Alcohol and stress response dampening: pharmacological effects, expectancy, and tension reduction

Alcohol consumption and alcohol expectation were separately evaluated in terms of effects on psychophysiological levels prior to stress and reduction of the magnitude of response to stress. 96 male, experienced drinkers were assigned to 8 conditions in a between-Ss design in which beverage consumed (alcohol or tonic), beverage expected (alcohol or tonic), and stressor (self-disclosing speech or threat of shock) were manipulated. Dosage for Ss receiving alcohol was 1 g ethanol/kg. Results indicate strong effects of alcohol consumption on prestress levels, consisting of accelerated heart rate (HR), lower HR variability, higher skin conductance, longer pulse transmission time (PTT), higher "cheerfulness" and lower "anxiety" ratings. Alcohol consumption significantly reduced the magnitude of the HR, PTT, and anxiety responses of Ss to the stressors. No effects attributable to alcohol expectation were found. Results are integrated with the existing literature concerned with pharmacological and cognitive effects of alcohol as they pertain to stress, psychophysiological responses to stress, and tension reduction. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Socialization, awareness, and electrodermal response to deception and self-disclosure.

Poorly socialized young adult males have been found to give smaller skin conductance responses (SCRs) to both physical and certain social (i.e., deception) stressors than their more highly socialized counterparts. This study with 30 male undergraduates examined whether these differences are dependent on S's awareness that his physiological responses are being recorded. 15 Ss attempted to deceive a polygraph examiner both before (unaware) and during (aware) a polygraph test. The 15 other Ss made truthful denials to the examiner's questions. All Ss were also asked biographical questions as part of an interview in the unaware condition. Under both aware and unaware conditions, high-socialization (Socialization scale of the California Psychological Inventory) Ss gave larger SCRs when deceiving than did low-socialization Ss. They also gave larger SCRs than low-socialization Ss when disclosing significant personal information but did not differ electrodermally when answering routine information questions. Awareness of physiological monitoring apparently does not mediate the finding that highly socialized Ss are markedly aroused and low socialization Ss little aroused by stress. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Lipid reactivity to stress: I. Comparison of chronic and acute stress responses in middle-aged airline pilots.

Lipids increase during psychological stress, but no studies have compared the effects of acute and chronic stressors on lipid responsivity in the same individuals. One hundred middle-aged men (n?=?92) and women (n?=?8) were examined during high chronic occupational stress, low chronic stress, and acute laboratory stressors. In addition to measures of perceived stress and affect, an extensive battery of lipid and lipoprotein measures was undertaken at each time point. Most lipid parameters were significantly increased during the chronic and acute stressors, although the responses to the different stressors were not consistently associated. For example, significant correlations among the chronic and acute stress responses were apparent for the apoproteins, but not for total, low density lipoprotein, or high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The factors and processes regulating these variables during stress may be different during acute and chronic stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cardiovascular reactivity as a predictor of relapse in male and female smokers.

Examined the role of psychophysiological reactivity to general stressors measured before smoking cessation as a predictor of relapse in individuals who quit for a minimum of 12 hrs and were then followed for a 12-mo interval. The study group consisted of 132 (56.9%) female and 100 (43.1%) male participants in a formal smoking cessation program. The reactivity measures were taken while the Ss were still smoking. Heart rate and blood pressure measurements were taken while Ss were resting, performing mental arithmetic, and delivering a speech and after Ss had been standing for 2 min. In the sample as a whole and for women, a higher level of systolic blood pressure reactivity to the cognitive challenge was associated with a shorter time to relapse. In men, greater systolic blood pressure decline to standing was significantly associated with a shorter time to relapse. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dispositional affect and work-related stress.

Trait negative affectivity (NA) has been asserted to be a factor that spuriously inflates relationships between self-reported stressors and self-reported strain outcomes. This hypothesis was tested with conventional work stress instrument responses and physiological assessments obtained from 311 fire and police department employees. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that NA did not measure a factor in common with measures of subjective strain. Latent-variable structural equations analyses, however, found that estimating the effects of NA on strain significantly attenuated the effects of work stressors. NA had no correlation with physiological stress outcomes. Trait positive affectivity did not attenuate relationships between work stressors and either subjective or objective stress outcomes. Implications for work stress research methodology and recommendations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Responses of psychophysiologic and subjective insomniacs to auditory stimuli during sleep: A replication and extension.

Examined the auditory awakening thresholds (AATs), the latency for return to sleep (LRS) after awakening, and the degree to which these variables were mediated by stress in 10 psychophysiologic insomniac, 9 subjective insomniac, and 22 noninsomniac university students. Each S took 3 afternoon naps in a sleep research laboratory while multiple electrophysiological measures were taken. Subjective measures of sleep and 3 measures of stress included an initial interview, completion of a life experiences survey, administration of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory before each nap, and completion of a questionnaire postnap. During the 3rd nap, each S was awakened during Stage 2 sleep by an ascending series of tones. There were no significant differences between groups in AATs, but the psychophysiologic insomniacs had a significantly longer LRS following awakening than did the noninsomniacs. AATs were related to initial heart rate, but LRS was significantly related to all stress measures. Results point to the role of stress as a mediator of LRS and, possibly, of AATs. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of mood on sleep onset latency and REM sleep in interepisode bipolar disorder.

The present study investigates whether interepisode mood regulation impairment contributes to disturbances in sleep onset latency (SOL) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Individuals with interepisode bipolar disorder (n = 28) and healthy controls (n = 28) slept in the laboratory for 2 baseline nights, a happy mood induction night, and a sad mood induction night. There was a significant interaction whereby on the happy mood induction night the bipolar group exhibited significantly longer SOL than did the control group, while there was no difference on the baseline nights. In addition, control participants exhibited shorter SOL on the happy mood induction night compared to the baseline nights, a finding that was not observed in the bipolar group. On the sad mood induction night, participants in both groups had shorter SOL and increased REM density when compared to the baseline nights. Bipolar participants exhibited heightened REM density compared to control participants on both nights. These results raise the possibility that regulation of positive stimuli may be a contributor to difficulties with SOL, while hyperactivity may be characteristic of REM sleep. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A behavioural basis for distinguishing wakefulness from sleep in insomniac and good sleepers.

Distinguished between the sleep of normal Ss and insomniacs, using the behaviorally-based sleep/wake monitor. 18 Ss with insomnia (aged 26–65 yrs) and 11 controls (aged 30–44 yrs) underwent a hearing test, and completed the Brock Sleep and Insomnia Questionnaire (K. A. Cote and R. D. Ogilvie, 1993). They used the behavioral response sleep/wake monitors for 3 consecutive nights, to assess behavioral sleep data. Results indicate group differences for wakefulness, sleep onset latency, total percent sleep, and percent wakefulness prior to sleep onset. Significant night effects were present in a number of measures. Group by Night interactions were found for total percent sleep, and after sleep onset, total percent wakefulness and after sleep onset. These findings support differences between normal and insomniac sleep. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of a workshop fee on women's stress management skills and evaluations.

Investigated the effects of a workshop fee on stress-management skills and workshop evaluations of 34 women (aged 24–62 yrs) who participated in a 2-evening stress-management workshop. Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: $30 treatment fee or no fee (control). At the conclusion of training, all Ss completed the State scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory twice (before and after using stress reduction techniques), a cognitive recall test, and a workshop evaluation. Two weeks after training, Ss responded to a scale measuring their present level of experienced stress. Significant differences were found between the groups: Those paying for the workshop scored significantly higher in content recall of stress reduction techniques and significantly lower in follow-up stress levels than Ss who paid no fee. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress and coping among university counselors: A minority perspective.

78 university and college ethnic minority counselors identified on a questionnaire the types of on-the-job stress they encounter and the availability of self-help networks and/or other mechanisms used to cope with such stressors. The responses from Ss who indicated they had an adequate self-help network were compared with responses from Ss who felt that their self-help network was inadequate. Ss with inadequate self-help networks indicated they were experiencing more on-the-job stress, perceived the university as less supportive of their role as a "minority" counselor, and identified more conflict of role definition between themselves and their supervisors than Ss with adequate self-help networks. Both groups of Ss indicated that they preferred to rely primarily on themselves for support when experiencing stress but that they would also turn to a professional associate, family member, or work associate to help them cope with job-related stress. Implications for the training of minority persons as counselors are discussed, and strategies are suggested for facilitating the development of viable self-help networks. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress and binge drinking: A daily process examination of stressor pile-up and socioeconomic status in affect regulation.

