Psychoneuroendocrine effects of resource-activating stress management training.

Abstract

These results indicate that resource-oriented stress management training effectively reduces endocrine stress responses to stress in healthy adults.

Taiji practice attenuates psychobiological stress reactivity – A randomized controlled trial in healthy subjects

“…Maintaining resource activating embodiment in turn has been shown to reduce cortisol levels under resting conditions (Carney et al, 2010). Moreover, coping strategies including embodiment were an integrated part of a resource activating stress management programme found to attenuate the reactivity of the HPA-axis in response to the TSST (Storch et al, 2007). As participants did not report any Taijiparticipation induced increase in social contacts (data not shown), it seems unlikely that the observed stress-buffering in the Taiji group relates to a training-induced increase in social support.…”

“…We did not train any specific coping strategy (e.g. cognitive restructuring) nor did we use role-plays or psychodrama course elements as often used in cognitive behavioural (Gaab et al, 2003;Hammerfald et al, 2006) and resource activating stress management programmes (Storch et al, 2007). In contrast to our Taiji course, training elements of such stress management programmes may, in addition to their specific effects on stress appraisal, have more similarities to the TSST situation and therefore might additionally prepare for the stress test itself.…”

“…In contrast to stress management interventions (Gaab et al, 2003;Hammerfald et al, 2006;Storch et al, 2007), the Taiji course in our study was neither designed nor taught as a form of stress management. It was conceptualized to convey an embodiment of basic Taiji principles by applying a guided introspective teaching approach.…”

“…The calculation of the optimal total sample size has been conducted using the statistical software G-Power (Buchner et al, 1997). Based on prior research on cortisol stress responses reporting effect sizes ranging from f 2 = .28-.35 (Gaab et al, 2003;Storch et al, 2007), the optimal total sample size of N = 64 was calculated a priori to detect an expected medium to large effect size of f 2 = .25 with a power !.85 and a = .05 (effect size conventions: f 2 : .02 = small, .15 = medium, .35 = large; see Cohen, 1988). Effect size parameters ( f) were calculated from partial h 2 -values and are reported where appropriate (effect size conventions: f: .10 = small, .25 = medium, .40 = large; see Cohen, 1988).…”

Stress habituation, body shape and cardiovascular mortality

“…First, chronic psychosocial stress has been shown to increase visceral fat mass in non-human primates (Kaufman et al, 2007). Second, cognitive-behavioral and resource-activating stress management programs have been shown to reduce cortisol stress responses during a standardized psychosocial challenge (Storch et al, 2007;Hammerfald et al, 2006;Gaab et al, 2003). 'Stress reduction' programs in turn have been shown to improve cardiovascular survival (Orth-Gomer et al, 2009;Gulliksson et al, 2011).…”