Strategies for Responding to Stress

The purpose of this study is to examine whether changes in psychological and physiological responses differ based on different strategies for responding to stress.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Stress
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Arousal Reappraisal; Behavioral: Exercise

Detailed Description

The purpose of this study is to examine whether changes in psychological and physiological responses differ based on different strategies for responding to stress. Different strategies being examined in this study include exercise and arousal reappraisal.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 160
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Austin, Texas, United States, 78712
      • University of Texas at Austin

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 35 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Males and females ages 18 to 35
• Speaks English fluently
• Passes the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire-Plus
• Mild to Moderate depression symptoms as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (a score ≥14 but ≤25)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Hearing or visually impaired such that it will interfere with ability to participate effectively
• Currently exercising regularly, defined as exercising at a moderate-intensity more than 2 times a week, for at least 20 minutes each time.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Factorial Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Arousal Reappraisal; Brief educational intervention about the stress response and arousal reappraisal	Behavioral: Arousal Reappraisal; Brief readings educating about the stress response and usefulness of arousal reappraisal.
Active Comparator: Exercise; Three 5-minute bouts of aerobic exercise at increasing intensities	Behavioral: Exercise; Three 5-minute bouts of exercise at increasing intensities (65%, 75%, and 85%) with 5-15 minute breaks in-between for recovery.
Experimental: Arousal Reappraisal + Exercise; Brief educational intervention about the stress response and arousal reappraisal followed by three 5-minute bouts of aerobic exercise at increasing intensities with practice applying the arousal reappraisal learned earlier.	Behavioral: Arousal Reappraisal; Brief readings educating about the stress response and usefulness of arousal reappraisal.; Behavioral: Exercise; Three 5-minute bouts of exercise at increasing intensities (65%, 75%, and 85%) with 5-15 minute breaks in-between for recovery.
No Intervention: Control; Time-matched rest

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Stress Reappraisal	Self-report ratings of appraisal of a lab based stressor as threatening or challenging.	One day

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Psychological Response to Stress	Self-report ratings of perceived stress, anxiety, and fear in response to a lab based psychosocial stressor.	One day
Physiological Response to Stress	Heart rate in response to a lab based psychosocial stressor as threatening or challenging.	One day

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Texas at Austin
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Jolene Jacquart, MA, University of Texas at Austin

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 18, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): May 30, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: September 18, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 18, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): September 20, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 5, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 4, 2020
• Last Verified: November 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2017-05-0011

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No