Social evaluative threat with verbal performance feedback alters neuroendocrine response to stress

Virtual stressors with real impact: what virtual reality-based biobehavioral research can teach us about typical and atypical stress responsivity

Stress contributes to transdiagnostic morbidity and mortality across a wide range of physical and mental health problems. VR tasks have been validated as stressors with robust effect sizes for VR-based stressors to evoke stress across the most common autonomic and adrenocortical stress biomarkers. However, meta-analytic validation of VR stressors have resulted in inconsistent logic: why should something that isn't real evoke a very real suite of stress responses? This review posits that conceptually addressing this question requires differentiating a cause, "stressor", from effects, "stress". Stress comprises a series of well-delineated perturbations in biological systems, such as autonomic and adrenocortical biomarkers in response to stressors. Despite their ubiquity, decades of literature have back-calculated stressor intensity based on the magnitude of a stress response. This causal directionality is not logical, yet remains pervasive because seemingly objective stress indices have generated a wealth of findings showing how stress gets under the skin and skull. This has created challenges for providing clear guidance and strategies to measure acute stressor intensity. Binary thinking about whether something is (not) real has stifled advances in understanding how to measure the dosage of a stressful environment. As a function of being programmed, individualizable, and titrated, virtual reality (VR) based stressors offer the field a platform for quantifying the dose of a stressor and generating reliable dose-response curves. This also raises the possibility to safely and ethically integrate psychosocial stressor administration into clinical and therapeutic settings. For example, Social Evaluative Threat experiments effectively trigger a stress response both in a laboratory setting and in built environments, while also upholding hard-fought trust and rapport with care providers. By focusing attention on the measurement of the stressor, VR paradigms can advance tangible understanding of stressors themselves and the pathways to the stress response.

When virtual reality becomes psychoneuroendocrine reality: A stress(or) review

This review article was awarded the Dirk Hellhammer award from ISPNE in 2023. It explores the dynamic relationship between stressors and stress from a historical view as well as a vision towards the future of stress research via virtual reality (VR). We introduce the concept of a "syncytium," a permeable boundary that blurs the distinction between stress and stressor, in order to understand why the field of stress biology continues to inadequately measure stress alone as a proxy for the force of external stressors. Using Virtual Reality (VR) as an illustrative example to explicate the black box of stressors, we examine the distinction between 'immersion' and 'presence' as analogous terms for stressor and stress, respectively. We argue that the conventional psychological approaches to stress measurement and appraisal theory unfortunately fall short in quantifying the force of the stressor, leading to reverse causality fallacies. Further, the concept of affordances is introduced as an ecological or holistic tool to measure and design a stressor's force, bridging the gap between the external environment and an individual's physiological response to stress. Affordances also serve to ameliorate shortcomings in stress appraisal by integrating ecological interdependencies. By combining VR and psychobiological measures, this paper aims to unravel the complexity of the stressor-stress syncytium, highlighting the necessity of assessing both the internal and external facets to gain a holistic understanding of stress physiology and shift away from reverse causality reasoning. We find that the utility of VR extends beyond presence to include affordance-based measures of immersion, which can effectively model stressor force. Future research should prioritize the development of tools that can measure both immersion and presence, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding of how external stressors interact with individual psychological states.

Gonads under stress: A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of acute psychosocial stress on gonadal steroids secretion in humans

Animal research has shown that the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is inhibited by (chronic and/or severe) stress, which can lead to impaired fertility and reproductive functioning, presumably caused by the inhibition of gonadal steroid secretion and in interactions with glucocorticoids. However, what has not been clarified is how acute psychosocial stress modulates gonadal steroid secretion in humans. Here we summarize the experimental research on the acute effects of stress on the secretion of gonadal steroids in humans. A systematic literature search revealed 21 studies (with N=881 individuals) measuring testosterone, progesterone or estradiol in response to a standardized acute laboratory stressor in healthy humans. Both our literature review and quantitative meta-analysis suggest that in humans, acute stress stimulates rather than inhibits HPG axis activity, although there is a considerable heterogeneity in the reported methods and results. Increased gonadal steroids in response to acute stress contrasts with many animal studies reporting the opposite pattern, at least regarding severe and/or chronic stressors. We discuss methodological issues and challenges for future research and hope to stimulate experimental studies within this area. A better understanding of these mechanisms is needed, and may have important implications for health and disease, as well as the modulation of various behaviors by acute stressors.

