Anger responses to psychosocial stress predict heart rate and cortisol stress responses in men but not women

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY

卷:49

Article

Lupis, Sarah B.¹  Lerman, Michelle¹  Wolf, Jutta M.¹ 

[1] Brandeis Univ, Dept Psychol, Waltham, MA 02454 USA

关键词: Stress;    Cortisol;    Heart rate;    Emotions;    Facial action coding system;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.psyneuen.2014.07.004

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

While previous research has suggested that anger and fear responses to stress are linked to distinct sympathetic nervous system (SNS) stress responses, little is known about how these emotions predict hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity. Further, earlier research primarily relied on retrospective self-report of emotion. The current study aimed at addressing both issues in male and female individuals by assessing the role of anger and fear in predicting heart rate and cortisol stress responses using both self-report and facial coding analysis to assess emotion responses. We exposed 32 healthy students (18 female; 19.6 +/- 1.7 yr) to an acute psychosocial stress paradigm (TSST) and measured heart rate and salivary cortisol levels throughout the protocol. Anger and fear before and after stress exposure was assessed by self-report, and video recordings of the TSST were assessed by a certified facial coder to determine emotion expression (FACS). Self-reported emotions and emotion expressions did not correlate (all p > .23). Increases in self-reported fear predicted blunted cortisol responses in men (beta = 0.41, p = .04). Also for men, longer durations of anger expression predicted exaggerated cortisol responses (beta = 0.67 p = .004), and more anger incidences predicted exaggerated cortisol and heart rate responses (beta = 0.51, p = .033; beta = 0.46, p = .066, resp.). Anger and fear did not predict SNS or HPA activity for females (all p > .23). The current differential self-report and facial coding findings support the use of multiple modes of emotion assessment. Particularly, FACS but not self-report revealed a robust anger-stress association that could have important downstream health effects for men. For women, future research may clarify the role of other emotions, such as self-conscious expressions of shame, for physiological stress responses. A better understanding of the emotion-stress link may contribute to behavioral interventions targeting health-promoting ways of responding emotionally to stress. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free