title: Blunted cardiac reactivity to psychological stress associated with higher trait anxiety: a study in peacekeepers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both exaggerated and diminished reactivity to stress can be maladaptive. Previous studies have shown that performing increasingly difficult tasks leads first to increased reactivity and then to a blunted response when success is impossible. Our aim was to investigate the influence of trait anxiety on cardiac and cortisol response to and recovery from a standardized psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Task) in a homogeneous sample of healthy peacekeepers. We hypothesized that participants with higher trait anxiety would show blunted reactivity during the performance of an overwhelmingly difficult and stressful task. Participants (N = 50) delivered a speech and performed an arithmetic task in the presence of critical evaluators. Cortisol samples and electrocardiogram data were collected. Participants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait version, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) and the Military Peace Force Stressor Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For heart rate, the findings showed that peacekeepers with higher trait anxiety reacted less to the speech task (p = 0.03) and to the arithmetic task (p = 0.008) than those with lower trait anxiety. Trait anxiety did not modulate cortisol responses to the task. Despite the high trait anxiety group having higher PCL-C scores than the low trait anxiety group (p < 0.0001), this did not influence the cardiac results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that individuals with higher trait anxiety had less tachycardia in response to acute psychological stress than those with lower trait anxiety. The present results point to a higher risk for more anxious individuals of a maladaptive reaction to stressful events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Ouro Preto, Ouro Preto, MG, Brazil. souzaggl@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Gabriela Guerra Leal
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: Forebrain Neurotecnologia Ltda., Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. anasouza@forebrain.com.br.
authors.forename: Ana Carolina Ferraz
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mendonça-de-Souza
authors.affiliation: Brazilian Army Research Institute of Physical Fitness, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. afduarte@globo.com.
authors.forename: Antônio Fernando Araújo
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. nlf.ufrj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nastassja Lopes
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil. wanderson.souza@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wanderson Fernandes
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.affiliation: National School of Public Health, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. esfcoutinho@ensp.fiocruz.br.
authors.forename: Evandro Silva Freire
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. ivanfigueira13@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. evolchan@biof.ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Volchan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D001938:Brazil; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic; D010551:Personality / Q000502:physiology*; D010556:Personality Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012919:Social Behavior; D013060:Speech / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone