Browsing by Subject "Stress"
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Item COVID-19 stress and middle school students’ engagement and school aversion: examining the mediational roles of emotion regulation and perceptions of school climate(2022-04-25) Hood, Moira; Hadwin, Allyson; Sukhawathanakul, PaweenaLearning during the COVID-19 pandemic has included disruption, uncertainty, and additional stress for students. Adverse learning outcomes are a growing concern especially for vulnerable groups, such as middle school students. While COVID-19 research in academic fields is currently emerging, more research needs to address the specific experiences of middle school students. The current study examined the relationship between COVID-19 related stress (distress or fatigue) and student outcomes (student engagement and school aversion) for a sample of middle school students (N = 301). Specifically, coping (i.e., emotion regulation strategies) and perceptions of school climate were examined as mediators in the above relationship. Findings indicated that COVID-19 fatigue was inversely related to student engagement and positively related to school aversion. Emotion regulation mediated this relationship such that utilizing adaptive emotion regulation strategies promoted student engagement and dampened school aversion in relation to COVID-19 fatigue. School climate was also a significant mediator above and beyond the role of emotion regulation such that positive perceptions of school climate promoted engagement and reduced school aversion. A deeper explanation of the importance of regulation and the way middle schoolers perceive school rules and supports in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed.Item Disruption by stealth - Interference of endocrine disrupting chemicals on hormonal crosstalk with thyroid axis function in humans and other animals(Environmental Research, 2022) Thambirajah, Anita Annajothi; Wade, Michael G.; Verreault, Jonathan; Buisine, Nicolas; Alves, Verônica A.; Langlois, Valerie S.; Helbing, Caren C.Thyroid hormones (THs) are important regulators of growth, development, and homeostasis of all vertebrates. There are many environmental contaminants that are known to disrupt TH action, yet their mechanisms are only partially understood. While the effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are mostly studied as “hormone system silos”, the present critical review highlights the complexity of EDCs interfering with TH function through their interactions with other hormonal axes involved in reproduction, stress, and energy metabolism. The impact of EDCs on components that are shared between hormone signaling pathways or intersect between pathways can thus extend beyond the molecular ramifications to cellular, physiological, behavioral, and whole-body consequences for exposed organisms. The comparatively more extensive studies conducted in mammalian models provides encouraging support for expanded investigation and highlight the paucity of data generated in other non-mammalian vertebrate classes. As greater genomics-based resources become available across vertebrate classes, better identification and delineation of EDC effects, modes of action, and identification of effective biomarkers suitable for HPT disruption is possible. EDC-derived effects are likely to cascade into a plurality of physiological effects far more complex than the few variables tested within any research studies. The field should move towards understanding a system of hormonal systems’ interactions rather than maintaining hormone system silos.Item The effects of acute stress on spatial navigation in men and women.(2017-01-03) van Gerven, Dustin; Skelton, Ronald WilliamStress is known to impair spatial navigation in rat models of declarative memory, and declarative memory in humans, but the effects on spatial navigation in humans are unclear. At least four models have been proposed to account for the cognitive effects of stress, based on the two different physiological stress response systems (the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems) and the effects of these responses on the hippocampus and (sometimes) other subcortical structures. In this dissertation, I examined the effects of an acute (experimental) stressor on human spatial navigation in three variations of virtual Morris water mazes designed to dissociate between hippocampus-dependent (allocentric) and hippocampus-independent (egocentric) forms of navigation. Results were considered in the light of all 4 models. Experiment 1 used a dual-strategy Morris water maze to test whether acute stress influences navigational strategy selection and whether this effect is mediated by the activation of the HPA or the SAM system. Surprisingly, stress increased hippocampus-based strategy selection, and did so in the presence of SAM but not HPA activation. Experiment 2 used new dual-strategy and place mazes to examine the effects of acute stress on both strategy selection and allocentric navigational performance. It also attempted to contrast the effects of stress at a short delay, which would favour mediation by the SAM system, and a longer, 30 minute delay (from stressor onset), which would favour mediation by the HPA system. Contrary to expectations, results revealed no effect of stress when tested immediately and sex-dependent impairments of performance (in females) and allocentric strategy selection (in males) at the delay. Experiment 3 used the same mazes as Experiment 2, plus a new cue maze