Life events and social support as moderators of individual differences in cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity

We wanted to assess whether intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) decreases disease activity on MRI in relapsing MS. Previous trials of IVIG in relapsing-remitting MS demonstrated a reduction of acute relapses, but these studies did not include MRI. We treated 26 patients in a randomized, double-blind, crossover study of IVIG 1 g/kg daily or placebo on 2 consecutive days every month during two 6-month treatment periods. The primary end point was the number of gadolinium-enhancing lesions on monthly serial MRI. Secondary efficacy variables were the occurrence of exacerbations, clinical neurologic ratings, total MS lesion load on T2-weighted MRI, and multimodal evoked potentials. Eighteen patients completed the entire trial; eight patients did not. Twenty-one patients completed the first treatment period and at least two MRI examinations in the second treatment period and were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. On serial MRI, we observed fewer enhancing lesions per patient per scan during IVIG treatment (median, 0.4; range, 0 to 9.3) than during placebo treatment (median, 1.3; range, 0.2 to 25.7; p = 0.03). During IVIG treatment, 15 patients were exacerbation free compared with only 7 on placebo (p = 0.02). The total number of exacerbations in the IVIG period was 11 and in the placebo period, 19 (not significant). None of the remaining secondary efficacy measures were significantly different between the two treatment periods. The number of adverse events, in particular eczema, was significantly higher during IVIG therapy than during placebo treatment. These results suggest that IVIG treatment is beneficial to patients with relapsing MS.     

Cynicism, social support, and cardiovascular reactivity.

This study examined whether highly cynical individuals benefit less from social support during an acute stressor than individuals low in cynicism. College students (52 men, 52 women) performed a stressful speech task alone or in the presence of a supportive confederate. There was an interactive effect of social support and cynicism on cardiovascular reactivity: Low cynicism participants who received support had smaller increases in blood pressure during the speech than low cynicism participants without support and high cynicism participants with or without support. Participants' psychological stress appeared to mediate the main effects of support on blood pressure reactivity, but not the Support?×?Cynicism interaction. Results suggest that cynical attitudes may undermine the stress buffering potential of interpersonal support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of social support and battle intensity on loneliness and breakdown during combat.

A sample of 382 Israeli soldiers who developed combat stress reactions (CSR) during the 1982 Israel-Lebanon War were compared with groups of carefully matched controls who did not develop CSR. Lack of social support from officers was found to be related to greater feelings of loneliness and greater likelihood of CSR in soldiers. Lack of social support from buddies was found to be related to greater loneliness. Intensity of battle was also found to be related to greater feelings of loneliness and increased likelihood of CSR. A path model was tested and supported. The model suggests that battle intensity and officer support lead to CSR directly and indirectly by causing increased feelings of loneliness. Possible cognitive and psychodynamic explanations for the findings are offered. The limitations of making causal statements from retrospective perceptions are discussed. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Broad-spectrum behavioral approach to smoking cessation: Effects of social support and paraprofessional training on the maintenance of treatment effects.

Conducted 2 treatment programs to determine the efficacy of a multi-component smoking intervention and various maintenance procedures. Prior to Program 1, 60 smokers were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental conditions—a smoking abstinence program (SAP), a smoking abstinence program plus social support (SAP-SS), a smoking abstinence program plus social support and paraprofessional training (SAP-SS-PT)—or to 1 of 2-control conditions—effort control (EC) or a waiting list (WL). Individuals assigned to EC and WL conditions became treatment participants (EC-SAP-SS, WL-SAP-SS) during Program 2 and received training from SAP-SS-PT Ss. Results indicate that social support and paraprofessional training tended to facilitate maintenance, although 6-mo follow-up data revealed considerable relapse across treatment conditions. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of scopolamine upon behavioral reactivity and visually evoked potential to flashes in rats.

Examined the averaged visual evoked response (VER) at cortex and behavioral reactivity to photic stimuli in 21 male albino Holtzman rats following administration of varying dosages of scopolamine hydrobromide, scopolamine methyl nitrate, or saline. The pattern of behavioral and electrophysiological results with scopolamine paralleled earlier findings with septal lesions. The drug impaired habituation of behavioral reactivity of flashes and altered VERs in 2 ways that appeared to relate to the behavioral impairment. It augmented the positive component of the early negative-positive complex and produced a dissociation between the amplitude of the late negative wave of VER and behavioral activity. These effects are viewed in terms of ascending cholinergic arousal processes and interrelationships of arousal and behavioral patterns. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived racism and vascular reactivity in black college women: Moderating effects of seeking social support.

