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The current outbreak of COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that has affected > 210 countries. Various steps are taken by different countries to tackle the current war-like health situation. In India, the Ministry of AYUSH released a self-care advisory for immunomodulation measures during the COVID-19 and this review article discusses the detailed scientific rationale associated with this advisory. Authors have spotted and presented in-depth insight of advisory in terms of immunomodulatory, antiviral, antibacterial, co-morbidity associated actions, and their probable mechanism of action. Immunomodulatory actions of advised herbs with no significant adverse drug reaction/toxicity strongly support the extension of advisory for COVID-19 prevention, prophylaxis, mitigations, and rehabilitation capacities. This advisory also emphasized Dhyana (meditation) and Yogasanas as a holistic approach in enhancing immunity, mental health, and quality of life. The present review may open-up new meadows for research and can provide better conceptual leads for future researches in immunomodulation, antiviral-development, psychoneuroimmunology, especially for COVID-19.Copyright © 2021, Institute of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University.
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Purpose of Study: College for many is a time of transition. This transition from adolescence to young adulthood can be very stressful. During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of suicide, depression and anxiety increased in adolescents and young adults. Recently, Wang and colleagues (2020) found that among 2,031 students in a large US university, 48% reported having moderate-to-severe depression, 38% had moderate-to-severe anxiety, and 18% had thoughts of suicide. Effective strategies to help emerging adults cope with stress is critically needed to decrease these alarming data. The primary aim of this study was to compare the effects of aerobic exercise and yoga on college students' perceived levels of stress. A secondary aim of the study was to examine whether athlete status would moderate the effectiveness of either intervention. Methods Used: A sample of 55 college students were recruited via email during the spring of 2022. Students were randomly assigned to complete a single, 20-minute session of either yoga or aerobic exercise. Participant's current and chronic stress levels were recorded both before and after exercise. Chronic stress was measured using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale and current stress was measured using a modified version of the same scale. To support the second research aim, participants were asked to report if they were a member of a college-affiliated athletic team during the 2021-2022 academic year. Demographic characteristics including age, gender, and ethnicity were also collected. Summary of Results: A 2 (Time) X 2 (Condition) x 2 (Athlete Status) mixed factorial ANOVA was conducted. Results indicated that both aerobic exercise and yoga led to a significant decrease in chronic stress (p=.03), although there were no meaningful differences between the two conditions (p=.075). This pattern of results held for current stress as well, with both groups experiencing an equivalent decrease in current stress (p<.001). Athlete-status did not significantly predict changes in current or chronic stress, nor did it moderate the efficacy of either intervention. Conclusion(s): Taken together, these findings indicate that a small bout of exercise, regardless of type, can help decrease reported stress for college students. They also provide preliminary evidence about the efficacy of exercise as stress reduction for college athletes. Our findings provide further support for using exercise as a practical strategy for coping with stress. (Table Presented).
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Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals across the U.S. reported experiencing high levels of stress that negatively impacted their overall mental health and well-being;levels that have undoubtedly increased since this time. Despite the interest in understanding how stress can impact individual and relational wellbeing, there are no validated measures that examine chronic and acute stressors experienced by individuals in a romantic relationship. Using self-report data from 327 individuals in the U.S., the present study evaluated and validated the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Chronic and Acute Stress Index (CASI) for use with individuals in a romantic relationship. Results indicated that the English version of the CASI demonstrated good reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity. Implications for relationship researchers and mental health practitioners working with individuals are presented.
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The proceedings contain 23 papers. The topics discussed include: Mg and skeletal system: a link to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis;a putative impact of IL-6 on the expression of magnesiotropic genes through the activation of the JAK/STAT3 pathway;magnesium in pain therapy - historical notes and current aspects;Alzheimer's-associated variant rs708727 might be connected to dementia in Parkinson's disease;effect of magnesium citrate supplementation on the brain tissue of patients with Miyoshi dysferlinopathy measured by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy;clinical status of magnesium implants;Ionized magnesium: update 2022;magnesium in the treatment of selected types of muscular dystrophy;magnesium speciation analysis in blood serum;epigenetically-induced modulation of the HPA axis might improve resilience to chronic stress;magnesium status in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome;and post-covid-syndrome and transient microvascular pathology in pulse-wave-analysis - association with Mg/Ca ratio and magnesium therapy-options.