The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the interconnections between stress, negative mood, and alcohol use. Daily diary data collected over eight consecutive nights from a nationally representative adult cohort were used to identify if (1) daily stress and cumulative stress pile-up were associated with increased risk of binge drinking, (2) negative affect mediated associations between stressors and binge drinking, and (3) associations among stress, negative affect and binge drinking were moderated by educational attainment as an indicator of socioeconomic status. Results indicated that the odds of binge drinking were higher on days that individuals experienced more severe stressors in contrast to no-stress days. Further, the odds of binge drinking also increased as stressors piled-up over consecutive days. There was no evidence that negative affect mediated associations between stressors and binge drinking. Associations of daily stressors and stressor pile-up with binge drinking were moderated by educational attainment. Study results suggest that affect regulation researchers need to handle "stress" in a multidimensional way and better situate stressors and individuals stress responses within their social context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Performance, cognition, and physiological responding in test anxiety.

Autonomic (skin conductance and resistance, heart rate, and heart rate variability), self-report (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and causal attributions of task performance), and performance (modified Stroop Color–Word Test and 8 difficult anagrams) measures of anxiety were collected from 36 test-anxious and 36 non-test-anxious (Test Anxiety Scale) female undergraduates in an analog testing situation under 3 experimental conditions. High-test-anxious (HTA) Ss performed more poorly and reported higher levels of anxious arousal and worry in the analog testing situation than low-test-anxious (LTA) Ss. Also, self-evaluations of test performance made by HTA Ss differed from those made by LTA Ss in being more negative and unrelated to actual test performance. However, HTA and LTA Ss showed virtually identical changes in electrodermal activity and heart rate in response to the stress of the testing situation. Only heart rate variability, which appeared to reflect differences in the cognitive and attentional responses of the test anxiety groups, successfully differentiated HTA and LTA Ss. Results support cognitive formulations of test anxiety and indicate that deficits in information processing associated with test anxiety do not result from maladaptive levels of autonomic arousal. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Resolving the relationships between placebos, misattribution, and insomnia: An individual-differences perspective.

Hypothesized that insomniacs who are more attentive to internal bodily processes would be more apt to yield a reverse placebo effect (i.e., go to sleep faster when given an "arousal" placebo and vice versa), whereas those attentive to external stimuli would be more likely to be directly influenced by the suggested effects of the placebo. 30 insomniac college students completed trait measures of private body consciousness, private self-consciousness, and self-esteem. Ss were given placebos to take before bedtime and were told that the capsules had arousing or relaxing side effects. As predicted, Ss with high private body consciousness exhibited a stronger reverse placebo effect than did Ss low on this dimension. Subsequent analyses revealed that this effect was entirely attributable to the low- rather than to the high-self-esteem Ss. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychometric profile of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxious, and healthy Vietnam veterans: Correlations with psychophysiologic responses.

Three groups of Vietnam combat veterans, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD, n?=?25), anxious (n?=?7) and healthy (n?=?18), completed a battery of psychometric tests. Measurement of psychophysiologic responses to imagery of individualized combat experiences followed the psychometrics. The PTSD Ss differed significantly from the healthy Ss on almost all measures but showed fewer differences from the anxious Ss. The typical PTSD S was characterized as anxious, depressed, prone to dissociation, and external in locus of control. Correlations with the physiologic responses supported the validity of psychometric scales specifically designed to measure PTSD but cast doubt on the interpretation of traditional measures of overreporting or dissimulation in this disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative benefits of assertion or cognitive self-control treatment for depression as a function of proficiency in each domain.

Compared responses to an assertion training and a cognitive self-control treatment as a function of 28 depressed females' (mean age 40 yrs) initial assertion and cognitive self-control skills. 16 other Ss served as waiting list controls. All Ss were assessed on measures including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Beck Depression Inventory, and Rathus Assertiveness Schedule. It was predicted that (a) reductions in depression would be greater for treated as compared to waiting-list control conditions and (b) Ss low in a skill (cognitive or assertion) would benefit most from treatment addressing that skill. Only the 1st prediction was supported; treated Ss obtained greater depression reduction than controls. Neither cognitive nor assertion skill level significantly predicted response to the treatments. Effects of the treatments were not specific to targeted skills, and treatment had a significant impact only on cognitive self-control skill. Implications for skills-deficit models of depression therapy are discussed. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life stressors and social resources affect posttreatment outcomes among depressed patients.