The associates of anxiety among lung cancer patients: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as a potential biomarker

OBJECTIVE

Anxiety is a prevalent comorbidity in lung cancer (LC) patients associated with a decline in quality of life. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a neuroactive steroid, levels rise in response to stress. Prior research on the association between DHEA and anxiety has yielded contradictory results and no study has investigated this association in LC patients.

METHODS

A total of 213 patients with LC were recruited from a general hospital. Data on demographic and cancer-related variables were collected. Using the Chinese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the degree of anxiety was determined. Cortisol, DHEA, and Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels in saliva were measured. Adjusting for confounding variables, a multivariate regression analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

147 men and 66 women comprised our group with an average age of 63.75 years. After accounting for demographic and treatment-related factors, anxiety levels were significantly correlated with, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs) (β = 0.332, p < 0.001) and fatigue (β = 0.247, p = 0.02). Association between anxiety and three factors, including DHEA, PTSSs, and fatigue, was observed in patients with advanced cancer stages (III and IV) (DHEA β = 0.319, p = 0.004; PTSS β = 0.396, p = 0.001; fatigue β = 0.289, p = 0.027) and those undergoing chemotherapy (DHEA β = 0.346, p = 0.001; PTSS β = 0.407, p = 0.001; fatigue β = 0.326, p = 0.011).

CONCLUSIONS

The association between anxiety and DHEA remained positive in advanced cancer stages and chemotherapy patients. Further study is necessary to determine whether DHEA is a potential biomarker of anxiety in LC patients.

Transgenerational effect of Mothers' experiences of discrimination on Black youths' hormone coupling in response to laboratory stress

Exposure to pervasive racial discrimination of Black Americans is transgenerational in that mothers' experiences of discriminatory violence impacts their children. This study explored whether stress-related biomarkers reflect transgenerational racial stress by implementing a "dual activation" framework to probe how adrenal and gonadal hormones underlying adolescent development are co-regulated during a laboratory stressor. Data were collected from 120 Black families in the United States. Children completed the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST-C) and provided 4 saliva samples across 2 days that were assayed for cortisol (C), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone (T). Mothers reported their experiences of total discrimination and racial discrimination related to skin color/race. Thirty four percent reported experiences of discrimination and on average 46.7% reported experiences of discrimination due to their race or skin tone. Mothers' experiences of racial discrimination were associated with their child's hormonal reactivity to and recovery from the TSST-C. Youth showed stronger positive hormone coupling between C-T if their mother experienced greater discrimination. Mothers' experiences of racial discrimination influenced both C-T coupling and youths' cortisol recovery from the TSST-C. For youths with high testosterone, cortisol recovery was blunted. Results suggest that associations between racism and hormonal stress response may be transgenerational. Mothers' experiences of discrimination had a profound impact on their children's hormonal co-regulation.

Effects of psychosocial stress and performance feedback on pain processing and its correlation with subjective and neuroendocrine parameters

OBJECTIVES

Previous research on stress-induced pain modulation suggests that moderate psychological stress usually leads to hyperalgesia while more severe threat results in hypoalgesia. However, existing studies often lack suitable control conditions imperative to identify mere stress effects. Similarly, research mainly focused on pure anticipation of a social threat, not taking into consideration actual experiences of social evaluation. Therefore, we set out to investigate actual social up- and downgrading combined with a standardized stress paradigm to evaluate short-term and prolonged changes in pain perception and their potential association with neuroendocrine and subjective stress parameters.

METHODS

We allocated 177 healthy women to four experimental conditions, either the standard version of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) followed by positive, negative or no performance feedback, or a well-matched but less demanding placebo version of the TSST. Stress responses were assessed with ratings, salivary alpha-amylase, and salivary cortisol. To capture putative effects of stress on pain, heat pain threshold, ratings of phasic heat pain stimuli, and conditioned pain modulation were measured.

