Background Exposure to chronic psychological stress across multiple life domains (multi-domain chronic burden) is associated with poor health. This may be because multi-domain chronic burden influences daily-level emotional processes, though this hypothesis has not been thoroughly tested. Purpose The current study tested whether (a) multi-domain chronic burden is associated with greater exposure to daily stressors and (b) multi-domain chronic burden compounds negative affect on days with stressors compared to stressor-free days. Methods The MIDUS Study (Wave II) and the National Study of Daily Experiences sub-study were conducted from 2004 to 2006 (N = 2,022). Participants reported on eight life domains of psychological stress used to create a multi-domain chronic burden summary score. For eight consecutive days, participants reported the daily occurrence of stressful events and daily negative affect. Results Participants with greater multi-domain chronic burden were significantly more likely to report daily stressors. There was also a significant interaction between multi-domain chronic burden and daily stressors on negative affect: participants with higher multi-domain chronic burden had greater negative affect on stressor days than stressor-free days compared to those with lower multi-domain chronic burden. Conclusion Participants with higher multi-domain chronic burden were more likely to report daily stressors and there was a compounding effect of multi-domain chronic burden and daily stressors on negative affect. These results suggest that experiencing a greater amount of psychological stress across multiple life domains may make daily stressors more toxic for daily affect.

A growing body of research is exploring the potential added health benefits of exercise when performed outdoors in nature versus indoors. This systematic review aimed to compare the effects of exercise in outdoor environments versus indoor environments on psychological health, physical health, and physical activity behaviour. We searched nine databases from inception to March 2021 for English language, peer-reviewed articles: MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, SportsDiscus, GreenFile, and CENTRAL. We included randomized and non-randomized trials that compared multiple bouts of exercise in outdoor versus indoor environments, and that assessed at least one outcome related to physical health, psychological health, or physical activity behaviour. Due to minimal outcome overlap and a paucity of studies, we performed a narrative synthesis. We identified 10 eligible trials, including 7 randomized controlled trials, and a total of 343 participants. Participant demographics, exercise protocols, and outcomes varied widely. In the 10 eligible studies, a total of 99 comparisons were made between outdoor and indoor exercise; all 25 statistically significant comparisons favoured outdoor exercise. Interpretation of findings was hindered by an overall high risk of bias, unclear reporting, and high outcome heterogeneity. There is limited evidence for added health or behaviour benefits of outdoor exercise versus indoor exercise. Rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed with larger samples and clear reporting.

Objective: It has been proposed that cumulative stress, one's experience of chronic stressors across multiple domains, worsens health by altering the extent to which daily stressors impact daily affect and physical symptoms. Recent work confirms that high cumulative stress exacerbates the association between daily stressor exposure and increased daily negative affect, though it remains untested the extent to which cumulative stress and daily stressor exposure interact to predict daily symptoms. Method: We employed data from the second wave of the midlife in the U.S. Survey (N = 2,022; M age = 56.2; 57.2% female) to examine whether levels of cumulative stress compound daily symptoms on days with (vs. without) stressful events. Experiences of life stressors across eight domains, occurrence of daily stressors, and occurrence, number, and severity of daily physical symptoms were analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results: Greater cumulative stress and experiencing (vs. not experiencing) a daily stressor independently increased the odds of occurrence, number, and severity of daily symptoms ( ps ≤ .016). Moreover, after adjusting for covariates (e.g., sociodemographic characteristics, chronic health conditions, percent of days with reported stressors, and health behaviors), the associations between daily stressor exposure and odds of occurrence, number, and severity of daily symptoms were potentiated as levels of cumulative stress increased ( ps ≤ .009). Conclusions: The negative implications of daily stressor exposure for daily health may be most pronounced in those who report higher levels of cumulative stress across multiple life domains and across time.

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BackgroundA growing body of research is exploring the potential added health benefits of exercise when it is performed outdoors in nature, as compared with indoors. We systematically reviewed longitudinal trials comparing the effects of exercise in outdoor versus indoor environments on psychological and physical health, and exercise behaviour.MethodsWe searched the following nine databases from inception to March 2021 for English‐language, peer‐reviewed articles: MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, SportsDiscus, GreenFile, CENTRAL. We included randomized and non‐randomized trials that compared multiple bouts of exercise in outdoor versus indoor environments, and that assessed at least one of the following main outcomes of interest: physical health, psychological health, or exercise behaviour. We assessed risk of bias using the Revised Cochrane risk‐of‐bias tool for randomized trials. At least two authors screened articles for eligibility, extracted data, and evaluated risk of bias, with discrepancies resolved by discussion with at least one other author. Due to outcome heterogeneity and a paucity of studies, we performed a narrative synthesis.ResultsWe identified 10 eligible trials from 12 papers, including seven randomized controlled trials. Participants’ (n = 496 total) demographics varied widely (mean age ranging from 11‐80 years). Most exercise protocols involved 30‐60 minutes of aerobic training (walking or running) at moderate to high intensity. Other forms of training included mixed aerobic and resistance training, agility, balance, and strength training, and dual‐task training. Exercise sessions took place one to 5 times per week for one to 18 weeks. Outcomes overlapped minimally between trials, with psychological outcomes assessed in seven trials, physical outcomes assessed in eight trials, and behavioural outcomes assessed in three trials. In total, 123 comparisons were made between outdoor and indoor exercise, including 33 significant comparisons, all of which favoured outdoor exercise. Interpretation of findings was hindered by an overall high risk of bias, unclear reporting, and high heterogeneity in reported outcomes.ConclusionThere is limited evidence for added health or behaviour benefits of chronic exercise in outdoor environments, as compared with indoors, and a need for future, high‐quality longitudinal trials with adequate power and clear reporting.