| 1. |
- Annerstedt, Matilda, et al.
(author)
-
Inducing physiological stress recovery with sounds of nature in a virtual reality forest : results from a pilot study
- 2013
-
In: Physiology and Behavior. - 0031-9384 .- 1873-507X. ; 118, s. 240-50
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Experimental research on stress recovery in natural environments is limited, as is study of the effect of sounds of nature. After inducing stress by means of a virtual stress test, we explored physiological recovery in two different virtual natural environments (with and without exposure to sounds of nature) and in one control condition. Cardiovascular data and saliva cortisol were collected. Repeated ANOVA measurements indicated parasympathetic activation in the group subjected to sounds of nature in a virtual natural environment, suggesting enhanced stress recovery may occur in such surroundings. The group that recovered in virtual nature without sound and the control group displayed no particular autonomic activation or deactivation. The results demonstrate a potential mechanistic link between nature, the sounds of nature, and stress recovery, and suggest the potential importance of virtual reality as a tool in this research field.
|
|
| 2. |
- Carlsson, Frida, et al.
(author)
-
Salivary cortisol and self-reported stress among persons with environmental annoyance
- 2006
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140. ; 32:2, s. 20-109
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: Increased vulnerability to stress has been suggested as a possible mechanism behind medically unexplained conditions such as sensitivity to electricity and common smells. This study examined whether subjective environmental annoyance among the general population is associated with increased physiological reactivity or subjective stress scores.METHODS: Four groups were studied (N=141): an electrically annoyed (N=17), a smell-annoyed (N=29), and a generally annoyed group (N=39) and a reference group matched for age, gender, and socioeconomic status (N=56). Over 5 days, the participants collected saliva for cortisol determination at awakening, 30 minutes after awakening, 8 hours after awakening, and at 9 o'clock in the evening. On the evening preceding the fifth day, the participants ingested a 0.5-mg dexamethasone tablet so that possible differential suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis could be assessed. Each day, the participants also rated their subjective stress and health complaints.RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the groups regarding cortisol secretion over 5 days. The dexamethasone suppression test showed inhibited cortisol secretion in all four groups. No associations were found between the cortisol concentrations and the self-reported stress scores or subjective health complaints.CONCLUSIONS: Although the environmentally annoyed groups showed no signs of increased HPA-axis activation, being annoyed by both electrical devices and smells seems to be related to increased psychological activation in terms of self-reported stress. Because the participants were otherwise healthy and recruited from the general population, the results imply that subtle psychological stress processes may be important in the early development of environmental annoyance.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Gullander, Maria, et al.
(author)
-
Exposure to Workplace Bullying and Risk of Depression
- 2014
-
In: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - 1536-5948. ; 56:12, s. 1258-1265
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: We examined the prospective association between self-labeled and witness-reported bullying and the risk of newly onset of depression. METHODS: Employees were recruited from two cohorts of 3196 and 2002 employees, respectively. Participants received a questionnaire at baseline in 2006 to 2007 with follow-up in 2008 to 2009 and 2011. New cases of depression were diagnosed in the follow-up using Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry interviews and the Major Depression Inventory questionnaire. RESULTS: We identified 147 new cases of depression. The odds ratio for newly onset depression among participants reporting bullying occasionally was 2.17 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11 to 4.23) and among frequently bullied 9.63 (95% CI: 3.42 to 27.1). There was no association between percentage witnessing bullying and newly onset depression. CONCLUSIONS: Frequent self-labeled bullying predicts development of depression but a work environment with high proportion of employees witnessing bullying does not.
|
|
| 5. |
- Hansen, Ase Marie, et al.
(author)
-
Diurnal profiles of salivary cortisol on workdays among construction workers versus white-collar workers
- 2006
-
In: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health. - 0355-3140. ; , s. 22-26
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives The aim of the present study was to test whether construction workers, who are known to have a relatively higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), had higher concentrations of cortisol in saliva and a lower relative variability when compared with white-collar workers. Methods Data from two groups of male construction workers with physically demanding job assignments, with either regular or extended workhours (N=40) and a group of white-collar workers recruited from both the private and the public sector (N=118) were examined. All of the workers had participated in previous research projects with similar methodology. Saliva was sampled during ordinary workdays at awakening, between 30 and 45 minutes after awakening, and approximately 14 hours after awakening. Results Compared with the white-collar workers, the construction workers had higher mean concentrations of cortisol in saliva, 36% and 14% for construction workers with regular and extended workhours, respectively. The observed differences weakened when the exact sampling time (time of day) was taken into consideration in the statistical modeling. Compared with the white-collar workers, the construction workers had a lower relative variability in salivary cortisol as measured by the coefficient of variation (CV 76% versus 99%). A detailed analysis revealed that the construction workers with regular workhours had the highest concentration of cortisol in saliva but the lowest relative variability when compared with the construction workers with extended workhours (CV 72% versus 82%). Conclusions The results suggest that physically demanding construction work is associated with a less variable and increased cortisol excretion when compared with white-collar work.