This quasi-experimental study explored the association of perceived racism and seeking social support to vascular reactivity in a college sample of 110 Black women. Perceived racism and seeking social support were assessed via self-report, and vascular reactivity was measured before and during a standardized speaking task. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived racism was positively related to changes in systolic blood pressure. These analyses also indicated that seeking social support moderated the relationship between perceived racism and systolic blood pressure changes. This interaction effect persisted after controlling for several potential confounders. Follow-up regression analyses showed that perceived racism was positively associated with reactivity among participants who were low in seeking social support. A significant relationship was not observed between perceived racism and systolic blood pressure changes among participants who were high in seeking social support. Perceived racism and seeking social support were not significantly associated with changes in diastolic blood pressure. These findings highlight the importance of examining psychosocial factors that may mitigate the hypothesized relationship between perceived racism and reactivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of social support and conflict on adolescent children of alcoholic and nonalcoholic fathers.

Studies of positive and negative social ties usually are done in isolation of each other, precluding an understanding of their relative contributions to psychological functioning. This research evaluated the effects of adolescents' conflict with and social support from key relationships (parents, siblings, and best friends) on adolescents' self-esteem, substance use, and externalizing symptoms. Ss were 296 adolescents and their parents; 145 families had alcoholic fathers, and 151 had nonalcoholic parents. Support and conflict provided by each network member showed only a mild negative correlation. Support from parents, but not siblings or best friends, was related to adolescents' reports of substance use and externalizing. Conflict with parents was consistently related to externalizing behaviors. There was no evidence that conflict within a relationship neutralizes the effectiveness of the support it provides. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School climate support for behavioral and psychological adjustment: Testing the mediating effect of social competence.

The present study used an ecological framework to examine the relationships among adolescents’ perceptions of school climate, social competence, and behavioral and psychological adjustment in the middle school years. This study improved upon prior studies by using structural equation modeling to investigate the hypothesized mediating effect of social competence and to account for measurement error. The sample included 1,042 participating students from 23 middle schools. Results showed that school mastery goal structure, promotion of autonomy and discussion, and teacher emotional support were negatively related to the levels of adolescents’ deviant behaviors and depression, while performance goal structure was positively related to deviant behaviors and depression. Social competence was a mediator between perceived school climate variables and adolescent adjustment, with the exception of the relationship between mastery goal structure and adjustment variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of communication, information overlap, and behavioral consistency on consensus in social perception.

Three experiments (N?=?69, 162, and 201, respectively) were conducted to test the mathematically derived predictions of the Weighted Average Model (D. A. Kenny, 1991) of consensus in interpersonal perception. Study 1 estimated the effect of perceiver communication, Study 2 estimated the effects of communication and stimulus overlap, and Study 3 estimated the effects of communication, overlap, and target consistency on consensus. The strongest consensus was found when perceivers communicated about highly overlapping information about targets who were cross-situationally consistent. Conversely, the lowest level of consensus was observed when perceivers did not communicate and had nonoverlapping information about targets who were cross-situationally inconsistent. Both stimulus variables (overlap and consistency) and an interpersonal variable (communication) affected consensus as predicted by the Weighted Average Model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of induced mood on self-reported life events and perceived and received social support.

Tested the relation between mood (depressed [D], elated [E], or neutral [N]), induced by the Velten (1968) procedure, and college students' responses on a subjectively scored life events questionnaire and measures of perceived and received social support. A manipulation check showed that the mood manipulation was successful. There was a significant mood effect on the number of self-reported negative life events, with E Ss reporting the fewest. However, mood had no significant effect on the number of self-reported positive life events or the rated intensity of negative and positive events. Mood had a significant effect on perceived social support, with D Ss scoring the lowest. Self-report of received social support, however, was not affected by the mood manipulation. The findings challenge the widespread use of life event and perceived social support questionnaires whose independence from a mood-related response bias has not been adequately demonstrated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological correlates of salivary cortisol secretion among unemployed men and women

