Table 4.

Stress research priorities.

Questions/Priority area	Methodology considerations
Heterogeneity in how stress/allostatic load paradigms and indices of adaptation/resilience are defined.	Consensus determined consistent definitions and measurements across multiple domains. Movement from efficacy to effectiveness. research from small samples to populations.
Lack of standardization of MBTs across studies and mediators of their positive effects (e.g., physiologic, biochemical, brain and body organ level, immune, microbiome, epigenetic, psychological, behavioral).	Determination and standardization of “active” components of MBTs. Consistent domains of biological and psychological outcomes and mediators. Understanding of processes and interrelationships at multiple levels: genes, cells, organs, networks, and organism.
Differentiation of short-term and long-term outcomes in stress reduction and increased resilience and differentiating response from remission and relapse prevention.	More longitudinal studies. Machine learning analysis of trial results to define novel biomarkers or mechanisms.
Better incorporation of health-technologies to increase access to MBTs, scalability, and predictive capacity to identify at-risk populations to move from treatment to prevention.	Evaluation of effectiveness of technology-enhanced behavioral interventions. Machine-learning for better predictive analytics to personalize interventions.