Several studies have reported an association between deviant behaviour and cortisol reactivity to stress. However, relatively few studies have investigated the relationship between psychobiological stress reactivity and sexual risk-taking behaviours. In this study, cortisol reactivity to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was measured in 26 healthy young adults prior to the administration of a...

BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is characterized by severe difficulties in interpersonal relationships and emotional functioning. Theories of BPD suggest that individuals with BPD have heightened emotional sensitivity, increased stress reactivity, and problems in making sense of intentions of others. In this study we investigated stress reactivity in BPD and its interference wi...

Stress responses in humans can be attenuated by exogenous oxytocin administration, and these stress-buffering properties may be moderated by social factors. Yet, the influence of acute stressors on circulating endogenous oxytocin levels have been inconsistent, and limited information is available concerning the influence of social support in moderating this relationship. In the current investig...

The relationship between dissociative tendencies, as measured with the Dissociative Experiences Scale and its amnesia, absorption/imaginative involvement, and depersonalization/derealization subscales, and HPA axis functioning was studied in 2 samples of undergraduate students (N = 58 and 67). Acute stress was induced by means of the Trier Social Stress Test. Subjective and physiological stress...

BACKGROUND This study examined autonomic responses (salivary alpha-amylase, sAA; heart rate, HR) to repeated psychosocial stress as a candidate mechanism linking autonomic hyper-arousal and sensitization to the occurrence of panic disorder (PD). METHODS Thirty-three patients with PD and 34 healthy controls were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) twice on consecutive days. RESULT...

OBJECTIVE To experimentally examine if adolescents with excess weight are more sensitive to social stress and hence more sensitive to harmful effects of stress in cognition. DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted an experimental study in 84 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years old classified in two groups based on age adjusted Body Mass Index percentile: Normal weight (n=42) and Excess weight (n=42). Bot...

OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of a brief laboratory stressor and social support before the stressor on cardiovascular and cortisol responses, and skin barrier recovery after skin disruption. METHODS Eighty-five healthy participants (mean age 22.9 +/- 4.4 years) underwent a "tape-stripping" procedure that disrupts normal skin barrier function, and were randomly assigned to a No Stress (readi...