Stress

S oldiers' survival and mission effectiveness depend on their physical and psychological performance. 27 In actual theaters of operation, which are mainly asymmetrical, unstructured, and undefined battlefields, in constant evolution with the presence of civilians, 28 operations are developed in short and fast movements, carrying heavy equipment, sprinting , jumping, and passing obstacles. 29 The organic response and physical demands in these stressful environments, such as close quarter combat, symmetrical and asymmetrical combat, or tactical parachute jumps, have been previously studied. They showed increases in the sympathetic autonomous nervous system , blood lactate concentrations, and cardiovascular and muscular response, and down regulations of cortical arousal. 12 They also showed alterations in psychological processes that produced alterations in perception and memory dysregulation, 16 since these psychophysiological responses are influenced by previous experience and training. 24,28 Recent studies support the use of new training models based on low volume and high intensity in athletes and military populations, showing greater physical improvements than conventional and classic approaches. 9 One of these new methodologies, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), has been proposed as an effective training model to improve the physical performance of athletes 17 and was recently suggested for a military population, 10 resulting in greater efficiency than conventional methodologies with regard to injury prevention 22 and health development. 25 Analyzing soldiers' physical demands in combat, we found that both anaerobic and aerobic metabolisms, key factors for performance and operability, 12,28 are effectively achieved with HIIT methodologies. 19,21,26 BACKGROUND: Studies support the use of new training models based on low volume and high intensity in athletes, especially in soldier populations, showing greater physical improvements than conventional and classic approaches. We conducted this study to analyze the psychophysiological response of soldiers in two different high intensity interval training protocols (HIIT), resisted (RHIIT) and endurance (EHIIT), in order to determine which HIIT elicits a psychophysiological response similar to that in actual theaters of operation.

Different extreme contexts elicit a stress response on human body, specifically on combat produces an increase of sympathetic nervous system and a direct effect on the organic response. This research aimed to study the psy-chophysiological response of an air security force in a simulated air accident in a hostile area and its subsequent subterfuge to a safe area. We analyzed 13 soldiers (32.4 ± 8.0 years) from an air security force unit of the Spanish Air Force who were divided into three teams to conduct the manoeuvre. We analyzed before and after the manoeuvre psychological well-being scale, personal views survey, recovery-stress questionnaire (REST-52 Sport); heart rate variability, visual analogue scale, rated of perceived exertion, spirometry, hydration and hand strength were analyzed during the four days of the manoeuvre: This produced a significantly (p < .05) increase in sympathetic modulation, hand strength, dehydration status, general and specific stress from RESTQ-52. With this data we can conclude that an air accident manoeuvre of three nights and four days causes in the air mobile protection team a high sympathetic nervous system modulation, increases on muscle strength manifestations and stress and a dehydration status.

Central fatigue related in sport stimuli was studied by Critical Flicker Fusion Threshold (CFFT) to know the influence of exercise on the central nervous system (CNS), but there is a lack of knowledge about the central or peripheral fatigue in endurance events. This study aimed to analyze changes in CFFT before and after the incremental cycle ergometer test as a means to assess the fatigue of the CNS. CFFT ascending and descending, the subjective criterion and sensory sensitivity were analysed in 8 professional male cyclists (72.1 ± 5.59 kg, 180.3 ± 6.43 cm, 17.4 ± 0.7 years) before and after a maximum incremental cycle ergometer test (start 50w increases 50w each 5 min). In this incremental test, the induced fatigue was probably more a peripheral phenomenon than one due to central nervous system fatigue, because sensory sensitivity did not significantly decrease. In conclusion, an incremental cycle ergometer test increased the cortical arousal and does not affect negatively the CNS of professional cyclists. Introductión One of the causes of decreased human performance [1-3] and specifically athletes performance is fatigue of central nervous system (CNS) [4]. The influence of physical effort in fatigue of CNS is an area little studied. One of the methods frequently used to measure fatigue of CNS and cognitive function is critical flicker fusion threshold (CFFT). The utility of CFFT in sport has been focused in the relationship of arousal level with CNS [5]. Increase in CFFT suggests an increase in corti-cal arousal and sensory sensitivity. By contrast, a decrease of CFFT suggests a reduction in the efficiency of the system to process information [6]. Another author also relationship CFFT whit fatigue of CNS, so that if the values fall below the baseline means that there is fatigue of CNS [7, 8]. CFFT was affected by non-sensory and sensory factors. The results obtained in a CFFT test must be interpreted considering two different parameters. The parameter relationship whit sensory factor was subjective criterion (CS), which reflects the response criterion. This response can be conservative or liberal. The parameter relationship whit non-sensory factor was sensory sensitivity (SS). In methods we will explain the form to calculate these parameters [9]. Several authors studied the CFFT in different sport stimuli. There was analyzed incremental VO2max test [9], 30 min maximum trial [10], 70% of VO2max cycling trial [11], incre-mental cycling test [12]; 120′ cycling trial [13], 270 km ultraendurance run relay event [14]; exercise to exhaustion [15] or RSA speed test [16]. Only in exhaustion exercise and speed test presented a decreased in CFFT, showing a fatigue of CNS. In other stimuli only appear increased the cortical arousal. These results showed that efforts performed at maximal speed and with greater involvement of force appear to further affect the CNS. These exercises due to its high intensity could strain the CNS [17] and cause a decrease in performance of the athletes. The knowledge in this line is actually limited, for this reason we developed the present research with the aim of to study modifications in CFFT as measured of cortical arousal and fatigue of CNS in an incremental cycloergometer test in professional cyclists.

