The Effects of Interventions Aiming at Optimizing Expectations and Inducing Positive Emotions After an Acute Stressor

The Effects of Interventions Aiming at Optimizing Expectations and Inducing Positive Emotions After an Acute Stressor on Subjective and Objective Stress Paramaters

The purpose of the study is to determine whether a short psychological intervention aiming at optimizing expectations is able to foster positive emotions and whether an intervention inducing positive emotions is able improve participants' expectations. Furthermore, the investigators will examine whether both interventions are effective in buffering the stress response after an acute stressor in a healthy sample compared to a control condition.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Healthy Participants
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Writing task

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 74
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Germany
  • Hessen
    • Marburg, Hessen, Germany, 35032
      • Department of Psychology, Philipps University Marburg

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Expectation; Participants are asked to think and write about ways how they can positively influence/control the stress during stress induction. They also can think of strategies they used in their past. The purpose of this arm is to improve participants' personal control expectations.	Behavioral: Writing task
Experimental: Emotion; Participants in this group are asked to write a gratitude-letter to a person they want to thank. The purpose of this arm is to foster positive emotions.	Behavioral: Writing task
Active Comparator: Control; Participants in this group are asked to do a neutral writing task. The task is to write a protocol of yesterday's to-dos.	Behavioral: Writing task

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Change in personal control expectation (Item of the Brief IPQ)	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs. Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in emotions (PANAS)		Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs. Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1)
Subjective stress ratings	Questionnaire items	directly after completing the stress induction (approximately 50 minutes after baseline assessment; T2)
Change in Cortisol levels (saliva sample)	directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction = 50 min, 65 min and 80 min after baseline assessment	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs.Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1), directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction
Change in Alpha-Amylase levels (saliva sample)	directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction = 50 min, 65 min and 80 min after baseline assessment	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs. Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1), directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Philipps University Marburg Medical Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Winfried Rief, Professor, Philipps University Marburg Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 1, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): November 30, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 29, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 25, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): July 28, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 6, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 4, 2017
• Last Verified: June 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2016-08k