|
|
| 6. |
- Jönsson, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test : a pilot study
- 2010
-
In: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier. - 0306-4530 .- 1873-3360. ; 35:9, s. 1397-1403
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE™ system with three rear projected walls (4 m×3 m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during which salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, parasympathetic activity), and T-wave amplitude (TWA, suggested to be related to sympathetic influence on myocardial performance) were assessed. Cortisol secretion showed a marked increase (88% vs. baseline) during the first stress provocation, but habituated in the second session. The magnitude of HR and TWA reactivity during stress provocation was approximately the same at both sessions, implying a stable increase in sympathetic activity. Heart rate showed a maximum increase of 40% at the first session, and 32% at the second. TWA showed a maximum decrease of 42% at the first session, and 39% at the second. The results resemble those obtained in prior studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings.
|
|
| 7. |
- Jönsson, Peter, et al.
(author)
-
Cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity and habituation to a virtual reality version of the Trier Social Stress Test: A pilot study.
- 2010
-
In: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3360 .- 0306-4530. ; 35, s. 1397-1403
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used protocol to induce stress in laboratory settings. Briefly, in the TSST, the test participant is asked to hold a speech and to do an arithmetic task in front of an audience. In the present pilot study, we examined endocrine and autonomic reactivity and habituation to repeated stress provocations using a virtual reality (VR) version of TSST. The VR system was a CAVE system with three rear projected walls (4mx3m), and one floor projection. The system also included a head tracking system and passive stereoscopy. The virtual audience consisted of one woman, and two men. Ten healthy men, mean age 28.3 years (24-38 years), were confronted with the test twice (1 week between sessions), during which salivary cortisol, heart rate (HR), high frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV, parasympathetic activity), and T-wave amplitude (TWA, suggested to be related to sympathetic influence on myocardial performance) were assessed. Cortisol secretion showed a marked increase (88% vs. baseline) during the first stress provocation, but habituated in the second session. The magnitude of HR and TWA reactivity during stress provocation was approximately the same at both sessions, implying a stable increase in sympathetic activity. Heart rate showed a maximum increase of 40% at the first session, and 32% at the second. TWA showed a maximum decrease of 42% at the first session, and 39% at the second. The results resemble those obtained in prior studies using the real-life TSST. If these results can be replicated with larger samples, VR technology may be used as a simple and standardized tool for social stress induction in experimental settings.
|
|
| 8. |
- Lindeberg, Sara, et al.
(author)
-
Exhaustion measured by the SF-36 vitality scale is associated with a flattened diurnal cortisol profile.
- 2008
-
In: Psychoneuroendocrinology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-3360 .- 0306-4530. ; 33, s. 471-477
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The possible association between stress-related exhaustion and reduced activity in the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is increasingly in focus. The aim of the present study was to examine whether exhaustion measured in a non-patient population is associated with alterations in diurnal cortisol profile. The study population included 78 working individuals. The study group was dichotomised into exhausted and non-exhausted groups by means of the SF-36 vitality scale. Salivary cortisol was measured at three times during 1 workday: at awakening, 30min after awakening, and in the evening. The results showed that diurnal cortisol variation was significantly reduced in exhausted individuals. The difference in cortisol variation was mainly due to lowered morning cortisol in the exhausted group. Differences in cortisol levels at each sampling time or in mean diurnal output of cortisol were not statistically significant. The results would support the notion that exhaustion is associated with HPA axis hypoactivity as assessed by salivary cortisol. Furthermore, the SF-36 vitality provides a measure of exhaustion that may be useful in epidemiological studies in order to explore long-term health effects of stress-related exhaustion.
|
|
| 9. |
- Persson, Roger, et al.
(author)
-
Can the job content questionnaire be used to assess structural and organizational properties of the work environment?
