title: Stress responses to repeated exposure to a combined physical and social evaluative laboratory stressor in young healthy males.
abstract: Repeated exposure to homotypic laboratory psychosocial stressors typically instigates rapid habituation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis-mediated stress responses in humans. However, emerging evidence suggests the combination of physical stress and social evaluative threat may be sufficient to attenuate this response habituation. Neuroendocrine, cardiovascular and subjective stress responses following repeated exposure to a combined physical and social evaluative stress protocol were assessed to examine the habituation response dynamic in this context. The speech task of the Trier social stress test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993) and the socially evaluated cold pressor task (SECPT; Schwabe et al., 2008) were administered in a combined stressor protocol. Salivary cortisol, cardiovascular and subjective stress responses to a non-stress control and repeat stressor exposure separated by six weeks were examined in males (N=24) in a crossover manner. Stressor exposure resulted in significant elevations in all stress parameters. In contrast to the commonly reported habituation in cortisol response, a comparable post-stress response was demonstrated. Cortisol, heart rate and subjective stress responses were also characterised by a heightened response in anticipation to repeated stress exposure. Blood pressure responses were comparatively uniform across repeated exposures. Findings suggest a combined physical and social evaluative stressor is a potentially useful method for study designs that require repeated presentation of a homotypic stressor.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK. Electronic address: n.b.boyle@leeds.ac.uk.
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lawton
authors.affiliation: Arla Strategic Innovation Centre, Arla Foods, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arkbåge
authors.affiliation: Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, USA.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: West
authors.affiliation: Arla Strategic Innovation Centre, Arla Foods, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Thorell
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hofman
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weeks
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Myrissa
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Croden
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Habituation; Laboratory stress; Social evaluative threat; Stress induction