RESULTS

Despite a largely successful stress induction, results do not support a reliable influence of experimentally induced social stress-with or without subsequent performance feedback-on pain in women. Further, we found no clear association of pain modulation and changes in neuroendocrine or subjective stress responses.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results contrast previous studies, which repeatedly demonstrated stress-induced hypo- or hyperalgesia. This might be due to methodological reasons as former research was often characterized by high heterogeneity regarding the applied stressors, low sample sizes, and lacking or inconclusive control conditions. Thus, our results raise the question whether pain modulation in women by experimental psychosocial stress might have been overestimated in the past. Future research is necessary, which should employ parametric stress induction methods including well-matched control tasks, taking into consideration the participants' gender/sex and the time course of the stress response relative to pain assessment. The study is registered as DRKS00026946 at 'Deutsches Register Klinischer Studien' (DRKS) and can be also found at the World Health Organization's search portal.

Evoking stress reactivity in virtual reality: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Virtual reality (VR) research probes stress environments that are infeasible to create in the real world. However, because research simulations are applied to narrow populations, it remains unclear if VR simulations can stimulate a broadly applicable stress-response. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted on studies using VR stress tasks and biomarkers.

METHODS

Included papers (N = 52) measured cortisol, heart rate (HR), galvanic skin response (GSR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), parasympathetic activity (RMSSD), sympathovagal balance (LF/HF), and/or salivary alpha-amylase (sAA). Effect sizes (ES) and confidence intervals (CI) were calculated based on standardized mean change of baseline-to-peak biomarker levels.

RESULTS

From baseline-to-peak (ES, CI), analyses showed a statistically significant change in cortisol (0.56, 0.28-0.83), HR (0.68, 0.53-0.82), GSR (0.59, 0.36-0.82), SBP (.55, 0.19-0.90), DBP (.64, 0.23-1.05), RSA (-0.59, -0.88 to -0.30), and sAA (0.27, 0.092-0.45). There was no effect for RMSSD and LF/HF.

CONCLUSION

VR stress tasks elicited a varied magnitude of physiological stress reactivity. VR may be an effective tool in stress research.

Hormonal changes of intimate partner violence perpetrators in response to brief social contact with women

This study investigated whether men with a history of real‐life aggressive, dominant behavior show increases in testosterone and cortisol levels after brief social contact with women. Furthermore, we tested the prediction that such changes in hormones would be larger than those observed previously in young male students. Sixty‐seven male participants convicted of intimate partner violence (IPV) either had brief social contact with a female confederate (experimental condition) or a male confederate (control condition). We also performed meta‐analyses to investigate whether IPV perpetrators' hormonal responses were larger than the typical responses of young male students in prior studies. All statistical analyses were preregistered. Change in testosterone did not differ across experimental conditions, and testosterone in the IPV perpetrators actually declined from baseline in the female confederate condition. Our meta‐analysis showed that this testosterone decrease was different from the testosterone increase typically observed in young male students. The cortisol levels of IPV perpetrators did not change in response to contact with women. This result was consistent with our meta‐analysis since young male students also did not experience a cortisol change in response to interactions with women. In sum, our findings provide no evidence that male IPV perpetrators exhibit larger hormone increases to brief interactions with women, although it is possible that the men in this sample did not perceive the social contact period as a courtship opportunity. These results suggest that hormone reactivity to social encounters may differ across subject populations and depend on how subjects perceive social situations within laboratory settings.

Psychosocial stress increases testosterone in patients with borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and healthy participants

BACKGROUND

The gonadal hormone testosterone not only regulates sexual behavior but is also involved in social behavior and cognition in both sexes. Changes in testosterone secretion in response to stress have been reported. In addition, stress associated mental disorders such as borderline personality disorder (BPD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are characterized by alterations in basal testosterone metabolism. However, testosterone changes to stress have not been investigated in mental disorders such as BPD and PTSD so far.