By their 10th month of life, typically developing infants produce canonical babbling, which includes the well-formed syllables required for meaningful speech. Research suggests that emerging speech or language-related disorders might be associated with late onset of canonical babbling. Onset of canonical babbling was investigated for 1,536 high-risk infants, at about 10-months corrected age. Parental report by open-ended questionnaire was found to be an efficient method for ascertaining babbling status. Although delays were infrequent, they were often associated with genetic, neurological, anatomical, and/or physiological abnormalities. Over half the cases of late canonical babbling were not, at the time they were discovered associated with prior significant medical diagnoses. Late canonical-babbling onset may be a predictor of later developmental disabilities, including problems in speech, language, and reading.     

Longitudinal evaluation of salivary cortisol levels in full-term and preterm neonates

The aim of the present study was to test the practicability of sequential cortisol determinations in saliva of low birth weight neonates and to evaluate the impact of systemic and inhaled glucocorticoid therapy on saliva concentrations of cortisol in preterm neonates with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Salivary cortisol levels were measured by RIA in saliva samples from 10 full-term and 10 preterm healthy neonates and from 20 preterm neonates with BPD during systemic [dexamethasone (DEX); n = 10] or topical steroid therapy [budesonide (BUD); n = 10]. Saliva samples of each individual were collected on 3 consecutive days at 06.00, 12. 00, 18.00 and 24.00 h. Cortisol levels in saliva ranged from 0.8 to 60.6 nmol/l (median 6.5 nmol/l) in full-term neonates, from 0.6 to 52.1 nmol/l (median 5.5 nmol/l) in preterm neonates, from 0.4 to 14. 0 nmol/l (median 1.0 nmol/l) in preterm neonates treated with DEX and from 0.4 to 15.2 nmol/l (median 2.5 nmol/l) in preterm neonates treated with BUD. Autocorrelation analysis revealed a distinct endogenous cortisol rhythm in 2 of the 10 healthy full-term neonates and in 3 of the 10 healthy preterm neonates with a wavelength of 12-30 h. Salivary cortisol levels in preterm neonates treated with DEX or BUD were significantly lower than those measured in healthy preterm neonates. These results demonstrate that the measurement of salivary cortisol levels is a reliable and practicable way of assessing adrenal function in full-term and preterm neonates. This study also shows for the first time that some neonates display an endogenous cortisol rhythm which is not coupled to the exogenous day/night cycle. Furthermore, systemic and nebulized glucocorticoids suppress adrenal function in low-birth-weight neonates. After treatment these children should be closely monitored for potential adrenal insufficiency.     

Effects of social support visibility on adjustment to stress: Experimental evidence.

Previous fieldwork has suggested that visible social support can entail an emotional cost and that a supportive act is most effective when it is accomplished either (a) outside of recipients' awareness or (b) within their awareness but with sufficient subtlety that they do not interpret it as support. To investigate the latter phenomenon, the authors conducted 3 experiments in which female participants were led to expect a stressful speech task and a confederate peer provided support in such a way that it was either visible or invisible (N=257). Invisible support (practical and emotional) reduced emotional reactivity relative to visible and no support. Visible support was either ineffective or it exacerbated reactivity. Explanatory analyses indicated that support was effective when it avoided communicating a sense of inefficacy to recipients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Association of daily stressors and salivary cortisol in spinal cord injury.

Objective: Examine the diurnal variation of salivary cortisol in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the effect of stressors on cortisol and mood. Method: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to capture cortisol, stress, and mood from 25 persons with SCI and 26 without SCI. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models. Results: There were no systematic differences between groups on missing data. Diurnal variation of cortisol of participants with SCI reflected an expected pattern. No significant group differences for cortisol diurnal pattern, stress, or mood; when group interactions were significant, results indicated lower cortisol reactivity to stress in participants with SCI. Stress had a significant impact on positive, negative and agitated moods. Conclusions: Stress in daily life and its association with cortisol and mood were largely similar between persons with and without SCI. A key methodological contribution is the demonstration of using EMA to collect biological and behavioral data in the field from participants with SCI. The use of EMA in rehabilitation psychology research has great potential to advance our understanding of the dynamics of daily life with disability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stressors and mood measured on a momentary basis are associated with salivary cortisol secretion