to examine the effects of acute stress on strategy selection and both allocentric and egocentric navigational performance after a 30 minute delay. Results confirmed that stress reduces allocentric strategy selection and impairs allocentric performance, but also has sex-dependent effects on egocentric performance: in females, stress enhanced navigation (as expected) but in males, stress impaired it. None of the 4 models provided a good explanation for these results, suggesting that current accounts of the cognitive effects of stress may be inadequate.Item Executive Function Contributions to Emotion Regulation in the Relationship Between Stress and Psychopathology in Emerging Adulthood(2014-08-18) Cochrane, Melanie; Smart, ColettePrevailing theories of emotion regulation (ER) focus on the role of various aspects of cognition for successful regulation of one’s emotions. In particular, research suggests that executive functions (EF) may play an important role in contributing to successful ER. Emerging adulthood can be a time of high levels of perceived stress associated with changing developmental roles, which can be a risk factor for psychopathology (e.g., depression, anxiety). Emerging adulthood is also a time during which EF comes to maturation both behaviorally and biologically. This prolonged period of development associated with EF and ER maturity may represent an increased period of vulnerability in young adults, and deficits in EF may pose a significant risk for emotion dysregulation and future psychopathology. This study aimed to investigate whether EFs played a role in ER for emerging adults. More specifically, this study examined whether EFs (including, working memory, attentional control, and inhibitory control) moderated the indirect effect of ER in the relationship between stress and psychopathology in the context of emerging adulthood. A sample of 75 undergraduate students at the University of Victoria was recruited. Participants self reported perceived levels of stress and psychopathology symptoms. Participants also completed a computerized ER task where they viewed aversive pictures and sentences on a computer screen and explicitly applied an ER strategy to reduce their negative emotions when viewing the stimuli. Tests of EF including the Go/No-Go, Number-Letter and N-Back task were also completed. Results revealed that moderated mediation did not hold for this sample. However, working memory, attentional control, and inhibitory control moderated the relationship between ER and psychopathology. Specifically, low working memory and attentional control, and high inhibitory control moderated the relationship between cognitive reappraisal and psychopathology. For this same relationship of cognitive reappraisal to psychopathology, faster engagement in response inhibition (i.e., faster reaction times) was trending toward significant levels of psychopathology symptoms. For expressive suppression, the relationship to psychopathology was moderated by inhibitory control. ER did not mediate the relationship between stress and psychopathology symptoms across the entire sample. The results illuminate the ways in which EFs contribute to ER in the context of emerging adulthood. Implications for promoting successful ER and informing therapeutic techniques used with this critical population are discussed.Item Fatigue in Wildland Firefighting: Relationships Between Sleep, Shift Characteristics, and Levels of Stress and Cognitive Function.(2023-09-13) Wallace-Webb, Jesse; Stuart-Hill, Lynneth Ann; Coehoorn, CoryRationale: With climate change rising, the impact of wildfires is expected to increase. Wildland firefighting requires constant attention while exposed to harsh working conditions, including long working hours and sub-optimal sleep. These stressors may contribute to heightened stress and impaired cognitive function, which poses a risk to worker health and safety, respectively. Purpose: The current study’s objective was to investigate the associations between sleep, shift characteristics and levels of stress and cognitive function in Canadian wildland firefighters. Methods: Employing a within-subject observational study design, we recruited a geographically diverse sample of 25 wildland firefighters from the British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS). Remote data collection occurred between June and September of the 2021 and 2022 fire seasons, including in participants’ homes and at their work respective location. Wrist-worn actigraphy, heart rate variability (HRV), and the psychomotor vigilance task served as objective, mobile measures of sleep, stress, and cognitive function, respectively. Web-based methods were used to collect shift information, as well as subjective reports of stress and fatigue. Linear mixed effects modelling was used to statistically control for inter-individual differences. The influence of participant-factors such as age, biological sex, and years of firefighting experience was also explored. Results: Average sleep and shift durations on fire suppression days were 6.7 and 13.8 hours, respectively (SD: 66 mins; 108 mins). Polar sleep score was found to be the best sleep-related predictor of every outcome measure, except HRV. Poor sleep, according to sleep score, was significantly associated with increased levels of stress and fatigue across all metrics (p<0.01). Later evening bedtimes were non-significantly related to reduced HRV (p<0.1). Shift duration was found to be the best shift-related predictor of every outcome