METHODS

In the study described, we investigated testosterone reactivity to an acute psychosocial stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Our sample consisted of young adult women with BPD (n = 28), PTSD (n = 22) or both disorders (n = 22), and healthy control (n = 51). Based on previous studies on basal testosterone secretion in these disorders, we expected the stress-associated testosterone reactivity to be higher in the BPD group and lower in the PTSD group, when compared to the healthy control group.

RESULTS

The study could demonstrate an increase in testosterone after acute stress exposure across all groups and independent of BPD or PTSD status. Different possible explanations for the absence of a group effect are discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

From the results of this study, we conclude that stress-related changes in testosterone release are not affected by BPD or PTSD status in a female patient population. This study expands the knowledge about changes in gonadal hormones and stress reactivity in these disorders.

Validity of the Trier Social Stress Test in studying discrimination stress

To test the validity of a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) for studying stress reactivity in sexual minority women. Two hundred seventy-four female participants (66.4% Black American), half of whom identified as lesbian/gay or bisexual and half as heterosexual, completed the TSST with instructions to describe an experience of discrimination. Cortisol levels and negative emotion scores increased, and heart rate variability decreased in response to the TSST, and the magnitude of these responses varied as a function of sexual orientation and race. Women who discussed sexual orientation as a source of discrimination had greater increases in cortisol and negative mood following the TSST. The modified instructions did not compromise the validity of the TSST. Prompting participants to discuss specific sources of discrimination may be a useful adaptation of the TSST in studying minority stress reactivity. SUMMARY The goal of the present study was to adapt a widely used measure of stress reactivity to study the impact of experiences with discrimination on biological systems involved in regulating the stress response. The modification included asking women to discuss a time when they had been treated unfairly and to describe how they responded to that experience. The magnitude of response to the task varied as a function of sexual orientation and race, and the topics discussed, demonstrating usefulness of the modification for studying the impact of discrimination stress of physical health.

Post-Encoding Stress Does Not Enhance Memory Consolidation: The Role of Cortisol and Testosterone Reactivity

In contrast to the large body of research on the effects of stress-induced cortisol on memory consolidation in young people, far less attention has been devoted to understanding the effects of stress-induced testosterone on this memory phase. This study examined the psychobiological (i.e., anxiety, cortisol, and testosterone) response to the Maastricht Acute Stress Test and its impact on free recall and recognition for emotional and neutral material. Thirty-seven healthy young men and women were exposed to a stress (MAST) or control task post-encoding, and 24 h later, they had to recall the material previously learned. Results indicated that the MAST increased anxiety and cortisol levels, but it did not significantly change the testosterone levels. Post-encoding MAST did not affect memory consolidation for emotional and neutral pictures. Interestingly, however, cortisol reactivity was negatively related to free recall for negative low-arousal pictures, whereas testosterone reactivity was positively related to free recall for negative-high arousal and total pictures. This study provides preliminary evidence about a different reactivity of testosterone and cortisol to the MAST as well as on their effects on consolidation. Our results suggest a different pattern of relationships between these steroid hormones and the arousal of the negative images.

Earlier age of sex and substance use initiation is associated with unique hormone profiles during social evaluative threat in Mexican American adolescents

Latinx adolescents are at a disproportional risk for poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes (STIs, adolescent pregnancy) compared to other ethnic groups. They also report high rates of alcohol and drug use that are similar to non-Hispanic White youth. The hormonal underpinnings of the emergence of sex and substance use behaviors among Latinx adolescents remain understudied however. Pubertal shifts in motivation and reward-seeking in social situations are closely tied to the emergence of risky sexual and substance use behaviors. The experience of developing earlier or later than same age peers may increase stress (cortisol) reactivity during social evaluative situations leading to more risky behavior. Further, testosterone can be responsive to social evaluative threat (SET) and is linked to status-seeking behavior, including risk-taking. The current study sought to unravel the complex relationship between cortisol and testosterone responsivity to social evaluative threat, pubertal status, and the emergence of sex and drug use among US-born Mexican-origin youth growing up in an agricultural community. Mexican American 14-year olds (N = 234, 54% female) from the Center for Health Assessment of Mothers and Children (CHAMACOS) participated in the Trier Social Stress Test. Cortisol and testosterone were assayed from saliva. At 16, youth reported on age at vaginal and oral sex initiation, and alcohol and marijuana use initiation. Hierarchical regressions examined cortisol and testosterone reactivity, and pubertal status within each sex to predict the onset of these risky behaviors. Results indicated that boys who were less developed than their same-aged peers or with lower testosterone reactivity and elevated cortisol reactivity to the TSST reported the earliest sex and substance use initiation. For girls, higher cortisol reactivity predicted earlier alcohol use initiation, and higher testosterone reactivity predicted earlier oral sex. Our results suggests it is important for health care providers to not overlook Latinx boys who may look younger in discussions about mitigating risk. Latinx girls under increased stress may be more likely to try to self-medicate with alcohol, and potentially other drugs.

