Stress research during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved..

The COVID-19 pandemic confronts stress researchers in psychology and neuroscience with unique challenges. Widely used experimental paradigms such as the Trier Social Stress Test feature physical social encounters to induce stress by means of social-evaluative threat. As lockdowns and contact restrictions currently prevent in-person meetings, established stress induction paradigms are often difficult to use. Despite these challenges, stress research is of pivotal importance as the pandemic will likely increase the prevalence of stress-related mental disorders. Therefore, we review recent research trends like virtual reality, pre-recordings and online adaptations regarding their usefulness for established stress induction paradigms. Such approaches are not only crucial for stress research during COVID-19 but will likely stimulate the field far beyond the pandemic. They may facilitate research in new contexts and in homebound or movement-restricted participant groups. Moreover, they allow for new experimental variations that may advance procedures as well as the conceptualization of stress itself. While posing challenges for stress researchers undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic may evolve into a driving force for progress eventually.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2021

Erschienen:

2021

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:131

Enthalten in:

Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews - 131(2021) vom: 15. Dez., Seite 581-596

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Pfeifer, Lena Sophie [VerfasserIn]
Heyers, Katrin [VerfasserIn]
Ocklenburg, Sebastian [VerfasserIn]
Wolf, Oliver T [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

COVID-19
Chronic stress
Corona virus
Ecological field research
Journal Article
Online studies
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review
Social-evaluative threat
Stress research
Stress-related mental disorders
Trier social stress test (TSST)
Virtual reality

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 08.12.2021

Date Revised 30.05.2023

published: Print-Electronic

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.045

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM331412284