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Stress and depressive symptoms are associated with maladaptive health behavior practices such as unhealthy eating, sedentary behavior, insufficient sleep, and substance use. The relative and interactive effects of stress and depressive symptoms on health behavior practices are less well understood. The present study examined these processes in a daily diary study of 127 college students. Results from hierarchical generalized linear models indicated that depressive symptoms, and chronic and daily stress, but not acute stressful life events, were significantly associated with a composite score of daily maladaptive health behavior engagement (depressive symptoms b = .01, SE= .00, p

Objective: Low emotional intelligence and symptoms of disordered eating are connected, however, whether daily fluctuations in emotional intelligence predict daily changes in disordered eating symptoms has not been examined, nor has stress been explored as a potential moderator of this relationship. Participants: Participants were undergraduate students (n = 100). Methods: Participants completed baseline questionnaires, then responded to random ecological momentary assessment prompts 3 times daily for 2 weeks. Results: Results indicated that when individuals had higher momentary emotional intelligence, they had lower disordered eating at the same time point (within subjects estimate = −0.30, p <.001) and following time point (within subjects estimate = −0.08, p = 0.03). Momentary stress moderated the relationship between baseline emotional intelligence and momentary disordered eating (b = −0.02, p <.01). Conclusions: Changes in emotional intelligence predict day-to-day changes in disordered eating, and stress moderates the connection between emotional intelligence and disordered eating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivePoor physical health in childhood is associated with a variety of negative health-related outcomes in adulthood. Psychosocial pathways contributing to the maintenance of physical health problems from childhood to young adulthood remain largely unexamined, despite evidence that factors such as negative mood and stress impact physical health.DesignThe current study tested the direct and indirect effects of ongoing health, chronic stress, health-related chronic stress, and depressive symptoms at age 20 on the link between health problems in childhood and young adulthood (age 21) in a longitudinal sample (n = 384).Main outcome measuresThe hypotheses were tested using a multiple mediation path analysis framework; the primary outcome measure was a composite index of health status markers in young adulthood.ResultsThe proposed model provided an adequate fit for the data, with significant total indirect effects of the four mediators and significant specific indirect effects of health-related chronic stress and depressive symptoms in maintaining health problems from childhood into young adulthood.ConclusionsHealth problems are maintained from early childhood into young adulthood in part through psychosocial mechanisms. Depressive symptoms and health-related chronic stress have significant, unique effects on the relationship between health problems in early childhood and young adulthood.

Objective The present study sought to examine whether beliefs about physical activity as a means of coping with stress predicted college students' exercise levels following naturally occurring stressors. Participants: One-hundred and twenty-seven undergraduate students were recruited from psychology courses at a large, urban university in the southwestern United States. Methods: Participants completed baseline measures and daily assessments for two weeks; data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Results: Beliefs about the coping properties of physical activity significantly moderated the effects of daily stress (b = 0.19, SE = 0.09, p =.02), and combined daily and chronic stress (b = 0.01, SE = 0.01, p <.01), on students' daily exercise. Conclusions: College students' beliefs about physical activity are associated with changes in their daily exercise following exposure to naturally-occurring stressors. Such beliefs may be amenable to intervention to promote adaptive coping with stress and enhanced physical activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]