Showing papers by "Angela Clow published in 2018"

Physical fitness and prior physical activity are both associated with less cortisol secretion during psychosocial stress.

Abstract: Background: Evidence linking fitness and decreased psychosocial stress comes from studies of athletes and typically relies upon self-report measures. Furthermore, there is little evidence regarding the impact of physical activity (PA) prior to a stressor. The aims of this study were to determine whether fitness and prior PA influence cortisol concentrations during psychosocial stress.Methods: Seventy-five non-athletic participants took part in a submaximal walk prior to the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G). During the walk, fitness was assessed using heart rate (HR). A further 89 participants took part in the TSST-G without the walk. Stress responsiveness was assessed using salivary cortisol collected at 10-min intervals on seven occasions.Results: Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that average walking HR accounted for 9% of the variance in cortisol secretion (P = .016), where a higher HR was associated with higher cortisol secretion. Between-subjects ANCOVA revealed that the w...

Enhancing well-being and resilience in people living with cancer. Part 1

Abstract: Receiving a new diagnosis of cancer or recurrent disease is distressing. Increasing numbers of people are living with cancer, as well as those who have been cured. Living with cancer and the possibility of recurrence requires psychological strength to deal with the treatment, effects of the illness and uncertainty about the future. Self-efficacy and psychological well-being can reduce the effects of chronic stress. Excellent symptom control is essential and fatigue, the most prevalent symptom for those with cancer, requires targeted support. Well-being and psychological resilience may be improved by specific actions and psychological approaches, some of which are encompassed by the ‘five ways to well-being’ framework, which can be used to deliver personalised care. The first of this two-part article reviews interventions that promote well-being and resilience in patients living with cancer. Part two describes the ‘five ways to well-being’ framework and suggests practical ways in which clinicians can integrate this and other interventions into clinical practice.

Hormonal measurement in psychobiological research

Abstract: Three peripherally circulating hormones that can be measured in saliva have received growing attention in psychobiology research. Cortisol and dehydoepiandrosterone (DHEA) are steroid hormones indicative of activity in the hypothalamic–pitutary–adrenal (HPA) axis. The third, methoxyindole melatonin, is the hormonal product of the pineal neuroendocrine system. The development of reliable methods for salivary hormone assessment was a key turning point for psychobiology research, as it enabled new approaches to the study of a wide range of individual difference factors. These biological indices provide meaningful objective measures that can be analysed in parallel to self-reported variables (e.g. stress/well-being) as well as sociodemographic, developmental, psychological and health variables. Saliva is an easy-to-access biological fluid, collection of which is convenient and does not require trained personnel. Indeed, participants can be shown how to undertake self-collection of samples, which enables repeated sampling in ambulatory studies (with resultant ecological validity) as well as in relation to experimental manipulations within the laboratory. The purpose of this chapter is to guide the psychobiology researcher on appropriate approaches and methodologies for using salivary hormone measures for meaningful investigation of a virtually limitless range of potential research questions.