Dehydroepiandrosterone at birth: Response to stress and relation to demographic, pregnancy and delivery factors

Enhanced production of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) by the foetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis enables maturational events critical for labour induction and neonatal adaptation. Despite knowledge of the interconnected nature of maternal and foetal physiology and dramatic changes in DHEA production after birth, few studies have examined DHEA levels in newborns and none have examined DHEA's response to acute stress. Understanding normative patterns of early DHEA activity is needed to accurately assess functioning of the biological stress system with relevance for health and development. The present study analysed DHEA concentrations and change after stress among 93 newborns and associations with pregnancy, delivery and demographic risk factors. Three saliva samples, collected prior to and following a blood draw stressor, were used to determine baseline and stress reactive DHEA levels. Mothers self-reported on health behaviours during pregnancy. Data on obstetric factors were obtained from medical records. DHEA levels declined from pre- to post-stressor assessments. Results also showed that post-stressor DHEA change was significantly associated with administration of medications used to treat pain and accelerate labour. However, there was no significant variation in DHEA pre-stress levels or change after stress as a function of time after birth. By capturing DHEA levels after birth, the present study provides a window into prenatal health of the HPA system. The study also advances knowledge of DHEA in newborns by providing data on reference levels and important covariates. This information on basic adrenal physiology provides a foundation that can be expanded on to enhance understanding of early hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity.

The effects of testosterone on the physiological response to social and somatic stressors

Higher testosterone levels in males have previously been linked to decreased stress reactivity, but in other cases, testosterone has been reported to increase the stress response. We addressed these inconsistencies in a placebo-controlled single-dose testosterone administration study, in which 120 male participants were randomly assigned to undergo a cold-pressor test (CPT, a non-social somatic stressor), a socially evaluated cold-pressor test (SECPT, a social-somatic stressor), or a lukewarm water test (LWT, a non-stressful control condition). Throughout the experiment, blood pressure and interbeat intervals were measured continuously, and saliva samples for hormonal analyses were taken repeatedly at predefined time points. When comparing the groups treated with placebo, the SECPT elicited a larger increase in the systolic blood pressure than CPT, in agreement with previous studies. However, testosterone administration altered this pattern. Compared to placebo, testosterone increased systolic blood pressure during the CPT, whereas the opposite effect was found during the SECPT. Cortisol reactivity was not affected by testosterone administration. The CAG repeat polymorphism of the androgen receptor gene was unrelated to the effects of testosterone on the stress response, but it was correlated with blood pressure across the whole sample. Our findings demonstrate that testosterone's effects on the stress response are dependent on the social context. Testosterone's ability to flexibly influence the response to stressors may be an important mechanism through which the hormone promotes adaptive behavior. Our results are also in line with research showing that testosterone decreases social anxiety and suggest it may help to modulate the effects of stress in socially challenging situations.

Hormones in speed-dating: The role of testosterone and cortisol in attraction

There is evidence that testosterone and cortisol levels are related to the attraction of a romantic partner; testosterone levels relate to a wide range of sexual behaviors and cortisol is a crucial component in the response to stress. To investigate this, we conducted a speed-dating study among heterosexual singles. We measured salivary testosterone and cortisol changes in men and women (n = 79) when they participated in a romantic condition (meeting opposite-sex others, i.e., potential romantic partners), as well as a control condition (meeting same-sex others, i.e., potential friends). Over the course of the romantic speed-dating event, results showed that women's but not men's testosterone levels increased and cortisol levels decreased for both men and women. These findings indicate that men's testosterone and cortisol levels were elevated in anticipation of the event, whereas for women, this appears to only be the case for cortisol. Concerning the relationship between attraction and hormonal change, four important findings can be distinguished. First, men were more popular when they arrived at the romantic speed-dating event with elevated cortisol levels. Second, in both men and women, a larger change in cortisol levels during romantic speed-dating was related to more selectivity. Third, testosterone alone was unrelated to any romantic speed-dating outcome (selectivity or popularity). However, fourth, women who arrived at the romantic speed-dating event with higher testosterone levels were more selective when their anticipatory cortisol response was low. Overall, our findings suggest that changes in the hormone cortisol may be stronger associated with the attraction of a romantic partner than testosterone.

Verbal performance during stress in healthy older people: Influence of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol reactivity

The impact of stress on the dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) response in older population is understudied. This study investigated, in healthy older people, whether the DHEA and cortisol responses to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was related to performance on this task. Both speech (rated by committee and self-rated) and arithmetic (number of mistakes) performance were assessed. Sixty-five participants (55-77 years old) were exposed to the TSST. Increases in negative affect, state anxiety, and cortisol levels could be observed, but there were no significant changes in positive affect or DHEA levels. Interestingly, a larger DHEA response was related to better verbal performance after controlling for the cortisol's reactivity. No relationships were found between hormonal responses and the arithmetic task performance. Our results suggest that, in healthy older people, an increase in DHEA levels in response to acute psychosocial stress may help them to cope with this stressor by increasing verbal performance.

Socially oriented thinking and the biological stress response: Thinking of friends and family predicts trajectories of salivary cortisol decline

The cortisol stress response has been related to perceived social support, but previous studies rely on self-reported social support variables. The cortisol recovery phase in particular has been theorized to serve a social coping function, but individual differences in recovery slope have not yet been examined in relation to social coping-relevant indices. This study addressed these gaps by examining the relationship of cortisol trajectories after a socioevaluative task to individual differences in covertly assessed cognitions related to close social relationships. We examined trajectories of cortisol change related to socially oriented thinking, the semi-implicit activation of cognitive representations of friends or family. Young adults (N = 64) gave salivary cortisol samples before and for 45 min after a speech task. Participants' thoughts were sampled repeatedly; the frequency of words related to friends or family was assessed to index socially oriented thinking. A free curve slope intercept latent growth curve model showed excellent fit with the cortisol data. Socially oriented thinking was unrelated to overall magnitude of cortisol response to the task (latent intercept) but predicted the latent cortisol trajectory, independently of cortisol intercept and baseline cortisol levels. Socially oriented thinkers showed more gradual cortisol declines, whereas nonsocially oriented thinkers showed a steeper downslope driven primarily by cortisol changes 45 min after the task. Individual differences in socially oriented thinking may manifest in different rates of biological changes following a performance task.

Adrenocortical and autonomic attunement between romantic partners in emerging adulthood

Parent-child physiological attunement, particularly during stressful situations, appears adaptive as shared stress reactivity may promote dyadic engagement. Romantic partners eventually replace parents as the primary support figure, yet it remains unclear whether romantic partners buffer physiological stress or display physiological attunement as most studies on adults examine attunement during conflict paradigms. The present study examined physiological attunement in 63 emerging adult romantic partner dyads (one partner was the active participant, the other the observer) during the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST). Heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were continuously monitored across the visit. Repeated saliva samples were assayed for cortisol. Physiological attunement was operationalized as a correlation in biomarkers between the TSST participant and their partner; sex, social support, and physical proximity were examined as moderators. We then compared the biomarker profiles of partnered-TSST participants to individuals who participated in the TSST solo (n = 63) to determine if partner presence buffered stress biomarker reactivity during the TSST. RSA attunement between partners was found but was not further moderated by social support or sex. Adrenocortical attunement was moderated, such that lower social support and increased proximity resulted in higher attunement. HR attunement was higher when the participant was male and when partners were in close physical proximity. Compared to TSST solo, romantic partner presence increased participant cortisol levels and altered HR reactivity, suggesting that emerging adult romantic partners do not buffer physiological stress reactivity. Future research should examine whether physiological attunement and partner presence is protective in more established relationships.

