Stress
Conditions
Keywords
stress, anxiety, blood pressure, skin conductance level, heart rate variability, attention
Brief summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn about the impact of taking a continuous performance attention test on the physiological stress response in college students. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does taking an attention test cause participants to have increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and sweat? * Does taking an attention test cause participants to have a decrease in heart rate variability? * Are there relationships between participants' levels of anxiety, perceived stress, and mindfulness to their physiological changes? Participants will * Answer questionnaires about anxiety, stress, and mindfulness * Have baseline measurements taken for blood pressure, sweat, and heart rate variability * Take the PEBL Continuous Performance Task (a 14 minute attention test) while having the measurements listed above taken again
Detailed description
The PEBL Continuous Performance Task is an example of a mental stressor which requires vigilance and effort. We hypothesize that a sympathetic nervous system response will be evident in comparing physiological parameters during the attention task versus the preceding resting baseline period. Exploratory analyses will assess relationships between psychological measures of anxiety, stress, and mindfulness with this physiological response and the number of errors on the attention test.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALPEBL Continuous Performance Task
A PEBL version of the Conners Continuous Performance Task
Sponsors
University of Redlands
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
All participants will be measured at baseline and then during an attention task.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* English language proficiency * First year, first semester student enrolled in Students Together Empowering Peers course at the University of Redlands
Exclusion criteria
* severe mental health issues * currently taking anti-anxiety medication
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | Measured once after an 8 minute resting baseline, then 2 minutes into the attention task, and 10 minutes into the attention task. Data collection was then complete. | Systolic and diastolic |
| Skin conductance level | Measured continuously during an 8 minute resting baseline, then continuously for the 14 minute attention task. Data collection was then complete. | levels of sweat due to sympathetic nervous system activation |
| Heart rate variability | Measured continuously during an 8 minute resting baseline, then continuously for the 14 minute attention task. Data collection was then complete. | Normalized high frequency HRV |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) | Questionnaire completed on day of enrollment (<30 minutes) | Spielberger, C.D., R.L. Gorsuch, and R.E. Lushene, 1970. Scores on each of the state and trait sections range from 20 (low anxiety) to 80 (high anxiety) |
| PEBL Continuous Performance Task Foil Accuracy Rate | 14 minute attention task on the day of the experiment | For trials where participants were presented with a foil, the percent in which the participant did not commit a commission error (participant correctly did not press spacebar). Ranges from 0 - 100% accuracy. |
| Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) | Questionnaire completed on day of enrollment (<30 minutes) | Cohen, S., T. Kamarck, and R. Mermelstein. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 1983. Scores range from 0 (low perceived stress) to 40 (high perceived stress) |
| Mindful Awareness and Attention Scale (MAAS) | Questionnaire completed on day of enrollment (<30 minutes) | Brown, K.W. and R.M. Ryan. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2003. Scores range from 1 (least mindful) to 6 (most mindful) |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed