Elisabeth M Riedl, Teresa Bracklo, Kathrin Wimmer, Johanna Perzl, Hans-Juergen Gdynia, Joachim Thomas, Janusz Surzykiewicz
{"title":"Simply breathing anxiety away? A pilot, just-in-time ecological momentary intervention study of one-minute cyclic sighing versus box breathing as tools for acute anxiety reduction and attention promotion in real life.","authors":"Elisabeth M Riedl, Teresa Bracklo, Kathrin Wimmer, Johanna Perzl, Hans-Juergen Gdynia, Joachim Thomas, Janusz Surzykiewicz","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2659809","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2659809","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>In this preregistered pilot study, we conducted a just-in-time ecological momentary intervention to examine the real-life effects of two different one-minute breathing exercises on state anxiety and attention in acute threat situations among university students, with trait anxiety serving as a moderator.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>During acute threat situations, 47 participants completed a short questionnaire assessing state anxiety. They were subsequently assigned to one of three conditions: box breathing, cyclic sighing or a passive control condition. Five minutes later, state anxiety and attention were measured.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with the control condition, both box breathing and cyclic sighing were associated with greater reductions in state anxiety. Interestingly, the students made fewer inhibition errors in the attention test after the box breathing condition. This effect was more pronounced for individuals with high levels of trait anxiety. Unexpectedly, box breathing and cyclic sighing were negatively related to attention efficiency: there were longer reaction times after the breathing exercises than after the control condition.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study suggests that box breathing and cyclic sighing may be effective methods for reducing anxiety in everyday life.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147724611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Serena Say Lin Phua, Ying Lau, Wen Wei Ang, Syarah Binte Hassan Nur, Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang, Sai Ho Wong
{"title":"Global prevalence of technostress among users of information and communication technologies: a meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis.","authors":"Serena Say Lin Phua, Ying Lau, Wen Wei Ang, Syarah Binte Hassan Nur, Patrick Cheong-Iao Pang, Sai Ho Wong","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2659812","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2659812","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Technostress can harm the performance and well-being of users of information and communication, but no review has determined its global prevalence.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This systematic review (1) investigates the global prevalence of high technostress among information and communication technologies (ICT) users and (2) identifies the factors affecting the prevalence estimates.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A comprehensive three-step search was conducted across nine databases. The <i>meta</i> and <i>metafor</i> packages in R software were used to perform meta-analyses, subgroup analyses, and meta-regression analyses. The random effect model, the Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method, along with the Freeman-Tukey double arcsine transformation, was employed. A mixed methods appraisal tool was used to evaluate the studies' quality. Certainty of evidence was assessed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 65 prevalence results in 61 publications involving 18,535 ICT users across 23 countries were included. The global prevalence of high technostress was 40% [95% CI: 32% to 49%]. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses revealed that country development, types of technostress, pandemic period, and the years of publication significantly influenced the prevalence estimates.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Technostress requires a gold standard of definition and measure. Organizations should therefore implement preventive and protective measures to reduce the risk of developing technostress and minimize its adverse effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-26"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147717461","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Modeling micro- versus macro-level processes on the path to common psychiatric disorders: a replication in emerging adults.","authors":"Benjamin J Mitchell, Karin G Coifman","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2658018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2658018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Coifman et al. (2021) found that major personal stressors exert stronger effects on psychological risk than work-related potentially traumatizing events in first responders. The current study sought to replicate and extend these findings by testing within-person effects of different stressor types on weekly sleep and risk behaviors, and by modeling how these micro-level processes shape long-term adjustment across the first year of college.</p><p><strong>Design and methods: </strong>First-year college students completed baseline questionnaires and a diagnostic interview, followed by 7 months of once-weekly experience sampling diaries assessing stress, affect, sleep, and behaviors. Follow-up questionnaires were administered at the end of the spring semester.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>At the within-person level, stressor types showed distinct effects: potentially traumatic events (PTEs) were associated with increases in maladaptive behaviors, whereas daily hassles predicted greater sleep disruption. At the macro level, longer average sleep duration predicted lower substance use and loneliness, while healthy behaviors and positive affect were protective against loneliness. PTEs uniquely predicted greater distress, substance use, and eating disorder symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Findings partially replicated prior work. Targeting sleep and risk behaviors may improve adjustment to college.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-20"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147662664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Brief mindfulness meditation based on Buddhist Anapanasati regulates stress response in young Chinese males.","authors":"Xiao-Na Zhou, Jun-Lan Liu, Jia-Hui Guo, Qi-Qi Ge, Shi-Yang Zhong, Chun-Lei Jiang","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2655786","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2655786","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and mechanisms of a two-week Brief Mindfulness Meditation (BMM) intervention for stress and emotion dysregulation in young Chinese men.</p><p><strong>Design and method: </strong>In a randomized controlled trial, with 85 male participants (aged 20-30) were assigned to either a two-week BMM intervention (15 min daily) or a control group with neutral audio interventions. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included physiological (HRV, cortisol), psychological (PSS, PANAS) and mindfulness-related outcomes (FFMQ).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Compared with the control group, the BMM group showed significant reductions in perceived stress (-5.00, 95% CI [-9.50, -0.52]) and LF/HF ratio (-0.65, 95% CI [-1.16, -0.13]), as well as significant increases in positive affect (7.39, 95% CI [3.81, 10.97]) and Acting with Awareness. Mediation analyses further indicated that the effect on positive affect was fully mediated by a reduction in perceived stress, whereas the effect on negative affect was partially mediated by an enhancement in Acting with Awareness.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>BMM effectively reduces stress and promotes emotional well-being in young men through distinct mechanisms: it enhances positive affect by lowering perceived stress and mitigates negative affect by cultivating an awareness-based approach to acting.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147635015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An experimental examination of the situational variables that influence the traumatic stress response.","authors":"Joseph Inhaber, Andrea R Ashbaugh","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2653255","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2653255","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Research suggests that trauma characteristics influence posttraumatic outcomes. Dangerous life-threatening events are associated with fear and anxiety; moral transgressions with guilt, shame and anger; perpetrating moral transgressions with self-conscious moral emotions (e.g., guilt, shame); and witnessing transgressions with other-condemning moral emotions (e.g., contempt, disgust). However, research linking situational features to posttraumatic outcomes is limited. This study investigated the influence of trauma-related situational variables on cognitive-emotional appraisals of stressful events.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Undergraduate and Community participants imagined themselves as the protagonist in auditory vignettes depicting moral transgressions or life-threatening situations. They were randomly assigned to a self-condition (e.g., <i>protagonist-enacted</i> events; <i>n</i> = 114), or other-condition (e.g., <i>protagonist</i>-<i>witnessed</i> events; <i>n</i> = 131). After each vignette, participants provided ratings of self-conscious and other-condemning emotions and cognitions, and fear on a 7-point scale.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Moral vignettes evoked stronger moral emotions and cognitions than life-threat vignettes, with Bayesian t-tests yielding extreme evidence for these differences (all <i>BF</i><sub>10</sub> > 100). Compared to the other-condition, moral vignettes in the self-condition evoked greater self-conscious emotions and cognitions (<i>BF</i><sub>10</sub> > 100), lower other-condemning emotions (<i>BF</i><sub>10</sub> > 100), and no difference in other-condemning cognitions (<i>BF</i><sub>10</sub> = .085).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Findings strengthen the theoretical rationale for integrating situational factors into conceptualizations of posttraumatic outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-17"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147629289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Emilia F Cárdenas, Maya Jackson, Julia Garon-Bissonnette, Kate L Harkness, Kathryn L Humphreys, Autumn Kujawa
{"title":"Associations between birth-related stressors, social reward responsiveness, and postpartum internalizing symptoms.","authors":"Emilia F Cárdenas, Maya Jackson, Julia Garon-Bissonnette, Kate L Harkness, Kathryn L Humphreys, Autumn Kujawa","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2620592","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2620592","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Birth-related stressors and reward processing are associated with postpartum internalizing symptoms. We examined main effects and interactions of reward processing and birth-related stressors on postpartum internalizing symptoms.</p><p><strong>Design: </strong>Cross-sectional.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Women (<i>n</i> = 95) completed the Birth Experience Interview and questionnaires at 8-weeks postpartum. In addition, while electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected, participants completed a Social Incentive Delay task to measure neural responses to feedback indicating a correct response and receipt of a social reward (photo of own infant) vs. feedback indicating an incorrect response and neutral outcome. EEG analyses focused on reward positivity (RewP) to reward feedback, adjusting for responses to neutral feedback. Participants completed questionnaires on depressive, anxiety, and traumatic intrusion symptoms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Greater birth-related severity and violations of expectations during childbirth were associated with more traumatic intrusion symptoms, but not depressive or anxiety symptoms. Surprisingly, an <i>enhanced</i> social RewP was associated with greater depression and anxiety symptoms. Social RewP moderated associations between birth experiences and postpartum traumatic intrusions; greater violation of expectations was associated with greater traumatic intrusions for those with relatively larger social RewP.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results support the utility of using dimensions of birth-related stressors as well as ERPs for measuring individual differences in reward processing relevant to postpartum internalizing symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147576553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The development of anxiety and depression in Chinese high school students and associated factors: a latent transition analysis.","authors":"Xinyu Zhang, Haibo Yang, Guangdong Zhou","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2647448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2647448","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examined the characteristics, developmental trajectories, and associated factors of adolescent anxiety and depression using a longitudinal design. A total of 736 high school students in Gansu Province, China, were followed across a two-month interval. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify changes in latent symptom profiles over time, and multinomial logistic regression analyses examined associations of internal (neuroticism) and external (negative life events) factors with subgroup membership and transitions.Three distinct latent classes were identified: a low-depression group, a low-symptom group, and a comorbid group. LTA quantified transition probabilities between these classes from Time 1 to Time 2. Overall, class membership showed high stability, although both symptom progression (e.g., transitions from the low-depression group to the low-symptom group) and symptom recovery (e.g., transitions from the comorbid group to lower-symptom groups) were observed.Further analyses indicated that neuroticism and negative life events correlated with baseline subgroup classification, with negative life events additionally related to transitions between groups. Gender had no significant effect on the occurrence and development of short-term anxiety and depression. These findings highlight the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of adolescent anxiety and depression and underscore the role of contextual stressors in short-term symptom development.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-15"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147500782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Emotion polyregulation and daily negative affect: predictors of use and strategy-level effectiveness.","authors":"Eva E Dicker, Stephanie L Leal, Bryan T Denny","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2026.2640041","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2026.2640041","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Emotion polyregulation is an essential aspect of responding to stressful events by employing multiple strategies to influence one's emotions. The patterns of emotion polyregulation that effectively mitigate negative affect remain largely unknown.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aim of the current study is to examine the relationship between adaptive real-world usage of daily emotion polyregulation and daily negative affect, considering differences in emotional intensity and momentary synergistic strategy selection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>During March-June 2023, 106 university students completed a 7-day ecological momentary assessment procedure reporting on emotion polyregulation usage and negative affect between two in-person lab sessions, with supplementary measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive control ability.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Higher event intensity and lower emotion dysregulation predicted greater strategy use during an emotional event. Additionally, greater event intensity and emotion dysregulation predicted greater daily negative affect. Within instances of polyregulation, greater use of situation selection and reinterpretation predicted lower daily negative affect.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings shed light on which individual differences and situational factors predict emotion polyregulation use. Practically, these findings can inform the development of targeted emotion polyregulation interventions that train individuals to deploy adaptive strategies (i.e., situation selection and reinterpretation) particularly in high-intensity contexts where regulation is most needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147437429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anxiety Stress and CopingPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-09-05DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2025.2554829
Jayden Greenwell-Barnden, Patrick Clarke, Lies Notebaert
{"title":"Psychological distress and negative life events among university students: mapping patterns of exposure and impact.","authors":"Jayden Greenwell-Barnden, Patrick Clarke, Lies Notebaert","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2025.2554829","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10615806.2025.2554829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Early adulthood and commencing university coincide with new life circumstances for many students which increases exposure to negative life events (NLE). Such events can have lasting impacts on student mental health. An exploratory study was conducted in a student sample to examine the frequency of NLE, event co-occurrence, and associated mental health outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Six-hundred-and-fifty university students completed the Negative Life Events Scale for Students and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale. Normative data was examined for NLE's experienced by women and men across the lifespan, and in the last 12-months to provide an overview of students' experience. An exploratory factor analysis on the experience of NLE in the last 12-months examined co-occurrence of events and associated vulnerability.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Ninety-eight percent of students experienced at least one NLE, and 50% were experienced in the last 12-months. Events relating to academic problems and domestic violence were associated with poorer mental health, were common, and occurred relatively recently. Six factors were identified demonstrating some NLE co-occur.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings confirm the high prevalence of NLE among university students, with psychological/addiction issues and academic pressures had the strongest associations with poorer mental health. Findings may inform targeted student mental health support programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"205-219"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145001889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anxiety Stress and CopingPub Date : 2026-03-01Epub Date: 2025-09-17DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2025.2558729
Matthew Brooks, Martin J Turner
{"title":"A longitudinal model of emotion pathways to growth, depreciation, and health outcomes after life stress.","authors":"Matthew Brooks, Martin J Turner","doi":"10.1080/10615806.2025.2558729","DOIUrl":"10.1080/10615806.2025.2558729","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>The emotion belief and emotion regulation pathways that shape negative (posttraumatic depreciation; PTD) and positive adaptation (posttraumatic growth; PTG) following daily life stressors are poorly understood. This longitudinal study examined how emotion beliefs and emotion regulation strategies influence PTD and PTG, and subsequent mental (depression, anxiety, stress) and physical health (headaches, gastrointestinal problems, respiratory infections, sleep disturbances) symptoms.</p><p><strong>Design and method: </strong>A longitudinal panel design was used. British participants (<i>N</i> = 627) completed an online survey measuring life stressors, emotion beliefs, emotion regulation, PTD and PTG, and mental and physical health at two time points six months apart (October 2021 and April 2022).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The path model explained 18-21% of the variance in mental and physical health outcomes. Cognitive mediation and emotion beliefs were negatively and positively related to PTD. Maladaptive emotion regulation was positively associated with PTD, and worse mental and physical health. Adaptive emotion regulation was positively related to PTG, and less depressive and stress symptoms. PTG was negatively related to depression, and PTD was negatively associated with mental and physical health.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Distinct pathways to PTD and PTG operate through superordinate emotion beliefs and emotion regulation. Interventions targeting emotion beliefs and emotion regulation may improve mental and physical health following adversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":51415,"journal":{"name":"Anxiety Stress and Coping","volume":" ","pages":"143-159"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145082553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}