Putting the flight in "fight-or-flight": Testosterone reactivity to skydiving is modulated by autonomic activation

Sensation-seeking (SS) involves the tendency to pursue exciting activities, potentially including risky behaviors (e.g., substance use, risky sexual behavior). Testosterone is associated with cortisol, SS, and autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning. Testosterone reactivity/recovery during sky-diving and its relationship to cortisol response, ANS response and SS were examined. Forty-four participants provided reactive saliva samples and autonomic activity data before, during and after sky-diving and as well as basal day saliva samples. Testosterone reactivity/recovery to skydiving was significantly greater than basal day measurements. Testosterone responsivity to skydiving was predicted by increased cortisol, increased sympathetic activity (heart rate) and reduced parasympathetic activity (RMSSD). Independent of physiological effects, increased SS predicted testosterone responsivity to skydiving. These data suggest that testosterone reactivity, and its relationship to ANS responsivity, may be associated with pleasurable responses to risky/intense situations. These data may be useful in developing novel intervention strategies for risky behaviors.

The role of bicultural adaptation, familism, and family conflict in Mexican American adolescents' cortisol reactivity

Scarce research has examined stress responsivity among Latino youths, and no studies have focused on the role of acculturation in shaping cortisol stress response in this population. This study assessed Mexican American adolescents' Mexican and Anglo cultural orientations and examined prospective associations between their patterns of bicultural orientation and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortisol reactivity to an adapted Trier Social Stress Test. The sample included 264 youths from a longitudinal birth cohort study who completed the Trier Social Stress Test and provided saliva samples at age 14. The youths completed assessments of cultural orientation at age 12, and family conflict and familism at age 14. Analyses testing the interactive effects of Anglo and Mexican orientation showed significant associations with cortisol responsivity, including the reactivity slope, peak levels, and recovery, but these associations were not mediated by family conflict nor familism values. Findings revealed that bicultural youth (high on both Anglo and Mexican orientations) showed an expected pattern of high cortisol responsivity, which may be adaptive in the context of a strong acute stressor, whereas individuals endorsing only high levels of Anglo orientation had a blunted cortisol response. Findings are discussed in relation to research on biculturalism and the trade-offs and potential recalibration of a contextually responsive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis for acculturating adolescents.

Patterns of neuroendocrine coupling in 9-year-old children: Effects of sex, body-mass index, and life stress

Previous investigations have explored stress and pubertal hormones in parallel; it has been a recent development, however, to explore the relationships between different hormones during puberty, and how this hormonal cross-talk may be influenced by the environment. The current study investigated neuroendocrine coupling, or the extent to which hormones are correlated within the individual, and also investigated early life stressors that may influence coupling. Participants were 405 adrenarcheal children (mean Tanner stage=1.73 for girls and 1.38 for boys) from a longitudinal study who provided saliva samples for analysis of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and testosterone. Saliva was collected when children were 9-years-old, while early life stressors were assessed at each longitudinal assessment (ages 3, 6, and 9). Results from multi-level modeling (MLM) analyses provided evidence of positive cortisol-dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and cortisol-testosterone coupling in middle childhood, and identified body mass index as a predictor of the strength of hormone coordination. While exposure to stressful life events did not impact cortisol-DHEA coupling patterns, stress interacted with sex to predict looser cortisol-testosterone coupling in girls, but not boys. The current study adds to the existing literature on the development of neuroendocrine coupling, and provided further evidence of sex differences in the impact of stress. Furthermore, hormone coupling may be investigated in the future as a mechanism by which puberty is associated with negative behavioral outcomes.