Ecker, Angelika

Doctoral studies for Dr. sc. hum. at the Department
of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

Title of the dissertation: “Comparison of a real and virtual Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C) - Multimodal stress response and gaze behavior as stress parameters”

University of Regensburg

Training as psychological psychotherapist in behavioural therapy

Additional training: group therapy

Training Institute for Behavioural Therapy Regensburg (AVR)

Master of Science Psychology

University of Regensburg

Bachelor of Science Psychology

University of Regensburg

Psychological psychotherapist at the research ward of Medbo

Bezirksklinikum Regensburg

Psychologist in a specialized outpatient clinic for addiction problems

Caritas Straubing

Training as a psychotherapist at the Medbo research ward

Bezirksklinikum Regensburg

Training as a psychotherapist in the outpatient practice of Dr. Sagstetter

Regensburg

Research associate at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy

University Hospital Regensburg

Student and research assistant at the Department of Educational Psychology

University of Regensburg

Student assistant at the Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy

University of Regensburg

Schleicher, D., Käss, C., Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Jacob, R., Kandsperger, S., & Brunner, R. (2026). Measuring proactive-instrumental aggression in adolescents and young adults—Development and preliminary validity evidence for the Degree-of-Quiz-Difficulty Paradigm. Frontiers in Psychology, 17, 1876347. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1876347 (external link, opens in a new window) 

Schleicher, D., Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Kandsperger, S., & Brunner, R. (2026). Post-traumatic stress following social media war violence: Role of empathy and emotional awareness in youth. BJPsych Open, 12(4), e150. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2026.12014 (external link, opens in a new window)

Goetz, L., Jarvers, I., Schleicher, D., Ecker, A., Neumann, I. D., Brunner, R., & Kandsperger, S. (2026). Relationship of oxytocin and cortisol response to psychosocial stress in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Scientific Reports, 16(1), 10496. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-44831-8 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jacob, R., Otto, A., Jarvers, I., Kandsperger, S., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Malloni, W. M., Neumann, I. D., & Brunner, R. (2026). The influence of psychosocial stress on functional connectivity and neuroendocrine markers in adolescents with depressive and comorbid anxiety disorders: A study protocol. BMC Psychiatry, 26, 39. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-025-07689-0 (external link, opens in a new window)

von Perponcher, E., Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Heidingsfelder, E., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Schleicher, D. (2025). Characterisation of a university student sample with a lifetime history of non-suicidal self-injury: mixed-methods analysis of stress factors, coping mechanisms and reasons for self-injury. BJPsych Open, 11(6), e279. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2025.10893 (external link, opens in a new window)

Ecker, A., Preece, D. A., Schleicher, D., Jacob, R., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2025). Emotional blind spots and dark minds: How alexithymia and mindfulness shape the link between Dark Triad personality traits and psychopathology. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1677305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1677305 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jarvers, I., Degmayr, R., Otto, A., Jacob, R., Malloni, W., Kandsperger, S., Schleicher, D., Ecker, A., Wiesinger, I., Wendl, C., Greenlee, M., & Brunner, R. (2025). The relationship between precuneus thickness and psychopathology in adolescent females with anorexia nervosa. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.24591 (external link, opens in a new window)

Hornstein, L., Schleicher, D., Ecker, A., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2025). Dark Triad traits, alexithymia, and emotion regulation as predictors of depression, anxiety, and stress in clinical and non-clinical samples. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1674630. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1674630 (external link, opens in a new window)

Ecker, A., Jarvers, I., Jacob, R., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Schleicher, D. (2025). Temperament and personality: Preliminary evidence of possible relationships with multifactorial stress reactivity in healthy adolescents. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1613000. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1613000 (external link, opens in a new window)

Rodríguez-Toscano, E., Schleicher, D., Ecker, A., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2025). Exploring the mental health impact of COVID-19 on parents of young children: Anxiety, depression, and contributing factors. BMC Public Health, 25, 2174. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23467-9 (external link, opens in a new window)

Baumann, N., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Kandsperger, S., Preece, D. A., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2025). The relationship between alexithymia, non-suicidal self-injury, and emotion regulation. Journal of Affective Disorders, 384, 60–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.05.009 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jarvers, I., Heidingsfelder, E., Ecker, A., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Schleicher, D. (2025). Characteristics of self-injurious behaviour and early traumatic experiences: Associations with emotional reactivity, depression and aggression in university students. BJPsych Open, 11(2), e45. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2024.862 (external link, opens in a new window)

Ecker, A., Fritsch, C., Schleicher, D., Jacob, R., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2025). The effect of a one-time mindfulness intervention on body and mind in healthy adolescents using multimodal measurements. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, 1503379. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1503379 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Donabauer, P., Kampa, K., Weißenbacher, M., Schleicher, D., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Ludwig, B. (2024). M.I.N.I.-KID interviews with adolescents: A corpus-based language analysis of adolescents with depressive disorders and the possibilities of continuation using Chat GPT. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1425820 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jarvers, I., Kandsperger, S., Ecker, A., Brandstetter, S., Kabesch, M., Köninger, A., Melter, M., Kerzel, S., Kittel, J., Apfelbacher, C., & Brunner, R. (2024). Longitudinal predictors for internalizing and externalizing symptomatology at age 4: KUNO-Kids cohort study. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1449108 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jarvers I., Kormann E., Schleicher D., Ecker A., Kandsperger, S. & Brunner, R. (2024). Impact of alexithymia, speech problems and parental emotion recognition on internalizing and externalizing problems in preschoolers. PLoS ONE, 19(9): e0310244. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310244 (external link, opens in a new window)

