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Objective: Dysregulation of stress‐reactive neuroendocrine measures, as well as subjective stress, have been found to worsen epilepsy. Transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) is a relatively new treatment option for epilepsy. We were interested in its effect on the activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and autonomic nervous system (ANS) as well as subjective stress and tiredness in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Methods: Twenty patients (age 44 ± 11 years, 13 women) were enrolled in the study. They were free of seizures for more than 1 year. All took part in two sessions with 4 h of stimulation (tVNS vs. sham) in a randomized order. Saliva samples and subjective stress and tiredness levels were measured at five time points each session (before and after stimulation and three time points every hour in between). Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance as well as paired t‐tests. Results: There was a dampened salivary cortisol (sCort) decrease during tVNS (time × condition effect: F[2.38, 38.15] = 6.50, P = 0.002, partial η2 = 0.29). Furthermore, we detected a dampened increase in salivary flow rate during tVNS (time × condition effect: F[3.28, 55.67] = 2.82, P = 0.043, partial η2 = 0.14). There was neither a difference in overall sCort or salivary alpha‐amylase (sAA) levels nor in subjective stress or tiredness levels between conditions. sAA levels at the last measurement point were slightly higher during tVNS (t(19) = 2.26, P = 0.035, d = 0.51), but this effect failed to reach significance when controlled for multiple comparisons. Significance: Our results partially support that tVNS influences the regulation of stress‐reactive neuroendocrine systems (namely the HPA axis and ANS) in epilepsy. More research with larger samples is needed on the difference between short‐term and repeated long‐term stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective There is limited knowledge about how fatigue develops and worsens and what influences fluctuations in daily fatigue. Stress was found to influence fatigue, and being in a relationship seems to either increase or decrease stress depending on the couple interaction. In this study, co-variation of fatigue, self-reported stress, and biological stress markers in couples’ everyday lives was investigated. Specifically, we examined a) whether momentary couple interactions moderated dyadic outcomes and b) whether and how stress and relationship measures influenced individual momentary fatigue. Methods Forty heterosexual couples (age: 28 ± 5 years) reported subjective fatigue and stress levels 4 times a day for 5 consecutive days (1600 measures). Furthermore, participants reported whether they had interacted with their partner since the last data entry and, if so, they rated the valence of this interaction. Salivary cortisol (a measure of HPA axis activity) and alpha amylase (a measure of ANS activity) were analyzed as biological stress markers from saliva samples obtained at the same time points. Moment-to-moment data were analyzed using dyadic multilevel models to account for the nested design. Results Stress (women and men: p  ≤ 0.001) and fatigue (women: p  = .003, men: p  = .020) showed patterns of co-variation within couples, especially if partners had interacted with each other since the previous data entry. Cortisol was also found to co-vary between partners (women: unstandardized coefficient ( UC)  = 0.12, p  ≤ .001, men: UC  = 0.18, p   ≤  .001), whereas the regulation of alpha-amylase levels depending on the partner’s levels was only present in women ( UC  = 0.11, p  = .002). Valence of couple interaction was negatively associated with fatigue (women: UC  = −0.13, p  ≤ .001, men: UC  = −0.06, p  = .011). There was no momentary association of fatigue with an individual’s own or the partner’s subjective or biological stress markers. Conclusions Fatigue and stress levels during the day seem to co-vary within couples. These associations were particularly strong when the partners had interacted with each other since the last measurement. These data underline the importance of social factors in fatigue and stress in everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Although fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic condition, its cardinal symptom pain is known to fluctuate over the day. Stress has often been claimed to exacerbate pain; however, there is barely any evidence on whether or not this is true on a day-to-day basis (and, alternatively, on whether pain leads to increased stress levels). Using an ecologically valid measurement design, we tested whether and how stress and pain are intertwined in participants with FMS. We additionally examined the role of the two major stress-responsive systems, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the autonomic nervous system, as potential mediators of this relationship. Methods An ambulatory assessment study was conducted over the course of 14 days. On each day, 32 females with FMS provided six diary entries on momentary stress and pain levels. Saliva samples were collected at the same time points to determine cortisol and alpha-amylase as indicators of stress-responsive systems. Results Higher stress at a given measurement time point was associated with higher reported pain levels at the subsequent time point (UC = 1.47, p < 0.001), but not vice versa (UC < 0.01, p = 0.179). The stress-pain relationship was neither mediated by momentary cortisol nor by alpha-amylase; however, momentary cortisol was independently associated with momentary pain (UC = 0.27, p = 0.009). Conclusion Stress seems to be a powerful exacerbating factor for pain as experienced by patients with FMS in their everyday lives. Cortisol may be involved in the diurnal fluctuation of pain levels in patients with FMS. Future studies should identify relevant daily stressors in persons with FMS and scrutinize the mechanisms underlying the cortisol-pain relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated whether stress may influence fatigue, or vice versa, as well as factors mediating this relationship. Fifty healthy participants (31 females, 23.6 ± 3.2 years) completed up to 5 momentary assessments of stress and fatigue during 5 days of preparation for their final examinations (exam condition) and 5 days