Effects of past, current, and anticipated naturalistic daily stressors and of affect on salivary cortisol levels were examined. Participants (120) reported on stressors and affect 6 x /day in response to a preprogrammed wristwatch. Twenty min after each assessment they took a sample of saliva for cortisol analysis. Both the experience of a current stressor and anticipating a stressor were associated with increased salivary cortisol levels. Average increases in cortisol were relatively low, but inter-individual variability in this response existed. Stressors also were associated with lower positive affect and higher negative affect. Negative affect was associated with higher cortisol levels and positive affect was associated with lower cortisol levels. Daily stressors were not significant predictors of cortisol secretion when affect was controlled. Momentary assessment of daily stressors and of salivary cortisol proved to be a useful tool for examining psychoendocrinological processes in the natural environment.     

Effects of arm support on shoulder and arm muscle activity during sedentary work

The aim of this study was to evaluate different arm supports by comparing the activity of shoulder and arm muscles during various work tasks, with and without the lower arm supported. Twelve female subjects, aged between 23 and 37 years, were asked to perform three types of tasks: typing, simulated assembly work (in two different positions), and pipetting. The supports used were: fixed arm support (FIX), horizontal movable arm support (HOR), and spring-loaded arm support (SLA). During the experiments, the electromyograms (EMG) of four muscles were simultaneously recorded: m. deltoideus anterior and lateralis, m. trapezius pars descendens and m. extensor carpi radialis brevis. Normalization was made against maximum isometric contraction. The mean values of the normalized EMG levels showed a reduced EMG level of the shoulder muscles when using arm supports in all the tasks, and for all muscles but the wrist extensor, compared to the EMG levels without arm supports. The horizontal movable support was more effective in reducing the EMG levels of the shoulder muscles than other arm supports, in tasks at table height. Thus, it is possible to reduce muscle activity of the shoulder region by using arm supports. Further research is needed to make biomechanical calculations to compare the EMG level of these muscles using suspension and the effects of inclination of work task.     

Vigilance, active coping, and cardiovascular reactivity during social interaction in young men.

This study of 72 undergraduate men examined the effects of two determinants of cardiovascular response—active coping and vigilance—on blood pressure and heart rate responses to social stressors. Observation of a future debate partner (i.e., vigilance) evoked larger increases in blood pressure than did observation of a less relevant person, apparently through the combination of increases in cardiac output and vascular resistance. Preparation and enactment of efforts to exert social influence (i.e., active coping) evoked heightened blood pressure and heart rate responses through increased cardiac contractility and output. Thus, both vigilance and active coping in social contexts increased cardiovascular reactivity, but apparently through different psychophysiological processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of behavioral and social science on public health policymaking.

Public health policies are important guiding principles that serve to shape the well-being of individuals, groups, and society. Behavioral and social scientists can play key influential roles in public health policymaking. The actors and processes involved in setting public health policy are described, and several substantive examples of public health decision making are discussed, emphasizing HIV prevention policy experiences at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The significant influence of behavioral and social science in each of these examples is identified and critiqued. Challenges to further integration of behavioral science and public health policy are identified, and potential solutions are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of dietary NaCl deprivation during early development on behavioral and neurophysiological taste responses.

Investigated whether the gustatory system can be modified by restricting dietary NaCl during early development by recording neurophysiological taste responses in Sprague-Dawley rats at various times after deprivation (Exp I), and by measuring behavioral taste preferences in 3 groups of 7 NaCl deprived adult rats (Exp II). Overall findings indicate that Ss deprived of dietary NaCl from the 3rd day of gestation to 12 days postnatally and then placed on a NaCl-replete diet had chorda tympani nerve responses similar to those of nondeprived Ss when recordings were made at 28 days of age and older; however, preferences for NaCl solutions over water were significantly less than those of controls when tested at adulthood. NaCl deprivation in Ss from the 3rd day of gestation to approximately 35 days postnatally resulted in altered chorda tympani nerve responses to NaCl but not to other stimuli such as NH?Cl and KCl. Thus, it is concluded that restriction of dietary NaCl at a period in the rat's development when peripheral and central taste responses are changing results in short-term alterations in peripheral neural responses and in long-term changes in preference behaviors. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)