Examined pre- and posttreatment changes in life stressors and social resources and their association with treatment outcomes in a 12-mo follow-up of 424 Ss (aged 18–83 yrs) with unipolar depression. Assessment measures included the Family Environment Scale, Work Environment Scale, and Health and Daily Living Form. As expected, Ss reported significant, multidimensional improvements in their functioning at follow-up. There were modest increases in Ss' social resources but, suprisingly, no overall decrease in stressors. Life stress and resource factors were significantly related to Ss' functioning at follow-up, even after considering the severity of their dysfunction at treatment intake and their length of treatment. Implications for developing a general body of knowledge about the process of recovery and relapse in behavioral disorders are discussed. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral treatment of menopausal hot flashes: Evaluation by objective methods.

Evaluated a hot flash provocation technique for its validity and reliability and then used it as an objective method for evaluating an experimental intervention. Spontaneous and heat-induced hot flashes occurring in 2 consecutive pretreatment evaluations were shown to be similar on all physiological measures. Latency to hot flash onset under heat stress was then used to evaluate the effects of relaxation treatment or a control procedure on 14 44–61 yr old menopausal females. Results show that following treatment, the latency to hot flash onset during heat stress was significantly increased in relaxation Ss but not in controls. Reported symptom frequency was significantly reduced only in relaxation Ss. Increased hot flash latency under heat stress was significantly related to reported symptom reduction. It is suggested that decreased sympathetic outflow was a mechanism in the alleviation of hot flashes. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of stress and anxiety on the processing of threat stimuli.

Two experiments extended the work of C. MacLeod and A. Mathews (see record 1989-23867-001) and examined whether a cognitive bias for threat information is a function of state or trait anxiety. Color-naming and attention deployment tasks were used to assess the effects of a stress manipulation procedure on attentional responses in high and low trait anxious Ss. Ss under high stress selectively allocated processing resources toward threat stimuli, irrespective of their trait anxiety level. There was no consistent evidence of a cognitive bias associated with trait anxiety, and the effect of the stress manipulation did not apppear to be mediated by state anxiety. It was suggested that trait factors do not modify attentional biases associated with acute stress but may influence such biases when stress is prolonged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Control of respiration as a means of controlling responses to threat.

111 undergraduates assessed the degree to which persons' physiological and psychological responses in a threatening situation might be altered by controlling respiration. Ss who (a) had a history of cardiac disease, (b) were taking medication that would influence heart rate, or (c) were engaged in any form of meditation were excluded from the study. After a 30-min rest period, Ss in a respiration-tracing condition began replicating their breathing patterns from the rest period; Ss in an attention-tracing condition participated in a comparable task that did not involve the control of respiration; and Ss in a no-tracing condition were not assigned any task. After the tracing manipulation was introduced, half of the Ss were assigned to a threat condition and informed that they would receive a series of painful electric shocks; the other Ss were assigned to a no-threat condition and informed that they would receive red light stimulation. Analyses of heart-rate and self-report data indicated that (a) the threat manipulation was effective; (b) controlling respiration did not reduce Ss' stress responses; and (c) Ss in the no-tracing condition were the only stressed Ss to show decreases in physiological arousal over time, an effect that may have been due to their use of a cognitive coping strategy. Findings do not provide evidence that control of respiration is an effective strategy for controlling stress but do suggest that, when not interfered with, Ss can employ relatively effective, self-generated cognitive coping strategies. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive skill-training enhancement of hypnotizability: Generalization effects and trance logic responding.

Compared low-hypnotizable Ss who simulated hypnosis, underwent cognitive skill training, or served as no-treatment controls to Ss who scored as high hypnotizables without training (natural highs) on response to analgesia, age-regression, visual hallucination, selective amnesia, and posthypnotic suggestions. Ss who attained high hypnotizability following skill training (created highs) did not differ from natural highs on any response index. Natural and created highs scored lower than simulators but higher than controls on the behavioral and subjective aspects of test suggestions. Simulators, however, were significantly less likely than natural highs or skill-trained Ss to exhibit duality responding or incongruous writing during age regression or transparent hallucinating. Results suggest that the hypnotic responses of natural and created highs are mediated by the same cognitive variables and that enhancements in hypnotizability produced by skill training cannot be adequately explained in terms of compliance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)