Evening salivary cortisol as a single stress marker in women with metastatic breast cancer.

Background: Flattened diurnal salivary cortisol patterns predict shorter subsequent survival with breast, lung, and renal cell carcinomas. The underlying cause of this flattened slope is undetermined, though it has been hypothesized to be secondary to a deficit in the amplitude of the circadian clock. To gain greater insight into the portions of the diurnal salivary curve that are associated with cancer survival, we examined (1) which points in the diurnal curve are predictive of the slope of the curve and (2) whether elevated evening cortisol levels alone are associated with reduced HPA-axis feedback inhibition (i.

Examining experiential avoidance as a mediator of the relation between anxiety sensitivity and depressive symptoms.

Initial evidence suggests that experiential avoidance (EA) mediates the relation between anxiety sensitivity (AS) and depression. We examined the AS-EA-depression pathway, examining both concurrent, and prospective (cross-lag), mediation models. Utilizing data from a study that examined the effects of exercise on AS ( = 60), we modeled depressive symptoms, EA, and AS over four time points.

Heated hatha yoga to target cortisol reactivity to stress and affective eating in women at risk for obesity-related illnesses: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Cortisol reactivity to stress is associated with affective eating, an important behavioral risk factor for obesity and related metabolic diseases. Yoga practice is related to decreases in stress and cortisol levels, thus emerging as a potential targeted complementary intervention for affective eating. This randomized controlled trial examined the efficacy of a heated, hatha yoga intervention for reducing cortisol reactivity to stress and affective eating.

Distress Tolerance as a Predictor of Adherence to a Yoga Intervention: Moderating Roles of BMI and Body Image.

This study tested whether distress tolerance, body image, and body mass index (BMI) predicted adherence to a yoga intervention. Participants were 27 women who participated in a yoga intervention as part of a randomized controlled trial. Attendance and distress tolerance were assessed weekly, and body image and BMI were measured at baseline.

Optimizing the Exercise Prescription for Depression: The Search for Biomarkers of Response.

There is growing support for the efficacy of exercise interventions for the treatment of individuals who present with mild-to-moderate depression. The variability in treatment response across studies and individuals suggests that the efficacy of exercise for depression will be most optimal when prescribed to individuals who are most prone to respond. The present article reviews contemporary theoretical accounts and recent empirical data pointing to neuroinflammatory states and neurotrophin production as possible biomarkers of the antidepressant response to exercise.

The Effects of a Hatha Yoga Intervention on Facets of Distress Tolerance.

Individuals with low distress tolerance (DT) experience negative emotion as particularly threatening and are highly motivated to reduce or avoid such affective experiences. Consequently, these individuals have difficulty regulating emotions and tend to engage in maladaptive strategies, such as overeating, as a means to reduce or avoid distress. Hatha yoga encourages one to implement present-centered awareness and non-reaction in the face of physical and psychological discomfort and, thus, emerges as a potential strategy for increasing DT.

Exercise Augmentation of Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Rationale and Pilot Efficacy Data.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is associated with synaptic plasticity, which is crucial for long-term learning and memory. Some studies suggest that people suffering from anxiety disorders show reduced BDNF relative to healthy controls. Lower BDNF is associated with impaired learning, cognitive deficits, and poor exposure-based treatment outcomes.

Gender moderates the effect of exercise on anxiety sensitivity.

A moderate to vigorous intensity exercise program is emerging as a promising strategy for reducing anxiety sensitivity (AS). Initial evidence suggests that the effects of exercise on mental health outcomes may vary as a function of gender, with men benefitting more than women. Building upon this evidence, the present study tested the hypothesis that the effect of exercise on AS would vary as a function of gender, such that the effect would be stronger for men than for women.

Behavioral therapies for treatment-seeking cannabis users: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Narrative reviews conclude that behavioral therapies (BTs) produce better outcomes than control conditions for cannabis use disorders (CUDs). However, the strength and consistency of this effect has not been directly empirically examined. The present meta-analysis combined multiple well-controlled studies to help clarify the overall impact of behavioral interventions in the treatment of CUDs.

Associations Between Fear of Negative Evaluation and Eating Pathology During Intervention and 12-Month Follow-up.

Fear of negative evaluation, a core feature of social anxiety disorder, has been prospectively related to eating pathology over and above other established risk factors, suggesting that it may be an important cognitive risk factor for eating disorders. The present study examined reciprocal longitudinal relations among fear of negative evaluation and eating disorder risk factors using a female undergraduate sample (=82) enrolled in an eating disorder prevention program. Cross-lagged panel analysis revealed that fear of negative evaluation was a determinant of subsequent body dissatisfaction and eating disorder symptoms.