In last years, the insurgency attacks on task forces bases and checkpoints have been common. The study of psychophysiological response of soldiers in these asymmetrical and non-controlled situations remains a challenge. The present research aimed to analyze the psychophysiological response and the variations in specific fine motor skill after a checkpoint simulation which included surveillance, unexpected attacks, and melee combat. Psychophysiological parameters-heart rate, blood glucose, pressure, oxygen saturation, and lactate, legs´strengthlegs´strength, skin temperature, cortical activation, anxiety-, as well as fine motor skills were analyzed in a sample of 24 professional Spanish Army soldiers (35.67 ± 6.62 years, 177.21 ± 7.37 cm, 82.29 ± 11.02 kg, 26.17 ± 2.82 BMI, 15.25 ± 7.44 years of experience in their unit) before and after a checkpoint simulation. The checkpoint surveillance operation produced a significant increase (p < 0.05) in rated perceived exertion, heart rate, blood lactate concentration , legs´strengthlegs´strength and somatic anxiety, and a significant decrease in blood oxygen saturation and skin temperature values. We concluded that results were consistent with an activation of sympathetic nervous system, triggering a fight-flight response, a chain of intense psychophysiological reactions and a misinterpretation of perceived exertion. Results may help predicting soldiers´physical soldiers´physical and operative behavior in real situations.

The present research aimed: i. to analyse the psychophysiological response of soldiers undertaking a special operation selection course; ii. to study the relationship between fat and muscle loss and the psychophysiological response of soldiers undertaking a special operation selection course. We analysed 46 professional soldiers from a special operations unit (25.1 ± 5.0 years, 1.8 ± 0.1 cm, 76.8 ± 7.9 kg, 24.4 ± 2.5 kg/m 2) undertaking the last phase of their 10 weeks special operation selection course. Before and immediately after the exercise the following variables were assessed: Stress subjective perception, fatigue subjective perception , rating of perceived perception, cortical arousal, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, spirometry, isometric hand strength, lower body muscular strength, urine, body composition, life engagement test, coping flexibility scale, acceptance and action questionnaire, perceived stress scale, anxiety state, visual analogue scale and differential aptitude test. A special operation selection course induced an intense stress and physical response as suggested by the psychophysiological changes with a significant (p < 0.05) increase in fatigue and stress subjective perception, blood oxygen saturation, Ph, cognitive impairment and motivation-loss. Moreover, decreased leg strength, peak expiratory flow, cortical arousal, body composition, body weight, fat and muscle mass, anxiety stress, alertness, sadness and tension decreased after the exercise. Regarding body composition, higher muscle mass loss participants were related to a higher cognitive impairment and similar psychophysiological response than lower fat mass loss participants.

This study was conducted in order to verify the role of social support and coping strategies as moderators of the relationship between perceived stress and the subjective well-being of transgender people, which is lower than cisgenders’ people. 355 people took part in this study (124 transgender people and 231 cisgender people) between age of 18 and 53. Subjective well-being has been operationalized using the Satisfaction With life Scale SWLS. Measurement of the perceived stress was made using the Perceived Stress Scale PSS-10. Coping strategies were examined using the Mini-COPE inventory. Additionally, two subscales of the Berlin Social Support Scales BSSS were used to measure received and perceived social support. Transgender people scored on the SWB scale significantly lower than cisgender people. Received and perceived social support did not turn out to be a significant moderators of the relationship between perceived stress and the subjective well-being. Only one of the coping strategies turned out to be an significant moderator of this relationship – venting of emotions.

... Integrated real-time roof monitoring. Auteur(s) / Author(s). Shen Bao-tang (1) ; Guo Hua (1) ; King Andrew (1) ; Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s). (1) CSIRO Exploration and Mining, QLD4069, Kenmore, Australia Résumé / Abstract. ...

Moral bioenhancement, nudge-designed environments, and ambient persuasive technologies may help people behave more consistently with their deeply held moral convictions. Alternatively, they may aid people in overcoming cognitive and affec-tive limitations that prevent them from appreciating a situation's moral dimensions. Or they may simply make it easier for them to make the morally right choice by helping them to overcome sources of weakness of will. This paper makes two assumptions. First, technologies to improve people's moral capacities are realizable. Second, such technologies will actually help people get morality right and behave more consistently with whatever the 'real' right thing to do turns out to be. The paper then considers whether or not humanity loses anything valuable, particularly opportunities for moral progress, when being moral is made much easier by eliminating difficult moral deliberation and internal moral struggle. Ultimately, the worry that moral struggle has value as a catalyst for moral progress is rejected. Moral progress is understood here as the discovery and application of new values or sensitiza-tion to new sources of harm.

