title: Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) and vulnerability to stress: A preliminary study on electrodermal activity during stress.
abstract: This study investigated the predictive validity of the ten Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) variables from the Stress and Distress domain, by testing whether they predicted increased sympathetic reactivity to a mild, laboratory-induced stress, occurred one week after Rorschach administration. A relatively small student sample (N=52) contributed to this research: During a first meeting (T1) participants were administered the Rorschach task according to R-PAS guidelines; about one week later (T2) their electrodermal activity (EDA) was recorded during exposure to a mild laboratory stress-inducing task. Based on literature indicating that exposure to stress tends to increase physiological vulnerability/reactivity to stressful situations, we anticipated that Stress and Distress R-PAS variables measured at T1 would positively correlate with increased sympathetic reactivity to stress at T2, as indicated by greater EDA changes from baseline to stress and recovery. Results partially confirmed our hypotheses: (a) the mean of and (b) the majority of the Stress and Distress R-PAS variables were significantly correlated, in the expected direction, with medium and medium to large effect sizes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giromini
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy. Electronic address: agatamariaclaudia.ando@unito.it.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ando'
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morese
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salatino
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Di Girolamo
authors.affiliation: California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Viglione
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zennaro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012392:Rorschach Test; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Electrodermal activity; R-PAS; Rorschach; Skin conductance; Stress