Psychiatric Disorder, Stress, Physiological, Stress, Psychological, Stress Reaction
Conditions
Keywords
Stress, Stress Reaction, Trier Social Stress Test, Digital Phenotyping
Brief summary
Stress is a complex natural phenomenon, frequently related to a physiological response, including heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, skin conductance and temperature. The subjective experience varies greatly; broadly, it may be conceived as a freeze, flight, fight, fright or faint response. Many studies have demonstrated the negative influence of psychological stress on health and well-being. Through the digital phenotyping of physiological and psychological stress reactions, in a controlled laboratory setting (Trier Social Stress Test- TSST) and real-life situations, in a population of healthy participants and patients with a major psychiatric disorder, we expect to find reliable and valid digital biomarkers. The results of this study will, therefore, not only contribute to a better understanding of stress and stress response but also have the potential to improve diagnostic and treatment approaches.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTrier Social Stress Test
The TSST-G is a psychological paradigm which combines high levels of social-evaluative threat and uncontrollability in a group setting. The TSST-G will proceed in groups of three to five participants (from the same diagnostic group). The TSST-G consists of three phases: a briefing; the psychological test itself, followed by a debriefing phase. Each phase will last 40, 20 and 60 minutes, respectively. The briefing and debriefing of the TSST-G will be conducted by experienced psychotherapists. The TSST-G itself will be conducted by personal unknown to the participants.
Sponsors
Psychiatric University Hospital, Zurich
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SCREENING
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Participants are competent to give informed consent. * Participants are right handed * German language proficiency as a native speaker or level B1 * Diagnosis of a cluster C personality disorder according to ICD-10; or * Diagnosis of depressive disorder according to ICD-10; or * Diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder according to ICD-10; or * Without a current psychiatric disorder.
Exclusion criteria
* Low Intelligence as confirmed by failure to complete regular compulsory education. * Pregnancy or over two weeks delay in the menstrual cycle. * Previous participation in a psychological trial involving psychosocial stress assessment. * Current neurological disorder. * Current cardiovascular disorder. * Current respiratory disorder. * Current substance use or withdrawal. * Any change in medication in the previous week.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cortisol | Change from 40 and 20 min. before the intervention. 0, 10, 20 30, 40, 60 and 80 min. after the intervention | Saliva Cortisol Concentration |
| Subjective Stress | Change from 40 and 20 min. before the intervention. 0, 10, 20 30, 40, 60 and 80 min. after the intervention | Stress Questionnaire |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Psychopathological Assessement | 1 day | Symptom Questionnaire |
| Psychiatric Diagnosis | 1 day | Structured psychiatric Interview |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed