Effects of Micro-Interventions on Stress Reactivity

Philipps University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Psychological Stress; Physiological Stress

Treatments: Behavioral: Acceptance; Behavioral: Expectation

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04171154

2019-54k

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study aims to investigate the effects of short, psychological interventions on bio-psychological stress responses after an acute stressor. The efficacy of two different approaches (expectation-bases vs. acceptance-based) will be compared to a control-group.

Enrollment: 90 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 50 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• fluent in German language

Exclusion criteria

• chronic disease
• mental disease
• the evening before the day of the experiment until end of the experiment (the next day):
• caffeine, alcohol, intensive physical exercise, chewing gum
• acute hay fever
• current intake of psychotropic medication
• current intake of orale contraceptives
• visual impairments
• heart conditions (self and close relatives)

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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90 participants in 3 patient groups

Expectation

Experimental group

Description:

Participants are asked to think of three strength which have helped them in prior stressful events. They then have to think of ways how these strength may help them in future stressful situations, i.e. a test in this experiment.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Expectation

Acceptance

Experimental group

Description:

Participants listen to an audio-instruction on cognitive defusion. They shall observe the thoughts and feelings of stress and, with the help of the instruction, distance themselves from it.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Acceptance

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants wait for the stress-test to start.