measure. Longer shift durations were significantly associated with increased levels of stress and fatigue across all metrics (p<0.001). No shift characteristic predicted HRV. Cross-level interactions were indicated for two relationships involving shift duration. Physical activity and meditation experience were found to moderate the relationship between shift duration and heart rate such that the strength of association tended to be stronger in individuals without meditation experience and individuals with low physical activity. Trait morning-eveningness, physical activity, and meditation experience all moderated the relationship between shift duration and subjective fatigue such that the association was stronger in morning type individuals, individuals with low physical activity, and individuals with meditation experience. Conclusion: Our findings show that wildland firefighters are often exposed to sub-optimal sleep and long shifts. Importantly, poor sleep and long shift durations were associated with heightened levels of stress and impaired cognitive function, which have implications for worker heath and safety. We contribute novel findings to the field of research on occupational health and safety. We also provide insight and recommendations towards improved fatigue management policy within the BCWS by supporting the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of a practical and scientifically defensible fatigue risk management system.Item Functional Dysregulation in Stress-Induced Modulation of Synaptic Plasticity in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome(2015-04-30) Ghilan, Mohamed; Christie, Brian R.The fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is an important regulator of protein translation, and a lack of FMRP expression leads to a cognitive disorder known as fragile X syndrome (FXS). Clinical symptoms characterizing FXS include learning impairments and heightened anxiety in response to stressful situations. The Fmr1-/y mouse has previously been shown to have deficits in context discrimination and novel object recognition tasks, which primarily rely on the dentate gyrus (DG) region of the hippocampal formation, but not in the Morris water maze (MWM) or the elevated plus-maze tasks, which primarily depend on the Cornu Ammonis (CA1) region. Furthermore, previous research has demonstrated N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-associated synaptic plasticity impairments in the DG but not in the CA1. However, the impact of acute stress on synaptic plasticity in the Fmr1-/y hippocampus has not been examined. The current study sought to extend previous behavioural investigations in the Fmr1-/y mouse, as well as examine the impact of stress on activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis and on hippocampal synaptic plasticity. To further characterize hippocampus-dependent behaviour in this mouse model, the DG-dependent metric change spatial processing and CA1-dependent temporal order discrimination tasks were evaluated. The results reported here support previous findings and demonstrate that Fmr1-/y mice have performance deficits in the DG-dependent task but not in the CA1-dependent task, suggesting that previously reported subregional differences in NMDAR-associated synaptic plasticity deficits in the hippocampus of the Fmr1-/y mouse model may also manifest as selective behavioural deficits in hippocampus-dependent tasks. In addition, following acute stress, mice lacking FMRP showed a faster elevation of the glucocorticoid corticosterone and a more immediate impairment in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the DG. Stress-induced LTP impairments were rescued by administering the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist RU38486. Administration of RU38486 also enhanced LTP in Fmr1-/y mice in the absence of acute stress to wild-type levels, and this enhancement was blocked by application of the NMDAR antagonist 2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid. These results suggest that a loss of FMRP results in enhanced GR signalling that may adversely affect NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity in the DG. Finally, synaptic plasticity alterations reported in this work were found to be specific to the DG and were unidirectional, i.e., restricted to LTP, as NMDAR- and metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-LTD were both unaffected by acute stress in the DG or the CA1 regions. This study offers new insights into synaptic plasticity impairments in the Fmr1-/y mouse model, and suggests stress and GRs as important contributors to learning and memory deficits in FXS.Item Impacts of cumulative thermal and fishery stressors and infection development on the health and survival of adult Pacific salmon during freshwater residence(2018-04-30) Teffer, Amy; Juanes, FrancisCumulative stressors influence the infection development, health and survival of wild Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.). Infectious disease is generally assumed to be the ultimate cause of death of wild adult salmon, but empirical evidence demonstrating links between infections and early mortality (i.e., prior to spawning) is lacking, especially as a function of cumulative migratory stressors. The influences of high river temperature and fishery capture and release on infection development and early mortality was explored in three Pacific salmon species. Adults were captured at river entry and held in freshwater tanks for the duration of river migration (days–weeks). Tank temperatures reflected either optimal (cool), warm (climate change scenario), or dynamic (changes in river temperature, behavioral thermoregulation) thermal conditions during migration. A subset of fish in all temperature groups was treated with a fishery bycatch release simulation (gillnet entanglement, air exposure) at the start of the holding period. We tracked shifts in physiology, immune activity and multiple infections using repeated biopsy (gill, blood) and molecular tools. Laboratory experiments were complimented by a telemetry study to assess impacts on behavior in the river. Novel application of high-throughput qPCR on nonlethally-sampled gill measured infections (bacteria, viruses, protozoa) concurrently with host immune gene expression, and was complemented by blood plasma chemistry to assess physiology. Ecologically relevant high temperatures increased mortality, infection development and stress metabolites and impaired host osmoregulatory function. Fishery stress reduced survival, especially after long entanglements and at high temperature, which reduced the capacity of individuals to resolve stress and infections. Females were more drastically affected, and mortality was delayed by more than a week. Fish with heavy infections in the river migrated more rapidly but traveled less distance. Sublethal effects of stressors included reduced migration rates and suppressed maturation indices that could delay maturity and extend river residence. Finally, river-exposed fish carried heavier infections and died sooner than those that bypassed the lower river, suggesting a causal influence of infections on early mortality. These findings support river-derived infections as causal factors contributing to the early mortality of adult Pacific salmon in fresh water and clarify its mechanisms, which comprise influences of multiple infections, sex, species, water temperature and fishery stress.Item Living with the Bui dam; implications for community livelihoods(2017-01-04) Arthur, Jones Lewis; Dearden, Philip; Rollins, Richard BryceThe objective of this study was to develop an understanding of the effects of the construction of hydro dams on nearby communities. The construction of the 400 megawatt Bui dam (8o16I 42II N, 2o143I 9 I I W) in Ghana has inundated seven communities and nearly a quarter of Bui National Park, including the destruction of community resources that provide for the livelihood needs of the people living near the dam. The dam led to the resettlement of seven communities, coordinated by the Bui Power Authority. Concerns expressed about the resettlement process indicate some weakness in stakeholder consultations relating to the resettlement, as well as weakness in the development of opportunities to address the anticipated effects of the Bui dam, including effects on community assets. These issues were examined through a study of how the construction of Bui Dam was perceived by local communities representing several ethnic-linguistic groups, including the Ewe, Mo, and Nafana. A mixed methods approach was used in the research, including document analysis, quantitative interviews of 329 households, key informant interviews with 22 households, and case studies of four families, including two families each from resettled and non-resettled communities. Data was obtained from 13 nearby communities, 7 of which had been relocated because of the dam. The study considered examined how the Bui Dam was perceived to influence seven capital assets: cultural; natural; social; human; political; physical; and financial. Overall, people perceive these capital assets to be decreasing in most aspects as a result of the Bui Dam, with some variability among households. This variability was explored through analysis of a number of predictor variables: relocation, ethnicity, livelihood type, age, and gender. Villages not relocated tended to perceive effects less negatively, as did people of Nafana ethnicity, and those who rely mainly on a farming livelihood. Gender and age had little effect: gender mediated effects on some aspects of social and political capital, while age affected only some aspects of cultural capital. Further analysis through the use of multiple regression analysis was undertaken to determine the relative influence of each of these predictor variables. Overall, each multiple regression analysis was significant, with high R squared values ranging from 0.761 to 0.260. The most powerful predictor was whether communities had been relocated or not (“relocate”), which was significantly related to each capital asset, with beta values ranging from 0.826 to 0.418. “Livelihood” was the next most important predictor variable, significantly related to all capital assets and with beta values varying from 0.520 to 0.231. “Ethnicity” was a significant predictor for four of seven capital assets, with beta values ranging from 0.133 to 0.055. “Gender” was a significant predictor variable for two of seven capital assets (social capital, with a beta value of 0.084, and political capital, with a beta value of 0.119). “Age” was a significant variable for just one capital asset (cultural), with a beta value of 0.038. In summary, this study is consistent with other studies that have examined the effect of dams on the livelihoods of nearby communities in that for most households the consequences have been negative, although not as severe for those households that were not forced to relocate, people of Nafana ancestry, or people who rely mainly on farming. The