Abstracts of the WASAD Congress 2021: an International Congress of the World Association for Stress Related and Anxiety Disorders, held on 20-22 September 2021 in Vienna, Austria

Stefanie Hirsch, Anja C. Feneberg, Ricarda Nater-Mewes, Urs Markus Nater

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

Research Context. The experience of unfair treatment because of one’s ethnicity, i.e., so-called perceived ethnic discrimination, is not a marginal problem. While both men and women are affected by this phenomenon, women may be additionally confronted with intersectional stigmata, i.e., both ethnic-related and gender-related, and thus constitute a particularly vulnerable group. Repeated exposure to such stressors, i.e., chronic discrimination, might lead
to dysregulations in psychobiological stress systems. Considering the resulting negative health consequences, it is of great importance to provide adequate interventions. With regard to the occurrence of discrimination in everyday life and the acute psychobiological reactions to it, interventions need to be applied as early as possible. Recognizing this necessity, the pilot study investigates the feasibility and the effectiveness of a music-based ecological momentary intervention to reduce stress as a low-threshold strategy in the everyday lives of affected individuals.
Methods. 20 Turkish immigrant women who experience chronic ethnic discrimination take part. The whole study consists of a baseline period (week 1), an intervention period (weeks 2, 3, 4), and a post period (week 5). Using a smartphone-based app, participants are signaled 3 times a day (i.e., time contingent data entries) to report their momentary stress levels and perceived discrimination. Additionally, participants initiate event-based data entries after the occurrence of every discriminatory or other stressful event. Subsequently, two additional data entries are triggered automatically after 20 and 35 minutes. Every data entry is accompanied by the collection of a saliva sample for the analysis of biological stress markers (cortisol, alphaamylase). The described sampling protocol is maintained during the whole study period. Additionally, during the intervention period, participants are randomly assigned (50:50) to either the intervention condition (i.e., listening to self-selected, personally relaxing music for 20 minutes) or the control condition (i.e., no music-listening for 20 minutes) after every selfinitiated event-based data entry. Using this intraindividual-randomized design, the immediate effects of music-listening on psychobiological stress parameters can be determined comparing psychological and biological data across different measurement time points (before vs. after music-listening, intervention-event vs. control-event). The intermediate effect of the whole intervention on psychobiological stress parameters can be examined comparing psychological and biological data from baseline vs. post period. Data will be analyzed using multilevel modeling. To investigate the feasibility of the intervention, qualitative data from semistructured interviews on user experience, burden, and satisfaction with the intervention will be gathered. Therefore, participants are invited into the laboratory after completion of the whole study period.
Results. By the time of the congress, information on the current progress of the project will be available.
Implications. This study aims to promote health by empowering immigrant women to cope with discriminatory and stressful events in their everyday life. Additionally, significant input will be provided concerning the feasibility and effectiveness of a music-based ecological momentary intervention to reduce stress due to perceived ethnic discrimination in everyday life.
Keywords: Alpha-amylase, cortisol, ecological momentary intervention, ethnic discrimination, immigration, music, stress reduction
Translated title of the contributionEine Ecological Momentary Music Intervention zur Stressreduktion im Alltag Türkischer Migrantinnen
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1767-1812
JournalJournal of Neural Transmission
Volume128
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 5 Oct 2021

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 501010 Clinical psychology

Keywords

  • alpha-amylase
  • cortisol
  • ecological momentary intervention
  • Ethnic discrimination
  • music
  • stress reduction

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