Associations Between 24-Hour Physical Behavior, Self-Perceived Stress, and Coping Self-Efficacy in Everyday Life:...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Public Health
• Chronobiology

Background:

• Psychological stress impacts mental and physical health, necessitating effective coping strategies.
• Physical behaviors like sleep, sedentary behavior (SB), and physical activity are crucial for mental well-being.
• Existing research often examines isolated behaviors or uses cross-sectional designs, limiting understanding of 24-hour patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate associations between 24-hour physical behavior compositions and daily self-perceived stress.
• To examine the relationship between physical behaviors and stress-related coping self-efficacy.
• To explore how reallocating time between different physical behaviors affects stress indicators.

Main Methods:

• 198 university employees participated in a 15-day ambulatory assessment.
• 24-hour physical behavior was measured using accelerometers and classified into sleep, SB, light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA).
• 2-level mixed multilevel models and exploratory reallocation models were used to analyze associations and simulated time shifts.

Main Results:

• A geometric average day consisted of 8.1h sleep, 10.8h SB, 3.8h LPA, and 1.2h MVPA.
• More sleep compared to SB was linked to lower self-perceived stress (P=.04).
• No significant associations were found between other physical behavior ratios and stress outcomes; exploratory substitutions showed no significant changes in stress or coping self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Adjusting 24-hour physical behavior, such as increasing sleep, may help reduce everyday stress.
• Further research is needed on contextual and personal factors to develop tailored stress management interventions.
• Understanding the interplay of sleep, SB, and activity within a 24-hour cycle is key for stress reduction strategies.