presence of Bui National Park may have moderated these negative effects somewhat, through employment provided in the park; and through ecosystem services such as vegetative cover in the park supporting cloud formation and rain occurrenceItem Mediated and moderated associations between cumulative lifetime stressor exposure, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, and lifetime alcohol use: A cross-sectional scoping study of UK drinkers(Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2023) Clay, James M.; Baker, Kiera A.; Mezabrovschi, Roxana D.; Berti, Giacomo; Shields, Grant S.; Slavich, George M.; Stafford, Lorenzo D.; Parker, Matthew O.Stress, trait impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation are independent predictors of alcohol use and misuse, but little is known about the potential mechanisms that link these risk factors together. To address this issue, we carried out an exploratory cross-sectional study, on UK-based participants. Our preregistered, hypothesised theoretical framework was that emotional dysregulation mediates the association between cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and lifetime alcohol use. We also hypothesised that heightened impulsivity would strengthen these relations. As hypothesised, emotional dysregulation fully mediated the relation between cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and lifetime alcohol use. Several facets of impulsivity moderated these associations. For example, as levels of negative urgency increased, the associations between cumulative lifetime stressor exposure and emotional dysregulation, emotional dysregulation and lifetime alcohol use, and lifetime stress exposure and lifetime alcohol use, via emotional dysregulation, strengthened. These preliminary findings propose a theoretically framed model which integrates several prominent risk-factors for alcohol misuse, extending prior research and generating interesting and novel lines of enquiry for longitudinal and cross-cultural analyses. The findings also highlight the potential clinical utility of screening for lifetime stress exposure while tailoring personalised treatment interventions.Item Navigating Multiple Worlds: Experiences of stress from the perspective of immigrant youth(2014-12-12) Fletcher, Sarah Chisholm; Mitchell, Lisa MerynImmigrant youth face uncertainty in many aspects of their lives. Most have little control over their family’s decision to immigrate and once they arrive, many encounter challenges. The Navigating Multiple Worlds project worked with a group of youth researchers to explore the relationship between stress, resilience and expressions of subjectivity among immigrant youth. Moving beyond the negative conceptualizations of stress and acculturative stress that dominate the literature, this research gathered youth perspectives on stress and what could be done to enhance supports for immigrant youth in Victoria. Through our participatory approach, the youth research team was involved in the design and implementation of interviews, focus groups and finally a photovoice exercise. Our methodology sought to highlight narrative complexities and the fluidity of experiences, with the research team reflecting on their own experiences while gathering perspectives on stress from other immigrant youth. The benefits and challenges of working in participatory paradigms with youth and the value of arts based methods for capturing youth voices and creating ‘thinking spaces’ for community engagement are highlighted. Historically, research has problematized immigrant youth identities. A focus on immigrant youth perspectives reveals that while many youth face challenges after immigration, they also emphasize the value of flexibility in self-definition. The combination of our methods, participatory approach, our focus on youth voices and taking an ethnographic approach to documenting experiences of stress, contributed to the distinctiveness of our findings. Considering stress as an idiom of narrative expression rather than an index of negative experience, acknowledges its place as part of the worldview of the participants, who use the term in multiple ways. The physicality of stress, the spatial and temporal dimensions of stress and ‘everyday stressors’ emerged from our analysis as thematic categories that describe the ways that youth experience ‘stress’. The findings of the Navigating Multiple Worlds project speak to the value of conceptualizing stress as a narrative idiom. Over the course of our research it became apparent that youth were talking about stress in ways that allowed them to discuss and normalize negative experiences, re-framing experiences of ‘stress’ in positive terms. For many, this facilitated fluid movement from a focus on challenges to a focus on coping and resilience. Our research suggests that while conflicting expectations in the lives of immigrant youth are sources of ‘stress’ for many, they can also be understood as key ‘sites of flexibility’. The processes of negotiation that occur in these ‘sites of flexibility’, as youth use the language of stress to name challenging experiences and overcome them, contribute to the resilience of youth. Although our findings are specific to a small group of immigrant youth in Victoria, BC, considering stress as an idiom of resilience as well as distress creates opportunities to recognize and enhance the strengths of immigrant youth and the supports available to them. Recommendations from our research in terms of service