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Many people are fascinated by celebrities and like to follow them and leave positive comments online about the luxurious lives they lead. There are doubts and concerns, however, about whether celebrity posts regarding personal experiences and advice generate positive responses when their audience is in a situation of chronic stress, such as during a pandemic. On the basis of a field study of real celebrity COVID-19 Instagram posts, this study tested a model for exploring the role of both contextual (i.e., references to luxury in celebrity posts) and individual (i.e., upward social comparison orientation [SCO] and attitudes toward the celebrity) factors in explaining how audiences respond emotionally and behaviorally (i.e., commenting) to celebrity posts during a stressful period. The results indicated that the audience's emotional and behavioral responses were more negative toward posts with more cues of luxury. SCO seems to moderate these effects, indicating that upward SCO based on these cues can motivate and support to a certain level, but switches to negative effects once the focus on luxury becomes too strong. The results regarding attitudes toward the celebrities behind the messages confirmed the powerful role of this variable during chronic stress, establishing a link between more positive attitudes and more positive emotional responses (amusement and inspiration). These results offer some first exploratory insights into the role of celebrity representations during a global period of stress, which could lay the basis for future experimental research on this topic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Objective: We investigated the characteristics of vertigo and dizziness developing in children during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 56 children aged 2–15 years old (median 12 years) with dizziness seen during the five-year period from April 2017 to March 2022 participated in this study. We performed examinations of the equilibrium function for the diagnosis. In particular, we compared the differences in the distribution of the diagnosis prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: In both periods, the most common diagnoses were orthostatic dysregulation (OD), psychogenic vertigo, Meniere's disease, benign paroxysmal vertigo, and migrainous vertigo. The patients diagnosed as having vertigo and dizziness during COVID-19 pandemic were significantly older. Furthermore, the main causes were obviously biased towards OD during the pandemic period. Discussion and Conclusion: The prevalence of OD was about 5% in elementary school students and about 10% in junior high school students. We consider that the prolonged lockdown measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including school attendance restrictions, during the pandemic produced chronic stress in children, which increased the potential risk of development of OD. © 2023 Authors. All rights reserved.
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The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and better understand how Black/African American adults view mindfulness, with the goal being to work toward determining how mindfulness may be adapted to be more accessible to Black/African American communities that experience high levels of chronic stress. Participants completed an online survey asking about their experiences of mindfulness. A number of themes were identified and discussed, including initially believing mindfulness was not for them to utilize, finding the practice helpful, and the practice helping to increase awareness of emotions and physical health. Results of this research provide a better understanding of how Black/African American adults experience mindfulness and possible ways in which to introduce and adapt mindfulness to be better implemented into their communities, such as by offering further education on the benefits of mindfulness and introducing mindfulness exercises. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes in this study. As such, there are two aspects to this study. This first is the experiences of at-risk youth and mindfulness-based interventions was studied in the literature. The study itself reflects the experiences of Black/African American adults practicing mindfulness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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Introduction. The multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast of human placental villi is responsible for transport functions between the maternal and fetal circulation and is the main site of protein synthesis and steroid production. It is formed by the fusion of underlying cytotrophoblast cells. The nuclei of the multinucleated syncytiotrophoblast are nonmitotic, but the mechanism of cell cycle arrest in the syncytiotrophoblast is not known. Single publications have described that cell fusion induces a cellular senescence, best known as a component of the stress response and an important factor in preventing tumor cell growth. For syncytiotrophoblast, one of the criteria of its aging is the formation of so-called syncytial nodes - local accumulations of nuclear material with protrusion of these cells into the interstitial space. The purpose of the study. To determine the morphological features in women's placentas under the influence of chronic stress caused by coronavirus disease and internal irradiation, with the subsequent formation of criteria for diagnosing diseases and assessing the severity of lesions in the mother and fetus. Material and methods. A morphological study of syncytial nodules in the villi of the placenta of groups of women with chronic stress due to internal irradiation and COVID-19 (classified by severity of the disease) was performed in comparison with the physiological course of pregnancy and childbirth. Histopathological and ultrastructural examination of placentas was performed with the detection of syncytial nodes with morphometric analysis of their ultrastructural features of the nuclear component of syncytiotrophoblast nodules and their comparison in clinical groups. The number of syncytial nodes was estimated on histological specimens stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The effect of chronic stress in women was significantly (p<0.05) confirmed by increased cortisol levels (saliva test). Statistical processing of the results was carried out using licensed programs «Microsoft Excel» and «Statistica». The design of the study and all methods used in this study were reviewed and approved by the Bioethics Committee of the State Institution «Institute of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology named after Academician O.M. Lukyanova of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine», Kyiv, Ukraine. Results of the study. Morphological examination of the placental tissue of parturient women with COVID-19 showed an increase in the number of syncytial nodes in the villi, which we associated with the presence of stress. Ultrastructural studies revealed changes in the nuclei of syncytial nodules depending on the pathology. Conclusion. An increase in the number of syncytial nodes in the chorionic structures in internal radiation and COVID-19 in pregnant women has been established, which is important as predictors of placental factors for the health of the individual in the future. © Yu. Bondarenko, T. Zadorozhna, 2022.