- 2012
-
In: International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-1246 .- 0340-0131. ; 85:1, s. 45-55
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective The theory behind the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) presumes that the "objective" social environment is measurable via self-report inventories such as the JCQ. Hence, it is expected that workers in identical work will respond highly similar. However, since no studies have evaluated this basic assumption, we decided to investigate whether workers performing highly similar work also responded similarly to the JCQ. Methods JCQ data from a rubber-manufacturing (RM: n = 95) and a mechanical assembly company (MA: n = 119) were examined. On each worksite, men and women performed identical machine-paced job tasks. A population sample (n = 8,542) served as a reference group. Results In both the RM and MA groups, the job support questions were rated most similar. Yet, there was a substantial variation as regards choosing to agree or disagree with single JCQ items. The variation was also reflected in the scale scores. In the RM and MA groups, the variance of job demand and job control scores was 64-87% of that of the population sample. For job support scores, the corresponding variation was 42-87%. Conclusion Conducting highly similar work does not lead to highly similar reports in the JCQ. In view of the large response variation, it seems that the attempt to avoid personal influence by minimizing the self-reflexive component in the questions asked, and using response alternative that indicates degree of agreement, does not seem to work as intended.
|
|
| 10. |
- Persson, Roger, et al.
(author)
-
Personality trait scores among occupationally active bullied persons and witnesses to bullying
- 2009
-
In: Motivation and Emotion. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-6644 .- 0146-7239. ; 33:4, s. 387-399
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is little research on the personalities and emotional stability of persons who report being bullied or witnessing bullying at work. Men and women (N = 247) from 19 to 64 years of age and in manual labour completed a questionnaire concerning the psychosocial work climate, bullying and personality. Three groups were defined: bullied (N = 14), witnesses (N = 31) and non-bullied respondents (N = 202). The Swedish universities Scale of Personality was used to assess personality traits related to the three major dimensions of neuroticism, extraversion, and aggressiveness. Bullied persons had higher scores on all six scales within the neuroticism dimension as well as higher irritability (aggressiveness dimension) and impulsiveness scores (extraversion dimension), when compared with their non-bullied work colleagues. To conclude, bullied persons display a self-image that is dominated by mistrust and embitterment as well as irritability and impulsiveness. Accordingly, when dealing with bullying at work, the need for ego-supportive actions should be considered in conjunction with more organisational, collective oriented action.
|
|
| 11. |
- Persson, Roger, et al.
(author)
-
Physiological and psychological reactions to work in men and women with identical job tasks
- 2009
-
In: European Journal of Applied Physiology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1439-6327 .- 1439-6319. ; 105:4, s. 595-606
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Differences in physiological functioning in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis and the autonomic nervous system have been suggested to contribute to many of the health differences that may be observed between men and women as well as being relevant for the development of musculoskeletal pain. To clarify whether men and women with identical work tasks reacted differently when doing work known to induce musculoskeletal pain, ratings and physiological measurements were obtained at work start (15:30) and at the end of the workshift (22:30) on 17 men and 20 women. Men showed a larger decrease in perceived energy levels during the workshift but there were no differences between men and women as regards cortisol, adrenaline, noradrenaline, heart-rate activation, perceived stress, pain and physical exertion. In conclusion, differential physiological activation during the workshift seem to be an unlikely mechanism for explaining gender differences in pain associated with exposure to awkward and repetitive movements.
|
|
| 12. |
- Persson, Roger, et al.
(author)
-
Seasonal Variation in Human Salivary Cortisol Concentration
- 2008
-
In: Chronobiology International. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0742-0528 .- 1525-6073. ; 25:6, s. 923-937
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Measurement of cortisol concentration can contribute important information about an individuals ability to adjust to various environmental demands of both physical and psychosocial origin. However, one uncertainty that affects the possibilities of correctly interpreting and designing field studies is the lack of observations of the impact of seasonal changes on cortisol excretion. For this reason, the month-to-month changes in diurnal cortisol concentration, the awakening cortisol response (ACR), maximum morning concentration, and fall during the day were studied in a group of 24 healthy men and women 32 to 61 yrs of age engaged in active work. On one workday for 12 consecutive months, participants collected saliva at four time points for determination of cortisol: at awakening, +30min, +8h, and at 21:00h. Data were analyzed by a repeated measures design with month (12 levels) and time-of-day (4 levels) as categorical predictors. Cortisol concentrations were analyzed on a log scale. The diurnal pattern of cortisol was similar across months (interaction between month and time of day: p0.4). The main effects of month and time-of-day were statistically significant (p0.001). Highest concentrations were observed in February, March, and April, and lowest concentrations were observed in July and August. There were no statistically significant effects in any of the other measures, or between men and women. In conclusion, a seasonal variation in salivary cortisol concentrations was detected in an occupationally active population. Thus, seasonal variation needs to be taken into account when designing and evaluating field studies and interventions and when making comparisons across studies.
|
|