Despite the abundance of water in the Amazon rainforest, people living in Awajún communities in northern Peru express concern over their water security. In this article, I employ a critical biocultural approach to examine how shifts from subsistence to market-based livelihoods have created threats to water security that can "get under the skin" to influence the mental health of Awajún community members. Specifically, I show how highway construction, colonization, resource extraction, market integration, and overall transitions in settlement patterns have polluted rivers with sewage, refuse, and hazardous waste. I connect this broader context to ethnographic data from Awajún communities documenting struggles with water security in the form of contamination and accessibility. Finally, I quantitatively examine whether water insecurity scores are associated with psychological distress. Data drawn from 225 Awajún men and women from four communities in the province of Amazonas, Peru, revealed that higher water insecurity scores were associated with higher levels of perceived stress (β = 0.35, p < .01), depressive symptoms (OR = 1.32, p < .01), and somatic symptoms (OR = 1.51, p < .01). This study adds a critical political-economic perspective to anthropological literature focused on water insecurity and distress and advocates for future subdisciplinary collaborations to address growing concerns with the contamination and accessibility of local water sources. Anthropologists have long been interested in the idea that sociocultural transitions are linked to health outcomes, with research on this topic utilizing key terms like globalization, acculturation, modernization, market integration, and lifestyle change (see a review by McDade and Nyberg 2010). Recently, research on this broader topic has narrowed in on how unequal access to resources, specifically food and water insecurity, is associated with distress and poor health (Workman and Ureksoy 2017; Wutich and Brewis 2014). While the relationship between food insecurity and psychobiological health has been fairly well explored within and outside of anthropology (Hadley and understandings of the causes and consequences of water insecurity are less well developed (Wutich and Brewis 2014). This is concerning because more than one billion people live without access to adequate water supplies (World Health Organization 2004), and there is an emerging body of literature showing that water insecurity is associated not only with diarrheal disease and dehydration (Cifuentes and Rodriguez 2005; Rosinger 2018) but also with compromised mental health outcomes (Eichelberger 2010; Ennis-McMillan 2001; Stevenson et al. 2012; Wutich and Ragsdale 2008). In this article, I use a critical biocultural approach (Leatherman and Hoke 2016) to probe the economic drivers of water insecurity and examine how water insecurity "gets under the skin" to influence both lived experience and mental health. A critical biocultural approach is a perspective that combines theory and methods from the anthropological subdisciplines of human biology and critical medical anthropology to study the interface between biological and cultural factors affecting human health and well-being (Goodman and Leatherman 1998; Leatherman

Prenatal stress in humans is associated with psychiatric problems in offspring such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia. These same illnesses are also associated with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) dysfunction. Despite the known associations between prenatal stress exposure and offspring mental illness, and between mental illness and nAChR dysfunction, it is not known whether prenatal stress exposure impacts neuronal nAChRs. Thus, we tested the hypothesis that maternal stress alters the development of hippocampal alpha4 beta2 (α4β2∗) and alpha7 (α7∗) nicotinic receptor levels in adult offspring. Female Sprague-Dawley rats experienced unpredictable variable stressors two to three times daily during the last week of gestation. At weaning (21 days) the offspring of prenatally stressed (PS) and nonstressed (NS) dams were assigned to same-sex PS or NS groups. In young adulthood (56 days), the brains of offspring were collected and adjacent sections processed for quantitative autoradiography using [125I]-epibatidine (α4β2* nicotinic receptor-selective) and [125I]-α-bungarotoxin (α-BTX; α7* nicotinic receptor-selective) ligands. We found that PS significantly increased hippocampal α4β2* nAChRs of males and females in all subfields analyzed. In contrast, only females showed a trend toward PS-induced increases in α7* nAChRs in the dentate gyrus. Interestingly, NS females displayed a significant left-biased lateralization of α7* nAChRs in the laconosum moleculare of area CA1, whereas PS females did not, suggesting that PS interfered with normal lateralization patterns of α7* nAChRs during development. Taken together, our results suggest that PS impacts the development of hippocampal nAChRs, which may be an important link between PS exposure and risk for neuropsychiatric illness.

This chapter reviews literature investigating the complex relationships between stress and personality disorders. Various forms of early life adversity, particularly experiences of abuse and neglect, portend the development of personality disorders and maladaptive personality traits later in life. Much of this association appears to be causal (i.e., independent of genetic risk). A comparatively much smaller literature suggests that acute stressful events later in development show complex interrelations with personality disorders. These connections appear to be bidirectional, such that not only does stress influence the development of personality, but personality also influences stress exposure. Additionally, personality traits influence the way in which individuals respond to stressors, both psychologically and physiologically. Our review concludes by underlining enduring methodological problems and conceptual issues that await resolution in future empirical work.