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Aim of the study: The study aims to assess the severity level of depression and anxiety symptoms among the nursing staff active in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Introduction: Challenges in the daily work of medical personnel increased during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The hard and exhausting work of nurses under chronic stress may lead to the intensification of depression and anxiety symptoms. Social and psychological support for healthcare workers during this time is crucial. Material(s) and Method(s): 120 male and female nurses participated in the study, namely 98 women (81.7%) and 22 men (18.3%) who worked directly with infected or potentially infected persons. The study used a questionnaire developed for its purposes, collecting information on nurses' job at the time of the pandemic. Two standardized psychometric tools were used, i.e. Beck Depression Scale as well as State Inventory and STAI Anxiety Traits. Result(s): The obtained research results showed a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well- -being of male and female nurses, causing an intensification of depression symptoms as well as changes in the state and traits of anxiety. The mean value of the severity of those symptoms was higher during the epidemic than before it. The greater the sense of security in the area of one's own private life, the smaller the increase in the severity of depression as well as in the state and traits of anxiety during the pandemic, as compared with the pre-pandemic conditions. Conclusion(s): COVID-19 pandemic has a significant negative impact on nurses' mental well-being. There is an urgent need to provide psychological support for nurses during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.Copyright © 2022 Via Medica. All rights reserved.
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Background: We have witnessed a dramatic dip in adherence to cardiovascular health behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from across the globe has shown that risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as decreased physical activity, poor diet, and increased depression, loneliness, and stress have peaked during the pandemic. Having been badly affected by the pandemic and having had prolonged periods of countrywide lockdown, the at-risk and established CVD population has faced a major challenge in adhering to a healthy lifestyle in India. Purpose(s): This study aimed to analyze the change in cardiovascular health behaviors brought about by a comprehensive lifestyle intervention program (CLIP) during the pandemic in India. Method(s): All at-risk and CVD patients who had participated in the CLIP from mid 2020 to mid 2022 and had completed the internally validated health behavior assessment questionnaire, pre and post-program, were included in this retrospective study. A multidisciplinary team consisting of Physician, Physiotherapist, Dietician, and Counseling Psychologist provided the sessions online and/or in-person for the home-based and hybrid programs respectively. When a combination of online and in-person sessions were provided for a subject, it was called a hybrid program. The core components of the CLIP were exercise training, education on relevant health topics, nutritional guidance and psychosocial counseling. Result(s): Age of the subjects (n=50) at enrolment was 54+/-13 years and 40 (80%) were male. The time between pre-program and post-program assessments was 110 (IQR 47) days. Number of at-risk and CVD patients attending home-based and hybrid programs are shown in the Figure. There were 4 couples in the study cohort;21 (50%) of the remaining 42 subjects had at least 1 other family member attend the majority of sessions. There was a significant improvement in all the cardiovascular health behaviors, namely adequate daily intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, choice of heart-healthy foods between meals, sufficient weekly exercise and a reduction in self-reported chronic stress, upon completion of the CLIP (Table). Conclusion(s): A comprehensive lifestyle intervention program that incorporates a multipronged approach to behavior modification is effective in improving cardiovascular health behaviors in individuals at-risk as well as with established cardiovascular disease in India. The ripple effect of behavior modification in the accompanying family members needs to be studied systematically.
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Background. Placenta is a subject of interest to a wide range of scientists because it is rich in stem cells and their precursors. A stem cell is a cell that has the ability to self-repair and can differentiate into offspring (daughter cells) of one or more germ layers. In recent years, scientists have obtained new data of stem cells regenerative potential. However, only isolated publications about placental stem cells are available. Therefore, our studies about placental stem cells are important for discovery of structural and molecular mechanisms, their changes under the influence of chronic stress. Objective(s): to study the features of immunohistochemical markers of pluripotent stem cells and their morphological features. Materials and methods. We examined 80 women placentas with chronic stress in comparison with control using general histological and immunohistochemical methods in the following groups: group 1 - women placentas with physiological course of pregnancy in term 38-40 weeks, group 2 - women placentas with miscarriage, group 3 - women placentas with chronic stress due to internal irradiation (4.5 Bq/kg and more), group 4 - women placentas which had COVID-19 during pregnancy. Results. There was a significant increase of stem cell markers expression in the three study groups with a significant predominance in groups 3 and 4. It was also determined the different direction of their active factors. Conclusions. The general changes of all structures of the placental barrier are detected as a result of chronic stress due to various factors: micro detachment of the decidual membrane (significant increase in cases in the studied groups);malperfusion in the structures of the maternal placental barrier;in the placenta stem cells of the three study groups in comparison with the control were found stress markers. Thus, chronic stress due to various factors causes the same type of changes in placental structures, but they have different degrees of expression - with internal irradiation doses >= 4.8 Bq/kg, these changes are most expressive.Copyright © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.
