Marie-Josée Richer, Pierrich Plusquellec, Sébastien Grenier and Sonia Lupien
Credit: Marie-Josée Richer (courtoisie), Pierrich Plusquellec et Sonia Lupien (Amélie Philibert, Université de Montréal), Sébastien Grenier (Laboratoire d'étude sur l'anxiété et la dépression gériatrique)
A Université de Montréal research team consisting of Marie-Josée Richer and Pierrich Plusquellec from the School of Psychoeducation, Sébastien Grenier from the Department of Psychology, and Sonia Lupien from the Department of Psychiatry and Addiction, has released the results of a study on stress resilience in seniors. Their findings were published on January 5, 2025 in Frontiers in Psychology.
The study involving 170 seniors with an average age of 76 found that O'stress, a six-week stress management program, had beneficial effects on the emotional health of participants. Those who followed the program used more problem-solving strategies and had less anxiety three weeks after completing the program and their diurnal cortisol levels, an indicator of chronic stress, were significantly lower than those of non-participants.
Program for teens adapted to seniors
The O'stress program is based on DeStress for Success, an innovative program created by the Centre for Studies on Human Stress to help teens deal with the stress of transitioning to high school.
In a groundbreaking study led by Sonia Lupien, the Centre's director, published in Neuroscience in 2013, DeStress for Success was shown to decrease cortisol levels and depressive symptoms in participating teens who were experiencing strong negative emotions at the start of the school year.
Since then, DeStress for Success has been adapted in partnership with Plusquellec's team for several populations, including teens at high risk for behavioural problems (2016) and young people with autism spectrum disorder (2018).
Countering emotional contagion
In her doctoral research under the supervision of Plusquellec and Grenier, Richer adapted DeStress for Success to the specific needs of seniors.
"Aging, like adolescence but for different reasons, is a particularly sensitive period when individuals are more vulnerable to chronic stress and its consequences," Plusquellec noted.
O'stress incorporates elements relevant to aging, social relationships and, in particular, emotional contagion, the tendency to get caught up in the emotions of others. According to a recent study by the same researchers, emotional contagion is a significant factor in psychological distress among seniors. An educational component on emotional contagion was therefore included in the O'stress program to help participants recognize and manage this dynamic on a daily basis.
O'stress uses a variety of approaches including small-group workshops to help seniors identify symptoms of stress and release that energy through activities such as bopping to The Beatles' "Twist and Shout." Participants also analyze their social network to identify sources of support, pressure and emotional contagion, and then problem-solve to find solutions.
The success of O'stress highlights the enormous potential of short, accessible interventions to counteract the harmful effects of chronic stress in the elderly.
"By demystifying stress and its effects, and then teaching effective techniques for coping with that stress, we equip participants to strengthen their resilience and overall well-being," said Richer.
The research team now hopes to expand the O'stress program and evaluate its effectiveness in other contexts and populations. Their work could also inspire similar interventions in the areas of mental health and aging.
About the study
"Increasing stress resilience in older adults through a 6-week prevention program: effects on coping strategies, anxiety symptoms, and cortisol levels," by Marie-Josée Richer, Sébastien Grenier, Sonia Lupien and Pierrich Plusquellec, was published January 5, 2025 in Frontiers in Psychology.
