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.
Chronic stress is detrimental to physical and mental health. Antidotes to chronic stress are short-term relaxation and long-term recovery. My two research objectives are explaining the psychophysiology of relaxation and recovery and leveraging these insights to personalize and improve relaxation practices. The relaxation practices my research focuses on are breath-control practices for arousal regulation and mindfulness practices for valence regulation. Ultimately, my research aims at empowering individuals with evidence-based, personalized relaxation practices for recovery to promote well-being and resilience.
In the upcoming winter term, no more theses will be supervised.
Free topic choice: Yes (albeit within the scope of my research area)
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