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Can stress ever be good for romantic relationships? Although it is well-established that stress can harm relationships (Karney & Bradbury, 1995;Randall & Bodenmann, 2009), stress may also bring people closer together (Taylor, 2011b). Specifically, recent research and theory suggest that when people experience acute and chronic stress that originates outside of the couple (i.e., external stress) and is moderate in intensity, they may show affiliative responses toward their partner (Clavel et al., 2017;Donato et al., 2018). Moreover, stressed women may be more likely to show affiliative responses toward their partner than stressed men (Taylor et al., 2000. Importantly, how much a person displays affiliative responses may not only depend on their own stress but also their partner's stress. However, there is currently little research examining both partners' stress and affiliative responses. Thus, the current dissertation examines affiliative responses in couples experiencing acute and chronic external stress. This research aims to understand (1) when external stress may be associated with more affiliative responses and (2) who may show more affiliative responses to external stress. In three studies, I examined stress and affiliation during the COVID-19 pandemic, during a laboratory stressor, and during a dyadic caregiving interaction with an infant simulator. I found that moderate acute stress may be associated with greater affiliation in women and lower affiliation in men, shared acute and chronic stressors may be associated with greater affiliation, and people may respond to their partner's stress by affiliating with their simulated infant. This work contributes important new information about how external stress may affect men and women in romantic relationships. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)
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Studies examining the associations of chronic stressors with sleep health in older adults have shown conflicting results. While the COVID-19 pandemic increased perceived stress at the population level, less is known about chronic stressors experienced by older adults in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on sleep health in an aging population. This study aims to examine the association of older adults' chronic stress with insomnia symptoms during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional analysis was performed using early-release COVID-19 data from the Health and Retirement Study. Data on chronic stressors and insomnia symptoms in older adults (N = 2021; mean age = 68.8) were examined. Co-occurrence network analysis, latent class analysis, Rao-Scott χ2 tests, and multivariable logistic regression were used to characterize the co-occurrence of chronic stressors and associations with insomnia symptoms. The most common co-occurring chronic stressors during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic were self-health issues, family-health issues, and financial stress. Older adults experiencing frequent stress co-occurrence had 91% higher odds of difficulty initiating sleep (p < 0.001), 40% higher odds of frequent nocturnal awakening (p = 0.028), and 83% higher odds of nonrestorative sleep (p < 0.001). However, adjustment for health risk factors and COVID-19 concerns attenuated the effects, leaving strongest association for difficulty initiating sleep (odds ratio = 1.51, p = 0.010). Frequent stress co-occurrence plays an important role linking chronic stress to insomnia symptoms in an aging population. Ongoing research is needed to examine the lingering effects of frequent stress co-occurrence on older adults' sleep health in the post COVID-19 era.
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The COVID-19 pandemic is a rare stressor that has precipitated an accompanying mental health crisis. Prospective studies traversing the pandemic's onset can elucidate how pre-existing disease vulnerabilities augured risk for later stress-related morbidity. We examined how pre-pandemic sleep reactivity predicted maladaptive stress reactions and depressive symptoms in response to, and during, the pandemic. This study is a secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial from 2016 to 2017 comparing digital cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I) against sleep education (N = 208). Thus, we also assessed whether dCBT-I moderated the association between pre-pandemic sleep reactivity and pandemic-related distress. Pre-pandemic sleep reactivity was measured at baseline using the Ford Insomnia Response to Stress Test. In April 2020, participants were recontacted to report pandemic-related distress (stress reactions and depression). Controlling for the treatment condition and the degree of COVID-19 impact, higher pre-pandemic sleep reactivity predicted more stress reactions (ß = 0.13, ± 0.07 SE, p = 0.045) and depression (ß = 0.22, ± 0.07 SE, p = 0.001) during the pandemic. Further, the odds of reporting clinically significant stress reactions and depression during the pandemic were over twice as high in those with high pre-pandemic sleep reactivity. Notably, receiving dCBT-I in 2016-2017 mitigated the relationship between pre-pandemic sleep reactivity and later stress reactions (but not depression). Pre-pandemic sleep reactivity predicted psychological distress 3-4 years later during the COVID-19 pandemic, and dCBT-I attenuated its association with stress reactions, specifically. Sleep reactivity may inform prevention and treatment efforts by identifying individuals at risk of impairment following stressful events.
