Blunted cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress predicts low behavioral but not self-reported perseverance: A replication study

Emerging evidence suggests that individuals with poor behavioral perseverance show low or blunted physiological responses to acute psychological stress. For example, a recent preliminary laboratory study demonstrated that blunted responders give up sooner and take fewer attempts when endeavoring to complete an impossible puzzle, but do not self‐report poor perseverance. This present research is a replication of the previous study with an increased sample size, longer recovery periods between tasks and addition of social evaluation to the cold pressor. Participants (147) completed a self‐report perseverance questionnaire (Short Grit Scale) and behavioral perseverance tasks (impossible Euler puzzle and socially evaluated cold‐pressor (SECPT)). The number of attempts and time spent trying to complete the unsolvable puzzle, and duration of hand submergent during the SECPT, were recorded as behavioral perseverance measures. Difference in blood pressure (BP) and pulse rate (PR) from baseline to a 10‐min paced auditory serial addition task (PASAT) were computed as reactivity. As previously, reactivity did not relate to self‐reported perseverance and blunted BP reactivity to the PASAT was associated with less time persevering at the unsolvable puzzle. Additionally, blunted BP and PR reactivity to the PASAT related to poorer perseverance during the SECPT. These findings, replicating the previous study, increase confidence that blunted reactivity is a physiological marker of poor behavioral perseverance. Moreover, given that self‐reported perseverance does not relate to reactivity, this suggests that blunted responders are not conscious of this detriment in perseverance, but likely need additional support when persistence is critical (e.g., during behavior change)

Elite Female Footballers in England: An Exploration of Mental Ill-Health and Help-Seeking Intentions’

Mental health research in sport is almost entirely focused on elite male athletes. However, recent research suggests that elite female athletes are at higher risk for mental ill-health when compared to their male counterparts. Given the recent growth of women’s football in England and lack of research surrounding mental health in this population, this study sought to explore the prevalence of, and factors associated with depression, anxiety, and eating disorder symptoms in females competing in the top two tiers of English football. An anonymous online questionnaire pack, which measured personal and player characteristics and included the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Generalised Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7), Brief Eating Disorder Questionnaire (BEDA-Q), and General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ), was completed between November 2020 and March 2021 by elite female footballers competing in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship. A total of 115 players completed the questionnaire (63 from the WSL; 52 from the Women’

Frequently Interrupting Prolonged Sitting With Light Body-Weighted Resistance Activity Alters Psychobiological Responses to Acute Psychological Stress: A Randomized Crossover Trial

BACKGROUND: Uninterrupted prolonged sitting and exaggerated psychobiological reactivity to acute psychological stress are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Breaking up prolonged sitting with frequent, short bouts of light-intensity physical activity acutely lowers CVD risk markers under resting conditions. PURPOSE: To examine whether frequent interruptions to prolonged sitting with body-weighted resistance activity can acutely lower systolic blood pressure (SBP; primary outcome) and other cardiovascular (CV), inflammatory, and cortisol (secondary outcomes) responses to acute psychological stress. METHODS: This randomized crossover trial included 17 sedentary participants (9 men; mean ± SD age; 24.0 ± 0.5 years) who completed two conditions: (i) interrupting 4 hr of sitting with 4 min of light body-weighted resistance activity every 30-min (BREAK), and (ii) 4 hr of uninterrupted sitting (SIT). Following the BREAK and SIT intervention windows, CV, inflammatory, and cortisol markers were measured at rest, during stress tasks (8-min Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test [PASAT] and 3-min cold pressor [CP]), and 45-min recovery periods. RESULTS: There were main effects of time for CV parameters (SBP, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance [all p < .001]), inflammatory markers (interleukin-6 [IL-6]), and cortisol (p < .05) in response to stress. Time-by-condition interaction effects revealed that in the BREAK-condition there was lower SBP during immediate recovery from the CP (mean {95% confidence interval [CI]}: 127.2 [121.3, 133.4] vs 133.4 [125.5, 141.7] mmHg; p = .020), higher concentrations of plasma IL-6 45-min post-PASAT (2.70 [1.97, 3.70] vs 1.71 [1.32, 2.22] pg/mL; p = .010), and larger (nonsignificant) salivary cortisol concentrations 8-min post-CP (6.29 [4.60, 8.58] vs 3.97 [3.16, 4.99] nmol/L; p = .079). CONCLUSIONS: Interrupting prolonged sitting with frequent bouts of light intensity body-weighted resistance activity alters psychobiological responses to acute psychological stress. Further research should explore the longer-term implications for CVD risk

Sedentary behaviour, physical activity and psychobiological stress reactivity: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Sedentary behaviour, physical activity, and psychobiological reactivity to acute psychological stress are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Sedentary behaviour and physical activity influence autonomic, haemodynamic, and inflammatory pathways under resting conditions, and these pathways become activated under acute psychological stress. However, it is unclear whether sedentary behaviour and physical activity relate to psychobiological responses to stress. Thus, the aim of this study is to systematically review sedentary behaviour and physical activity in the context of psychobiological reactivity to acute psychological stress. METHODS: Sedentary behaviour, physical activity and psychobiological stress reactivity search terms were combined, and several databases were searched in duplicate. Eligibility criteria included: (1) a validated measure of sedentary behaviour/physical activity; (2) cardiovascular, inflammatory, neuroendocrine, or respiratory markers measured at rest and in response to laboratory-induced acute psychological stress. RESULTS: 6084 articles were screened, with 11 included in a narrative synthesis. No studies measured postural components of sedentary behaviour, but 2/4 studies found that markers of sedentary behaviour (e.g., physical inactivity) were associated with elevated heart rate, dysregulated heart rate variability, or lowered cortisol responses to stress. Higher volumes of physical activity were linked to lower HR, cortisol, or immune responses to stress in 4/7 studies. CONCLUSIONS: Extensive methodological variability precludes conclusions from being drawn. This review should be used to guide a more homogeneous and gold-standard literature, which accounts for postural components of sedentary behaviour using inclinometery, and the whole physical activity intensity spectrum using universal and reproducible approaches

Sedentary behaviour is associated with heightened cardiovascular, inflammatory and cortisol reactivity to acute psychological stress

Background Sedentary behaviour is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Exaggerated psychobiological responses to acute psychological stress increase CVD risk. Sedentary behaviour is associated with characteristics that can predict large psychobiological stress response patterns (e.g., elevated resting blood pressure and systemic inflammation), but it is currently unknown whether sedentary behaviour and stress reactivity are directly linked. The aim of this study was to examine associations between device-assessed sedentary behaviour and measures of stress reactivity. Methods Sixty-one healthy adults wore an activPAL (thigh) and ActiGraph (wrist) for seven days to measure habitual levels of sedentary behaviour (mean ± SD = 9.96 ± 1.48 hours/day) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (mean ± SD = 101.82 ± 42.92 minutes/day). Participants then underwent stress reactivity testing, where beat-to-beat cardiovascular (e.g., blood pressure, total peripheral resistance), inflammatory (plasma interleukin-6, leukocytes) and salivary cortisol measurements were taken in response to an 8-minute socially evaluative Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test. Results Higher volumes of daily sedentary behaviour were associated with larger stress responses for diastolic blood pressure (Β=1.264, 95%CI=0.537—1.990, p=.005), total peripheral resistance (Β=40.563, 95%CI=19.310—61.812, p<.001), interleukin-6 (Β=0.219, 95%CI=0.109—0.329, p<.001) and cortisol (Β=1.844, 95%CI=1.139—2.549, p<.001). These findings emerged independent of a priori determined covariates, including daily levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and adiposity. Discussion Exaggerated stress reactivity is characteristic of high sedentary behaviour and could be a novel mechanism linking sedentary behaviour with CVD. Future work should examine the impact of reducing sedentary behaviour on measures of stress reactivity, as this may have clinical relevance for preventing CVD