Strategies for Responding to Stress

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03289156

Enrollment

160

Registered

2017-09-20

Start date

2017-09-18

Completion date

2019-05-30

Last updated

2020-11-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Stress

Brief summary

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

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.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALArousal Reappraisal

Brief readings educating about the stress response and usefulness of arousal reappraisal.

BEHAVIORALExercise

Three 5-minute bouts of exercise at increasing intensities (65%, 75%, and 85%) with 5-15 minute breaks in-between for recovery.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

FACTORIAL

Primary purpose

OTHER

Masking

NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to 35 Years

Healthy volunteers

Yes

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.

Design outcomes

Primary

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

Secondary

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

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026