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The covid-19 pandemic has emerged as the most severe health challenge since the end of the 1918 Spanish flu. With the social distancing norms and travel restrictions in place, the education sector has radically changed. The students have continued their studies in virtual mode for the past two years. But after the pandemic, the pupils must return to their old lives. The objective of this paper is to find out how this change affects the students mentally and whether attending classes offline is taking a toll on them. Are they feeling more stressed compared to when they were online, and is the change affecting their academic performance? This paper will analyse the psychological effects of a change in the environment of a student's life and try to answer what will be the best solution to the problems caused therein. Copyright © 2022, Anka Publishers. All rights reserved.
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Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic assumed as an additional stress factor for people due to extraordinary work conditions, unclear expectations of the future, anxiety about the self-health and health of close people (Samanta et al., 2020;Pascale, 2020). Sport training can be considered as a mean of stress consequences prevention during COVID-19 pandemic (Jimenez-Pavon et al., 2020). It is known that moderate physical loads are related to strengthening the immune system and reducing the risk of disease, depression, anxiety (Landers, 1996;Schwellnus et al., 2016). Some authors recommend to maintain an active lifestyle in the COVID- 19 period (Mattioli et al, 2020). Objective(s): The study was held in 62 professionals from different fields, who work remotely during the self-isolation due to COVID- 19 pandemic and aimed to estimate sports trainings opportunities as a means of preventing stress of professionals in various fields of activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method(s): The assessment methods included: 1) author's questionnaire about the attitude towards sports trainings;2) A.B. Leonova's "Chronic fatigue" and "Chronic stress" 3) Ch. Spilberger's "Trait anxiety". Result(s): The results revealed that the low level of chronic stress (U=82;p=0,015), chronic fatigue (U=82;p=0,015) and trait anxiety (U=79;p=0,011) is more typical for those surveyed who experienced COVID-19 symptoms and engaged in sports trainings with moderate loads than those people with COVID-19 symptoms who did not attend sport trainings. Conclusion(s): The results of the study can be used to develop programs to improve the psychological well-being and performance of professionals working under stress due to COVID-19 pandemic.
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The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and better understand how Black/African American adults view mindfulness, with the goal being to work toward determining how mindfulness may be adapted to be more accessible to Black/African American communities that experience high levels of chronic stress. Participants completed an online survey asking about their experiences of mindfulness. A number of themes were identified and discussed, including initially believing mindfulness was not for them to utilize, finding the practice helpful, and the practice helping to increase awareness of emotions and physical health. Results of this research provide a better understanding of how Black/African American adults experience mindfulness and possible ways in which to introduce and adapt mindfulness to be better implemented into their communities, such as by offering further education on the benefits of mindfulness and introducing mindfulness exercises. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated changes in this study. As such, there are two aspects to this study. This first is the experiences of at-risk youth and mindfulness-based interventions was studied in the literature. The study itself reflects the experiences of Black/African American adults practicing mindfulness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
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The outbreak of Covid-19 has exacerbated the mental health of Healthcare Workers (HCWs), caused by an increase in their stress levels owing to an exponential rise in their workloads. Previous works have revealed visible changes in Heart Rate Variability (HRV), in response to increased/decreased stress levels. This study focused on analyzing HRV as a parameter to observe the impact of higher stress levels, on clinicians, due to the pandemic. Their responses to a Perceived Stress Score (PSS) questionnaire were used as a reference to determine their escalated stress levels. The responses showed that 40% of clinicians revealed increased levels of high chronic stress while the remaining were affected by moderate chronic stress. We computed HRV for each clinician from HR data obtained using a chest-based wearable device during sleep and ward sessions. Through detailed analysis of HRV, we observed clinicians with high chronic stress showed lower HRV when compared to clinicians with moderate chronic stress during both sleep and ward sessions. Later we did a close investigation of their HRV on Day 1 and Day 2 in Covid-IP (Inpatient) and compared the HRV features. Finally, we compared the HRV features of clinicians between Covid-IP Covid-OP (Outpatient) ward sessions. The above study validated that HRV is a reliable parameter for an objective assessment of stress levels. © 2022 IEEE.