Bernadette von Dawans is a Research Associate and Senior Academic Advisor in Research and Teaching at the Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, Faculty I, University of Trier, Germany. She is also a licensed psychological psychotherapist and certified supervisor in cognitive behavioral therapy, leading the Psychotherapy Outpatient Clinic for Stress, Social Interaction and Behavioral Medicine. Her research focuses on the psychobiology and clinical aspects of stress, including social interaction, stress protection mechanisms (e.g., social support, oxytocin), stress management across age groups, and the impact of sex hormones on behavior. She investigates methods of stress induction and measurement, with applications in personality disorders, social phobia, and burnout. Her recent publications, primarily in psychoneuroendocrinology and clinical psychology journals, reveal a strong trend in examining how acute stress modulates social cognition, emotion recognition, prosocial behavior, and hormonal responses. She frequently employs the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-G) and explores gender differences, hormonal influences (e.g., oral contraceptives, cortisol, oxytocin), and interventions like glucose intake or internet-based stress management. Common oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) polymorphism and social support interact to reduce stress in humans Oxytocin, vasopressin, and human social behavior Dr. von Dawans has contributed to research on stress resilience, affiliative behaviors under stress, and the neuroendocrine underpinnings of social functioning. She collaborates extensively with researchers such as Markus Heinrichs and Gregor Domes. She supervises clinical work and contributes to training early-career researchers in clinical psychology, though no formal advisees are listed. Her work is supported by empirical studies and systematic reviews, contributing significantly to stress and social behavior research.
