura M Holsen
- Divison of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Maria Ironside
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Amelia D Moser
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Jessica M Duda
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Kaylee E Null
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Sarah Perlo
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Christine E Richards
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Nara F Nascimento
- Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Fei Du
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Chun Zuo
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Madhusmita Misra
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Innovation Center on Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA; Divison of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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