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The perseverative cognition hypothesis: a review of worry, prolonged stress-related physiological activation, and health

Brosschot JF · Gerin W · Thayer JF
Journal of psychosomatic research · 2006

View the original source DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.06.074 ↗PubMed: 16439263 ↗

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THE ALLOSTASIS PROJECT

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Original paper · cite this source for the study’s findings.

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What the research tells us

The perseverative-cognition hypothesis proposes that worry, rumination, anticipation and post-event processing can extend physiological activation beyond a stressor. It motivates measuring the event, repetitive thought and subsequent physiology together. The paper also notes that direct evidence for objective disease outcomes was limited.

Scope & interpretation

State and trait measures differ across this narrative review, which provides no single pooled effect. Perseverative cognition, general negative affect and causal pathways to chronic disease require separate tests.

Study at a glance

POPULATION & SAMPLE
Literature on worry, rumination and anticipatory stress; no new trial sample.
EXPOSURE / INTERVENTION / SUBJECT
Repetitive cognition before and after stressors and prolonged autonomic or endocrine activation.
OUTCOMES
Physiological activation and possible health consequences, with disease evidence considered separately.
TIME FRAME
Anticipatory, post-event and longer-term processes; no uniform observation window.

Cited on this site

Features

Recovery Is Not Rest

Features

Why Can Stress Responses Continue After Work Ends?

Editorial & review record

Record for v0.3 · Updated

Editorial responsibility: TAP Editorial Team

Editorial note

Under the editorial responsibility of the TAP Editorial Team, this publication used AI assistance for content organization and editing.

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Scope of this reading note

Author-uploaded web full text: definition, central argument, disease evidence and conclusion. Tables, all references and separate disclosures have not been fully checked.

Funding & competing interests
Funding and competing-interest details have not been verified against the full text. Consult the original publication’s declarations.

Project support

Founded and supported by Resilio.

Revision history

  1. · v0.3

    Added the author-text definition of perseverative cognition and limitations of the disease evidence.

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Project informationPrivacy PolicyProject informationContactAssessmentTAP Load & Recovery ProfileMethodsLoad & Recovery Profile: Methods & DevelopmentExploreQuestions about Human AdaptationExploreMeasurement & InterpretationReading guide · Essential 35Load & Recovery: Six Research DirectionsReading guide · Essential 5Allostatic LoadReading guide · Essential 5Recovery ScienceReading guide · Essential 5Reserve & ResilienceReading guide · Essential 5MeasurementFoundationsLoadFoundationsAllostasisFoundationsRecoveryFoundationsAllostatic LoadFoundationsPhysiological ReserveFoundationsResilienceFeaturesHow Is Allostatic Load Measured? 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How to Read a Low Value in ContextFeaturesWhy Feeling Better Doesn’t Always Mean Fully RecoveredMethods & projectEvidence grading & methodsMethods & projectEditorial & scientific standardsMethods & projectAbout the projectResearch · 1988Muscle glycogen synthesis after exercise: effect of time of carbohydrate ingestion.Research · 1993Stress and the individual. 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Recommendations for Experiment Planning, Data Analysis, and Data ReportingTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0071TAP reading note: Diurnal Variation and Twenty-Four Hour Sleep Deprivation Do Not Alter Supine Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Male Young Adults.TAP Record · TAP-RDN-0059TAP reading note: The impact of reduced worktime on sleep and perceived stress - a group randomized intervention study using diary dataTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0009TAP reading note: A Meta-Analysis on Antecedents and Outcomes of Detachment from WorkTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0036TAP reading note: Multi-parameter comparison of a standardized mixed meal tolerance test in healthy and type 2 diabetic subjects: the PhenFlex challengeTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0010TAP reading note: Recovery and Performance in Sport: Consensus StatementTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0064TAP reading note: Quantifying resilience of humans and other animalsTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0025TAP reading note: Ad libitum Weekend Recovery Sleep Fails to Prevent Metabolic Dysregulation during a Repeating Pattern of Insufficient Sleep and Weekend Recovery SleepTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0027TAP reading note: Resilience in Clinical Care: Getting a Grip on the Recovery Potential of Older AdultsTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0039TAP reading note: Protein supplementation improves lean body mass in physically active older adults: a randomized placebo-controlled trialTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0066TAP reading note: Effect of Multimodal Prehabilitation vs Postoperative Rehabilitation on 30-Day Postoperative Complications for Frail Patients Undergoing Resection of Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical TrialTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0028TAP reading note: Whitepaper: Defining and investigating cognitive reserve, brain reserve, and brain maintenanceTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0052TAP reading note: Longitudinal analysis of blood markers reveals progressive loss of resilience and predicts human lifespan limitTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0022TAP reading note: Leaving Work at Work: A Meta-Analysis on Employee Recovery From WorkTAP Record · TAP-RDN-0023TAP reading note: "Give me a break!" 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