title: Reactivity to social stress in ethnic minority men.
abstract: Repeated exposures to social exclusion, through a process of sensitization, may result in larger responses to experiences of social stress. The current study tested the hypothesis that healthy Moroccan-Dutch men respond stronger to social stress than Dutch controls 1) in daily life, and 2) in an experimental set-up. A general population sample of 50 Moroccan-Dutch and 50 Dutch young adult males were tested with 1) the Experience Sampling Method, a structured diary technique, assessing reactivity to social stress in daily life, and 2) an experimental exposure to social peer evaluation. No group differences were found in affective or psychotic reactivity to daily social stress. When exposed to a negative social evaluation in the lab, a blunted affective response was found in the Moroccan-Dutch compared to the Dutch group, whereas the psychotic response did not differ significantly between groups. In conclusion, healthy Moroccan-Dutch men are not more sensitive to social stress than healthy Dutch men. Instead, the blunted affective response of Moroccan-Dutch men to peer evaluation may signify habituation rather than sensitization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, Vijverdalseweg 1, 6226 NB Maastricht, The Netherlands; Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, PO Box 405, 2300 AK Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: martin.gevonden@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gevonden
authors.affiliation: Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok i - bus 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Inez
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Myin-Germeys
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Center Psychopathology and Emotion Regulation, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre of Groningen, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wichers
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Booij
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, PO Box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: van den Brink
authors.affiliation: Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Department of Neuroscience, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 33 blok i - bus 7001, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ruud
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Winkel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, Vijverdalseweg 1, 6226 NB Maastricht, The Netherlands; Rivierduinen Institute for Mental Health Care, PO Box 405, 2300 AK Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Selten
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009426:Netherlands / Q000208:ethnology; D010379:Peer Group; D012929:Psychological Distance; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Monitoring, ambulatory; Peer influence; Psychotic disorders; Social environment; Transients and migrants