Understanding Everyday Stress

Penn State University213 enrolled

Overview

This research study is being done to better understand how people experience stress in everyday life and how that stress may relate to sleep and physical activity. We are also testing stress management approaches that are intended to reduce stress responses in everyday life. This study asks participants to carry and use a study-provided smartphone to answer brief surveys during daily life for several weeks. On these surveys, participants will self-report their stress, mood, thoughts, physical activity, and sleep patterns, as well as a few other questions about where they are and what they are doing at each survey. Study participants will also wear two commercial devices on their person; one that tracks physical activity and the other sleep. Information about stress management will also be provided to participants on the study smartphone. At the end of the study, participants will be asked to return the smartphone and devices and will receive compensation for their time and effort. The overall aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of two stress management interventions, both delivered via the study smartphone, on the outcomes of stress responses, sleep, and physical activity.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Enrollment

213

Conditions

Stress Psychological Stress

Interventions

Self-monitoring and personalized stress managementBEHAVIORAL

Self-monitoring and personalized stress management education and materials.

Self-monitoring and general stress managementBEHAVIORAL

Self-monitoring and general stress management education and materials.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 35 YearsMax age: 65 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Men or women between the ages of 35-65 years 2. Capable of reading, understanding, and speaking English and providing written informed consent 3. Free of visual and motor impairment that would interfere with the use of a smartphone 4. In good general health, ambulatory, and free of functional activity limitations 5. Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study Exclusion Criteria: 1. Diagnosed mental health condition that required a medication adjustment or hospitalization within the last 3 months 2. Primary caretaker for a parent or severely disabled child/family member 3. Inability to answer Smartphone survey messages received throughout the day due to restrictions or policies in the workplace 4. Employment that requires work between the hours of 10pm and 6am or overnight 'on-call' 5. Known allergic reactions to surgical adhesive tape 6. Self-reported or medical diagnosis of sleep apnea, score above threshold on the STOP-BANG screening, or self-reported use of a C-PAP machine 7. Inability to be physically active or who have medical contradictions for physical activity 8. Self-report of physical exercise of 200 minutes or more per week at a moderate or vigorous intensity, or 10 or more hours of walking per week 9. Use of physician prescribed sleep aids/pharmaceuticals or over the counter sleep aids for 3 or more days per week 10. Living in same household as a current or former participant 11. Unwilling to travel to the study site for in-person visits 12. Travelling for an extended period of time when scheduled for study participation or unwilling to return for in-person visit subsequently

Locations (1)

Stress, Health, and Daily Experiences Laboratory

University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Stress responses in everyday life

Our primary outcome assessment is psychological stress responses in everyday life. To characterize subjective stress response, we utilize brief assessments of stress response indicators that encompass three aspects of the stress response in everyday life. First, we assess change in subjective stress indicators from non-stressed resting state to immediately after experiencing a stressor (i.e., stress reactivity). Second, we assess recovery in subjective stress indicators from stress following exposure as indexed by the degree to which the individual returns to their non-stressed resting state following stress reactivity. Third, as stress responses may occur in isolation or repeatedly, we characterize the number of stress responses over time (the sum of observed stress response cycles in a 48-hr interval).

Time frame: Assessed daily for 4 weeks. Changes in stress responses from prior to intervention to during the intervention period.

Secondary Outcomes

Activity behaviors - time spent sitting

Daily number of waking minutes spent sitting, summarized as the daily average for each participant derived from an activPAL 4 accelerometer worn on the midline of the thigh.

Time frame: Assessed daily for 4 weeks. Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviors from prior to intervention to during the intervention period.

Activity behaviors - time spent standing

Daily number of waking minutes spent standing, summarized as the daily average for each participant derived from an activPAL 4 accelerometer worn on the midline of the thigh.

Time frame: Assessed daily for 4 weeks. Changes in physical activity and sedentary behaviors from prior to intervention to during the intervention period.

Activity behaviors - time spent in light physical activity

Daily number of waking minutes spent performing light physical activity, summarized as the daily average for each participant derived from an activPAL 4 accelerometer worn on the midline of the thigh.

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

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