provision, supports, and participatory research with youth are provided, as well as suggestions for future research in anthropology related to immigrant youth and stress.Item The Relationship Between Working Conditions and Indices of Stress and Cognitive Function in Wildland Firefighters(2023-03-19) Muirhead, KatieThis study examined the relationship between working conditions and variables related to stress and cognitive function. A within-subject, observation study was conducted on 24 Wildland firefighters (9 F) across British Columbia between July to September of 2021 and 2022. A subset of participants (n=15) measured heart rate variability (HRV) using a chest-worn heart monitor. Perceived stress was measured on a 4-point scale. Cognitive function was measured subjectively, via 7-point scales, and objectively, via the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Working conditions were measured post-shift, including whether they conducted wildfire suppression that day (Y/N), were exposed to smoke (Y/N), and fire stage of control on a 4-point scale (i.e., out of control; being held; under control; other). Pearson correlation analyses were performed to identify the largest associates between variables. Stage of control had the greatest number of significant correlations to cognitive function, including subjective fatigue (r = 0.28, p < 0.001) and mean reaction time (RT) (r = 0.34, p < 0.001). The largest associates of both smoke exposure and wildfire suppression were cognitive function variables; subjective fatigue and median RT (Table 1). Indices of stress and cognitive function were significantly correlated to certain working conditions, thus warranting further investigation.Item Self-damaging behaviour as an emotion regulation strategy in young adults with recent, distal, or no history of non-suicidal self-injury(2021-08-30) Helps, Carolyn; Turner, Brianna J.Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI), or the deliberate damage of bodily tissue without suicidal intent, is a prevalent issue in young people. Relative to those who have never self-injured, young people with either recent (i.e., past-year) or distal (i.e., lifetime, but not in the past year) histories of NSSI demonstrate difficulties with emotion regulation, the process of modulating emotional responses. Emotion regulation difficulties are a risk factor for other forms of Self-Damaging Behaviours (SDBs), including binge drinking, substance use, and binge eating, which are more prevalent among individuals with a history of NSSI. Prominent theoretical models of NSSI and other SDBs posit that these behaviours may share a common function of altering negative mood states, explaining their frequent co-occurrence. The present study hypothesized that first-year university students with distal, recent, or no history of NSSI a) would differ in their rates of SDB engagement over seven months, and b) would differ in their strength of association between changes in stress and concurrent SDB engagement. Further, the present study hypothesized that emotional dysregulation would moderate the association between stress and SDB engagement. Multilevel modelling with longitudinal data from two cohorts of first-year undergraduates (N=540) revealed that students with either distal or recent NSSI histories were more likely to engage in substance use than their peers who had never self-injured, but did not report a greater frequency of binge eating or binge drinking. Regardless of NSSI history, substance use was unrelated to within-person changes in stress or emotional dysregulation. Higher-than-usual stress was associated with increased frequency of binge eating and binge drinking, but this association was unrelated to NSSI history or emotional dysregulation. Results suggest that elevated risk for substance use may persist even after NSSI has stopped, while other forms of SDBs (i.e., binge drinking and binge eating) were not predicted by NSSI history. Further, results suggest that some SDBs (i.e., binge drinking and binge eating) are enacted more frequently during periods of stress, but that this pattern is not unique to those with a history of NSSI or those who struggle to regulate their emotions. Consistent with person-centred models of NSSI recovery, these results suggest that vulnerability to some SDBs may persist even after NSSI has stopped. Future research should further examine the mechanisms underlying the complex association between NSSI and SDBs.Item The Stressed Teens Handbook(2021-01-12) Goodman, Christopher; Artz, Sibylle; White, JenniferStress is common among adolescent populations and is accepted as a significant contributing factor in the onset of a range of psychopathology, including depression and anxiety. One intervention that shows promise in reducing stress and increasing wellbeing is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens. An important aspect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Teens assumed to be essential to increasing the therapeutic effects of this intervention, is participants engagement in regular home practice. In order to support home practice, the author has developed a take home resource entitled, The Stressed Teens Handbook. This resource, includes variable assignments, such as self-monitoring and the scheduling of mindfulness-based behavioural experiments. The Stressed Teens Handbook is designed to help participants continue their practice of MBSR-T interventions and extend the therapeutic sessions beyond the conclusion of the Stressed Teen’s group.