of a regular semester week (control condition). Sleep quality was measured by self-report at awakening. A sub-group of participants ( n = 25) also collected saliva samples. Fatigue was associated with concurrent stress, stress reported at the previous measurement point, and previous-day stress. However, momentary stress was also predicted by concurrent fatigue, fatigue at the previous time point, and previous-day fatigue. Sleep quality mediated the association between stress and next-day fatigue. Cortisol and alpha-amylase did not mediate the stress–fatigue relationship. In conclusion, there is a reciprocal stress–fatigue relationship. Both prevention and intervention programs should comprehensively cover how stress and fatigue might influence one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medically unexplained fatigue is a burdensome, widespread symptom, and a frequent complaint in depressive disorders (DDs) as well as somatic symptom disorder (SSD). Heightened stress levels are a likely cause of fatigue, although the temporal associations, as well as the role of the stress-reactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, are not yet completely understood. We were interested in the differences between DD and SSD regarding general, mental, and physical fatigue, as well as associations between psychobiological stress measures (representing different time frames) and fatigue in these groups. Fifty-eight women (29 with DD, 29 with SSD) reported subjective recent fatigue and chronic stress levels, as well as levels of depression and somatic complaints using baseline questionnaires. Furthermore, they completed an ambulatory assessment period comprising measurements of fatigue, subjective stress, and salivary cortisol five times a day for 14 consecutive days. Salivary cortisol was obtained as a measure of within-day HPA axis activity, and hair cortisol concentration was obtained as a measure of accumulated HPA axis activity of the preceding three months. Women with DD reported higher levels of general and mental fatigue than did women with SSD, which was explained by their higher level of depression. Physical fatigue levels did not differ between groups. In both groups, momentary general, mental, and physical fatigue levels were associated with momentary subjective stress but not with chronic stress. Momentary salivary cortisol levels were positively associated with mental fatigue, while hair cortisol concentration was not. There are differences in fatigue profiles between DD and SSD, which should be accounted for in future research and practice (e.g., individualized treatment strategies focusing on mental or physical fatigue, depending on which fatigue dimension is prominent). • Fatigue differs between depressive disorder (DD) and somatic symptom disorder (SSD). • Level of depression is related to everyday life mental, but not physical, fatigue. • Momentary stress is associated with momentary fatigue in DD and SSD. • Salivary cortisol is associated with mental, not physical, fatigue in DD and SSD. • Chronic stress and hair cortisol do not predict momentary fatigue in DD and SSD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our aim was to evaluate isolated elements of psychological pain treatments and explore treatment effects on biological stress markers. We employed a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines. Matching pairs of twelve participants (chronic low back pain >6 months; elevated pain-related fear) were randomly assigned to graded in vivo exposure (EXP) or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in a yoked design. Primary assessments were taken during baseline (7–26 days), treatment (23–44 days) and at 6-months follow-up (11–30 days) including changes in pain symptoms, disability, pain-related fear, acceptance, body confidence, self-efficacy, and positive thoughts. Psycho-educational, behavioral, cognitive, and exposure interventions were compared to baseline. EXP exhibited immediate middle-to-large effects; CBT's small-to-middle effects were delayed. Within the EXP approach, change mainly occurred during exposure but not during psycho-educational sessions. Overall cortisol was lower in EXP than CBT at post-treatment. We recommend integrating exposure elements in the management of CLBP to increase its efficacy. Psycho-educational sessions might not be necessary or should be adapted, e.g. with stronger focus on motivational aspects. Since CBT seemed to produce delayed effects, core CBT interventions such as cognitive restructuring might be added after exposure treatment to sustain therapeutic effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary The relation between music listening and stress is inconsistently reported across studies, with the major part of studies being set in experimental settings. Furthermore, the psychobiological mechanisms for a potential stress-reducing effect remain unclear. We examined the potential stress-reducing effect of music listening in everyday life using both subjective and objective indicators of stress. Fifty-five healthy university students were examined in an ambulatory assessment study, both during a regular term week (five days) and during an examination week (five days). Participants rated their current music-listening behavior and perceived stress levels four times per day, and a sub-sample ( n = 25) additionally provided saliva samples for the later analysis of cortisol and alpha-amylase on two consecutive days during both weeks. Results revealed that mere music listening was effective in reducing subjective stress levels ( p = 0.010). The most profound effects were found when ‘relaxation’ was stated as the reason for music listening, with subsequent decreases in subjective stress levels ( p ≤ 0.001) and lower cortisol concentrations ( p ≤ 0.001). Alpha-amylase varied as a function of the arousal of the selected music, with energizing music increasing and relaxing music decreasing alpha-amylase activity ( p = 0.025). These findings suggest that music listening can be considered a means of stress reduction in daily life, especially if it is listened to for the reason of relaxation. Furthermore, these results shed light on the physiological mechanisms underlying the stress-reducing effect of music, with music listening differentially affecting the physiological stress systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]