A conceptual model of the relationship between stress, the mediating role of burnout, and depressive symptoms was examined. Results indicated that teachers (n = 267) experiencing greater stress were more burned out. The subscale emotional exhaustion was moderately related to depressive symptoms, whereas depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment had small positive relationships. After controlling for burnout and demographics, the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms was small but significant. Emotional exhaustion mediated the association between stress and depressive symptoms. The total effect of stress on depressive symptoms, taking together the direct and indirect effects via burnout, accounted for 43% of the total variance. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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According to the broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions, negative emotions narrow one's thought-action repertoire. In contrast, positive emotions have a broadening effect, expanding cognitive capacity, increasing potential coping strategies that come to mind, and enhancing decision-making, reaction, and adaptation to adversity. Fredrickson and Losada determined that a positivity ratio - the ratio of experienced positive to negative emotions - at or above 2.9 promotes human flourishing. A ratio below 2.9 is indicative of languishing individuals, whereas a ratio below 1.0 is a marker of depression. This study examined whether adaptive and maladaptive coping profiles differentiated those who flourish, languish, or are depressed in two convenience samples - military spouses (n =367) and public school teachers (n=267). Results were consistent with the theoretical predictions, as coping profiles of the groups differed significantly, with flourishing individuals favoring adaptive coping strategies more than those who were languishing or depressed. Conversely, depressed individuals reported greater use of maladaptive coping strategies than those who were languishing or flourishing. These results provide further empirical support for the mathematical model of Fredrickson and Losada, as the set of positivity criteria were predictive of coping profiles in two samples where successful coping and adaptation are important.

Using the Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions, the relationships among stress, positivity, and depressive symptoms were examined in a sample of military spouses during deployment ( N = 367). Over one-third of the spouses reported moderately severe levels of depressive symptoms. After controlling for demographic and deployment variables, stress had a positive association with depressive symptoms (β = .59, p < .001), while positivity had a negative association (β = −.39, p < .001). Positivity was also found to play a moderating role on the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms (β = −.29, p < .001). Spouses with lower positivity reported more depressive symptoms at both low and high levels of stress compared to those with higher positivity. The final model, including both direct and moderating variables, accounted for 69 percent of the total variance in depressive symptoms. Practical implications are discussed in terms of the importance of developing positivity in military spouses.

This experiment examined the effects of consuming a high-fat meal on cardiovascular reactivity and the ability of exercise to act as a moderator between dietary fat consumption and cardiovascular reactivity. Forty healthy, college-age students were randomly assigned to one of four experimental groups: (1) low-fat meal, no exercise; (2) low-fat meal, postprandial exercise; (3) high-fat meal, no exercise; and (4) high-fat meal, postprandial exercise. To induce stress, all participants performed a public speaking task, while heart rate and blood pressure reactivity were measured. Multilevel analyses revealed that consuming a high-fat meal led to heightened mean arterial pressure reactivity. Acute high-intensity exercise resulted in attenuated heart rate and mean arterial pressure reactivity. The results of this study offer insight into how diet and exercise may influence cardiovascular reactivity, which is a key determinant of cardiovascular disease.