Stress research during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

• Published in: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews Vol. 131; pp. 581 - 596
• Main Authors: Pfeifer, Lena Sophie, Heyers, Katrin, Ocklenburg, Sebastian, Wolf, Oliver T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2021
• Subjects: Chronic stress; Communicable Disease Control; Corona virus; COVID-19; Ecological field research; Humans; Online studies; Pandemics; SARS-CoV-2; Social-evaluative threat; Stress research; Stress, Psychological; Stress-related mental disorders; Trier social stress test (TSST); Virtual reality; COVID-19; Trier social stress test (TSST); Chronic stress; Online studies; Ecological field research; Virtual reality; Stress research; Corona virus; Stress-related mental disorders; Social-evaluative threat
• ISSN: 0149-7634; 1873-7528; 1873-7528
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.045

Schematic representation of challenges and perspectives for stress research during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stress researchers are forced to adapt established experimental procedures to current environmental demands or to develop new ones. Technologies that help adjust stress research to requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, are not only temporary solutions but bear the potential to advance stress research far beyond the current situation. They give new perspectives to stress researchers by allowing research in new contexts, on special samples, and with new experimental variations. Created with BioRender.com. [Display omitted] •COVID-19 may increase the prevalence of mental disorders and mental health problems.•To understand effects of the pandemic, stress research is of crucial relevance.•COVID-19 challenges basic stress research regarding common experimental procedures.•Social-evaluative components in stress induction paradigms must be adapted.•Innovative approaches will likely stimulate stress research beyond the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic confronts stress researchers in psychology and neuroscience with unique challenges. Widely used experimental paradigms such as the Trier Social Stress Test feature physical social encounters to induce stress by means of social-evaluative threat. As lockdowns and contact restrictions currently prevent in-person meetings, established stress induction paradigms are often difficult to use. Despite these challenges, stress research is of pivotal importance as the pandemic will likely increase the prevalence of stress-related mental disorders. Therefore, we review recent research trends like virtual reality, pre-recordings and online adaptations regarding their usefulness for established stress induction paradigms. Such approaches are not only crucial for stress research during COVID-19 but will likely stimulate the field far beyond the pandemic. They may facilitate research in new contexts and in homebound or movement-restricted participant groups. Moreover, they allow for new experimental variations that may advance procedures as well as the conceptualization of stress itself. While posing challenges for stress researchers undeniably, the COVID-19 pandemic may evolve into a driving force for progress eventually.