Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study
Abstract Acute stress triggers adaptive physiological responses—including transient increases in inflammatory cytokines—while chronic stress is associated with sustained inflammatory activity that may underlie the development of various disorders. Despite extensive research on each stress type indiv...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02777-y |
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| author | Lennart Seizer Anja Pascher Sonja Branz Nadine Schmitt Johanna Löchner Björn W. Schuller Nicolas Rohleder Tobias J. Renner |
| author_facet | Lennart Seizer Anja Pascher Sonja Branz Nadine Schmitt Johanna Löchner Björn W. Schuller Nicolas Rohleder Tobias J. Renner |
| author_sort | Lennart Seizer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Acute stress triggers adaptive physiological responses—including transient increases in inflammatory cytokines—while chronic stress is associated with sustained inflammatory activity that may underlie the development of various disorders. Despite extensive research on each stress type individually, the transition and interaction between them remain underexplored. This study aims to address this gap by employing an intensive longitudinal measurement burst design. Healthy university students will be recruited and monitored over three one-week assessment bursts, spaced by three-month breaks. Participants will complete ecological momentary assessments four times daily, recording their emotional states, stress experiences, and daily incidents. Simultaneously, saliva samples will be collected at matching time points to measure biomarkers of immune and stress system activity. In addition, daily audio diaries will provide qualitative context through advanced speech analysis techniques. Data will be analyzed using a multi-level modeling approach to differentiate within-person dynamics from between-person variability, accounting for potential moderators. The findings are expected to shed light on how repeated acute stressors transition into chronic stress and how chronic stress burden may influence acute stress responses. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c5535dbd9b76452a900e3fe6eeb2b0d5 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2050-7283 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Psychology |
| spelling | doaj-art-c5535dbd9b76452a900e3fe6eeb2b0d52025-08-20T01:47:32ZengBMCBMC Psychology2050-72832025-05-011311610.1186/s40359-025-02777-yBridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal studyLennart Seizer0Anja Pascher1Sonja Branz2Nadine Schmitt3Johanna Löchner4Björn W. Schuller5Nicolas Rohleder6Tobias J. Renner7Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of TübingenDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of TübingenDepartment of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy for Children and Adolescents, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergCHI – Chair of Health Informatics, Technical University of Munich University HospitalChair of Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, Friedrich-Alexander- Universität Erlangen-NürnbergDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of TübingenAbstract Acute stress triggers adaptive physiological responses—including transient increases in inflammatory cytokines—while chronic stress is associated with sustained inflammatory activity that may underlie the development of various disorders. Despite extensive research on each stress type individually, the transition and interaction between them remain underexplored. This study aims to address this gap by employing an intensive longitudinal measurement burst design. Healthy university students will be recruited and monitored over three one-week assessment bursts, spaced by three-month breaks. Participants will complete ecological momentary assessments four times daily, recording their emotional states, stress experiences, and daily incidents. Simultaneously, saliva samples will be collected at matching time points to measure biomarkers of immune and stress system activity. In addition, daily audio diaries will provide qualitative context through advanced speech analysis techniques. Data will be analyzed using a multi-level modeling approach to differentiate within-person dynamics from between-person variability, accounting for potential moderators. The findings are expected to shed light on how repeated acute stressors transition into chronic stress and how chronic stress burden may influence acute stress responses.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02777-yStressInflammationIntensive longitudinal dataEcologcial momentary assessmentPsychoneuroimmunology |
| spellingShingle | Lennart Seizer Anja Pascher Sonja Branz Nadine Schmitt Johanna Löchner Björn W. Schuller Nicolas Rohleder Tobias J. Renner Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study BMC Psychology Stress Inflammation Intensive longitudinal data Ecologcial momentary assessment Psychoneuroimmunology |
| title | Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study |
| title_full | Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study |
| title_fullStr | Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study |
| title_short | Bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation: protocol for a mixed-methods intensive longitudinal study |
| title_sort | bridging acute and chronic stress effects on inflammation protocol for a mixed methods intensive longitudinal study |
| topic | Stress Inflammation Intensive longitudinal data Ecologcial momentary assessment Psychoneuroimmunology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-02777-y |
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