Ecker, A., Jarvers, I., Kocur, M., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R. & Schleicher, D. (2024). Multifactorial stress reactivity to virtual TSST-C in healthy children and adolescents—It works, but not as well as a real TSST-C. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 160, 106681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106681 (external link, opens in a new window)
(EDITOR’S CHOICE ARTICLE)

Kick, L., Schleicher, D., Ecker, A., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2024). Alexithymia as a mediator between adverse childhood events and the development of psychopathology: a metaanalysis. Front. Psychiatry, 15:1412229. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1412229 (external link, opens in a new window)

Krempel, R., Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Brunner, R., & Kandsperger, S. (2024). Sleep quality and the cortisol and alpha-amylase awakening responses in adolescents with depressive disorders. BJPsych Open, 10(5), e140. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2024.730 (external link, opens in a new window)

Schleicher, D., Jarvers, I., Kocur, M., Kandsperger, S., Brunner, R., & Ecker, A. (2024). Does it need an app?–Differences between app-guided breathing and natural relaxation in adolescents after acute stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 107148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107148 (external link, opens in a new window)

Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Kandsperger, S., Otto, A., & Brunner, R. (2023). Anorexia nervosa during COVID-19: loss of personal control and alexithymia as important contributors to symptomatology in adolescent girls. Journal of Eating Disorders, 11, 180. doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00905-w

Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., & Otto, A. (2023). The German COVID-19 Questionnaire for Anorexia Nervosa (COV-AN). 

Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Brunner, R., & Kandsperger, S. (2023). Impact of preschool attendance, parental stress and parental mental health on internalizing and externalizing problems during COVID-19 lockdown measures in preschool children. PLoS One 8(2). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281627

Kandsperger, S., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Wirth, M., Brunner, R., & Jarvers, I. (2023). Emergency-related inpatient admissions in child and adolescent psychiatry: comparison of clinical characteristics of involuntary and voluntary admissions from a survey in Bavaria, Germany. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02154-3

Schleicher, D., Heidingsfelder, E., Kandsperger, S., Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., & Brunner, R. (2023). Non-suicidal self-injury and emotional burden among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic: Cross-sectional online survey. BJPsych Open, 9(1), E1. https://www.doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.616

Kandsperger, S., Madurkay, J., Schleicher, D., Otto, A., Ecker, A., Brunner, R., Jarvers, I.: Treatment Motivation and Burden of Stress among Parents of Adolescents with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Presenting to a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Emergency Service. Psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.1159/000526611

Schleicher, D.*, Ecker, A.*, Kocur, M., Jarvers, I., Nash, C., Götz, L., Otto, A. H., Kandsperger, S. and Brunner, R. (2022). Psychosocial stress induction in vivo vs. in virtuo and the influence of a health app on the acute stress reaction in youths: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 23, 847.
doi.org/10.1186/s13063-022-06758-z

Ecker A., Jarvers I., Schleicher D., Kandsperger S., Schelhorn I., Meyer M., Borchert T., Lüdtke M. and Shiban Y. (2022). Problems or prospects? Being a parent in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Front. Psychol. 13:901249. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.901249

Kandsperger S., Schleicher D., Ecker A., Keck F., Bentheimer S., Brunner R. and Jarvers I. (2022) Emotional Reactivity in Adolescents With Non-suicidal Self-injury and Its Predictors: A Longitudinal Study. Front. Psychiatry 13:902964. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.902964

Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Schleicher, D., Otto, A., & Jarvers, C. (2022, April 26). The Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children – German version (AQC-G). https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/ra65t (external link, opens in a new window)

Krempel, R., Schleicher, D., Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Brunner, R., & Kandsperger, S. (2022). Sleep quality and neurohormonal and psychophysiological accompanying factors in adolescents with depressive disorders: Study protocol. BJPsych Open, 8(2), E57. doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2022.29 

Jarvers, I., Ecker, A., Kaemmerer, M., & Grüning, D. J. (2021, October 13). German Version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire Adapted for Children. Retrieved from psyarxiv.com/yd5kv. doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/yd5kv

Schelhorn I., Ecker A., Lüdtke M. N., Rehm S., Tran T., Bereznai J. L., Meyer M. L., Sütterlin S., Kinateder M., Lugo R. G. and Shiban Y. (2021) Psychological Burden During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Germany. Frontiers in Psychology. 12:640518. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.640518

Kandsperger, S., Jarvers, I., Schleicher, D., Ecker, A., Wirth, M., & Brunner, R. (2021). Suicidality presented to a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry emergency service: Increasing rate and changing characteristics. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 12, 1195.
doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2021.708208