The Effects of Interventions Aiming at Optimizing Expectations and Inducing Positive Emotions After an Acute Stressor

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy Participants
• Interventions: Behavioral: Writing task

• Registration Number: NCT02848014
• Lead Sponsor: Philipps University Marburg Medical Center

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to determine whether a short psychological intervention aiming at optimizing expectations is able to foster positive emotions and whether an intervention inducing positive emotions is able improve participants' expectations. Furthermore, the investigators will examine whether both interventions are effective in buffering the stress response after an acute stressor in a healthy sample compared to a control condition.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Status Verified: 2016-06
• Study First Submitted: 2016-06-29
• Study Start: 2016-07
• Study First Submitted QC: 2016-07-25
• Study First Posted: 2016-07-28
• Primary Completion: 2016-11
• Study Completion: 2016-11-30
• Last Update Submitted: 2017-04-04
• Last Update Posted: 2017-04-06

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 74

Inclusion Criteria

• fluent in German language

Exclusion Criteria

• chronic disease
• mental disease
• the evening before the day of the experiment until end of the experiment (the next day): caffeine, alcohol, intensive physical exercise, chewing gum
• acute hay fever
• current intake of psychotropic medication

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Expectation	Writing task	Participants are asked to think and write about ways how they can positively influence/control the stress during stress induction. They also can think of strategies they used in their past. The purpose of this arm is to improve participants' personal control expectations.
Control	Writing task	Participants in this group are asked to do a neutral writing task. The task is to write a protocol of yesterday's to-dos.
Emotion	Writing task	Participants in this group are asked to write a gratitude-letter to a person they want to thank. The purpose of this arm is to foster positive emotions.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in personal control expectation (Item of the Brief IPQ)	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs. Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Subjective stress ratings	directly after completing the stress induction (approximately 50 minutes after baseline assessment; T2)	Questionnaire items
Change in emotions (PANAS)	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs. Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1)
Change in Cortisol levels (saliva sample)	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs.Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1), directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction	directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction = 50 min, 65 min and 80 min after baseline assessment
Change in Alpha-Amylase levels (saliva sample)	Pre-intervention (baseline; T0) vs. Post-intervention (25 minutes after baseline assessment; T1), directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction	directly (T2), 15 min (T3) and 30 min (T4) after stress induction = 50 min, 65 min and 80 min after baseline assessment

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Department of Psychology, Philipps University Marburg; 🇩🇪 Marburg, Hessen, Germany