Individuals with a history of low maternal care (MC) frequently present a blunted, yet sometimes also show an increased cortisol stress response. Fasted individuals with low blood glucose levels who are exposed to acute stress typically show an attenuated response pattern in this endocrine marker. Despite well-documented metabolic dysregulations after low MC, a possible interaction of both factors has not been investigated yet. Here, we examined the effects of MC and blood glucose concentration on various aspects of the stress response. Fasted women (N = 122, meanage = 22.12, sdage = 2.56) who experienced either very high, high, or low MC (based on the Parental Bonding Instrument) were randomly assigned to consume grape juice (condition sugar), or water (condition water) prior to being exposed to the Trier-Social-Stress-Test for groups. Salivary cortisol and alpha amylase, blood glucose, and mood ratings were assessed repeatedly. Using multilevel mixed models, we replicated the boosting effect of glucose on the cortisol stress response. While we found neither an effect of MC, nor an interaction between MC and blood glucose availability on the cortisol stress response, we observed an effect of MC on the amylase stress response. We discuss the results in the light of links between various stress/energy systems that possibly mediate health-related MC effects.

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Experiencing severe or prolonged stressors in early life is associated with increased risk for mental and physical disorders in adulthood. Further, individuals who experienced early life stress (ELS) may use dysfunctional coping strategies like stress-related eating, in contrast to more beneficial stress buffering mechanisms e.g. based on mindfulness. Whether these mechanisms contribute to increased levels of perceived stress and symptoms of mental disorders in individuals with ELS in times of crisis is yet unclear. As part of a larger project, we assessed changes in perceived stress and psychopathological symptoms in a sample of N=102 participants (81% female; meanage=23.49, SDage= 7.11, range 18–62) from October/December 2019 (prior to the Covid-19 pandemic) to April/June 2020 (after the German government introduced Covid-19 related restrictions). Additionally, we assessed ELS and dispositional mindfulness.Perceived stress and depression significantly increased while anxiety levels decreased. No significant change was observed for somatization. ELS and dispositional mindfulness were not associated with change scores, but with perceived stress and psychopathological symptoms at both assessments. The increase in perceived stress during the pandemic in a majority of participants demonstrates the impact of the pandemic in the general population.

Growing evidence suggests that natural environments – whether in outdoor or indoor settings – foster psychological health and physiological relaxation, indicated by increased wellbeing, reduced stress levels, and increased parasympathetic activity. Greater insight into differential psychological aspects modulating psychophysiological responses to nature-based relaxation videos could help understand modes of action and develop personalized relaxation interventions. We investigated heart rate variability (HRV) as an indicator of autonomic regulation, specifically parasympathetic activity, in response to a 10-min video intervention in two consecutive studies as well as heart rate (HR). We hypothesized that a nature-based relaxation video elicits HRV increase and HR decrease, with response magnitude being affected by aspects of early life adversity (conceptualized as low parental care and high overprotection/constraint) and trait mindfulness. In Study 1, N = 60 participants (52% female, agemean = 23.92 ± 3.13 years, agerange = 18–34 years) watched a relaxation video intervention depicting different natural scenery. We analyzed changes in HR and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a standard HRV measure, both based on 3-min segments from the experimental session, in multiple growth curve models. We found a decrease in HR and increase of RSA during the video intervention. Higher paternal care and lower trait mindfulness observing skills (assessed via questionnaires) were associated with higher RSA values before but not during video exposure. In Study 2, N = 90 participants (50% female, agemean = 22.63 ± 4.57 years, agerange = 18–49 years) were assigned to three video conditions: natural scenery from Study 1, meditation video, or short clip from “The Lord of the Rings.” Again, HR decreased, and RSA increased during video segments, yet without expected group differences across different video types. We found higher parental care and lower parental overprotection to predict higher RSA at different times during the experiment. Interestingly, lower paternal overprotection predicted overall higher RSA. These results suggest a generic relaxation effect of video interventions on autonomic regulation that we discuss in light of different theories mapping restorative effects of natural environments. Further, psychological characteristics like aspects of early life adversity and trait mindfulness could contribute to individual differences in autonomic regulation. This study contributes to a better understanding of autonomic and psychological responses to relaxation videos.

ZusammenfassungDas elterliche Erziehungsverhalten beeinflusst sowohl die Entwicklung eines Kindes als auch die Entstehung und Behandlung psychischer Störungen. Das Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI; Parker, Tupling & Brown, 1979) ist ein bekanntes Instrument zur retrospektiven Erfassung des elterlichen Erziehungsstils. Bisher existiert jedoch keine ausreichend validierte deutsche Version. Daher entwickelten wir eine sprachlich aktuelle, deutsche Übersetzung des PBI (PBI-dt) und untersuchten in einer Onlinestudie anhand einer deutschsprachigen Stichprobe (N=791) die psychometrischen Eigenschaften des PBI-dt hinsichtlich Item- und Reliabilitätskennwerten, Konstrukt- und Kriteriumsvalidität sowie der faktoriellen Struktur.Die Analysen ergaben gute Item- und Reliabilitätskennwerte (α=0,86−0,95). Die Skalen des PBI korrelierten in den erwarteten Richtungen mit den Skalen des Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Außerdem wurden signifikante Unterschiede im berichteten elterlichen Erziehungsstil zwischen Personen mit und ohne psychische Erkrankung sowie zwischen übergewichtigen und normalgewichtigen Personen gefunden. Diese Ergebnisse weisen auf das Vorliegen von hoher Konstrukt- und Kriteriumsvalidität hin. Konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen ergaben in allen untersuchten Fitindizes eine akzeptable Modellanpassungsgüte sowohl für das 2-Faktorenmodell von Parker et al. (1979) als auch für das 3-Faktorenmodell mit den Subskalen FürsorgeFürsorgeFürsorgeFürsorgeFürsorgeFürsorge, Einschränkung der VerhaltensfreiheitEinschränkung der VerhaltensfreiheitEinschränkung der VerhaltensfreiheitEinschränkung der VerhaltensfreiheitEinschränkung der VerhaltensfreiheitEinschränkung der Verhaltensfreiheit sowie Verweigerung psychologischer AutonomieVerweigerung psychologischer AutonomieVerweigerung psychologischer AutonomieVerweigerung psychologischer AutonomieVerweigerung psychologischer AutonomieVerweigerung psychologischer Autonomie. Die Verwendung einer 3-Faktorenstruktur konnte zudem inhaltlichen Mehrwert bieten, z. B. eine bessere Differenzierung zwischen normal- und übergewichtigen Personen. Insgesamt weist die vorliegende deutsche Übersetzung des PBI somit gute psychometrische Eigenschaften auf und stellt ein reliables Messinstrument dar.