Fig. 2.

Chronic exam stress increases self-reported measures of anxiety.

(A) The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) questionnaire was taken before and during the exam period in each participant. (B, D) The Hospital anxiety and disease scale (HADS-A, HADS-D) was self-reported before (baseline) and during exam stress. The Beck’s Depression Inventory second edition (BDI-II) was self-reported by participants before and during exam the exam period (C). Data represented in bar graphs with grey corresponding to the placebo group and red corresponding to participants treated with Bif. longum with individual white dots indicating individual data points, data is presented as averages and error bars represent the standard error of the mean s.e.m, n ​= ​8 in 1714 and n ​= ​12 in placebo group. ∗p ​= ​0.05, ∗∗p ​= ​0.01.(For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.)