Coping with stress requires effective strategies that we can integrate into our daily lives (e.g., with digital apps) and become habitual over time. The following research projects center on coping with stress and building habits. Because effective coping that becomes more habitual over time has lasting effects on well-being and stress-related disease risk.
At the heart of my research are emotion-oriented coping skills to increase short-term relaxation and long-term wellbeing. In my first randomized crossover trial, I compared the effectiveness of personalized breathing protocols on psychological, physiological, and neurophysiological correlates of relaxation and stress. In my second study, I plan to implement these findings in an app-based randomized controlled trial with additional reframing techniques to help participants cope with their stress to increase wellbeing. My overall research aim is to help individuals develop skills to self-regulate autonomic arousal and valence appraisals to increase relaxation and long-term wellbeing.
In the Summer Semester 2024, I supervise the following topics for Bachelor and Master Theses:
1. The app-based implementation of reframing techniques (review)
2. App-based implementation of coping skills training to increase wellbeing (review)
If you are interested in one of the topics, please send me a short application via Mail (incl. a short letter of motivation that states your interest in the topic and a short CV) until February 29, 2024.
Free topic choice: No (only with relevance to the topic)
My research interests relate to issues around habit formation in the context of digital technologies. A particular focus is on the integration of psychological constructs (e.g. implementation intentions) on digital technologies (e.g. apps) in order to support people in sustainable health behaviour change in a cost-efficient and effective way.
Free topic choice: At the moment there is no further capacity for supervision
Language: German or English
Supervisor: M.Sc. Annika Freiberger
Research area:
The Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy has an opening for a master's thesis with a focus on psychocardiology.Congenital heart defects (AHF) are the most common organ abnormalities. Improved treatment options for AHF are leading to an increasing number of women with AHF of childbearing age. Because of the physical and psychological stress, pregnancies in women with AHF are often classified as high-risk pregnancies. The resulting emotional distress can negatively impact pregnancy, maternity, and fetal health. The aim of this study is to retrospectively examine the psychological state and potential influencing variables in women with AHF before, during, and after pregnancy. The new concept of disease identity will be applied to explain how patients experience their AHF and integrate it into their identity.Prevalence data on emotional distress and psychological disorders have already been collected as part of the "PROTE-CHD Study" (Psychosocial Pregnancy Outcomes in Women with Congenital Heart Disease). A further aim of the study is to identify positive psychological parameters, i.e. protective factors.Within the framework of a retrospective-epidemiological cross-sectional study, psychological outcomes are collected via an already developed explorative questionnaire in the "Clinic for Congenital Heart Defects and Pediatric Cardiology" of the DHM.For this master thesis, work is to be done on the further recruitment of patients and evaluation of the study with regard to the positive psychological parameters. The already collected data (currently from about 140 women) may be used for the master thesis.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Annika Freiberger (M.Sc.), Health Science
German Heart Center Munich
Clinic for Congenital Heart Defects and Pediatric Cardiology