To establish the efficacy and repeatability of a suitable psychological stress test. The Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test (MMST) is a validated laboratory stress test that combines cognitive, emotional, acoustic and motivational stress components. Despite the test increasing self-reported levels of stress, meaningful changes in saliva cortisol are typically observed in only half of all participants. In addition, the MMST is susceptible to habituation of the cortisol response upon repeated exposures, limiting its current usefulness for repeated measures. Given the multicomponent nature of the MMST, there is potential for components of the test to be manipulated to overcome these limitations i.e., increase the magnitude of the saliva cortisol response and mitigate against habituation effects. In addition, a supplementary topic of interest is to what extent cortisol responses to acute laboratory stress tests, like the MMST, relate to the well described rise in morning cortisol \~30 minutes after awakening. This may be of clinical relevance given that blunted cortisol response upon awakening and in response to acute psychological stress tests have been associated with poor health outcomes. The primary objective of the current study is to investigate if the MMST elicits a meaningful increase in saliva cortisol. The secondary objective is to investigate the efficacy of mitigation strategies to overcome habituation to the MMST. A supplementary objective is to to investigate the relationship between the saliva cortisol response upon awakening and the saliva cortisol response to the MMST.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
24
The format of the MMST will remain the same; however, the white noise, images and math task will be modified to mitigate habituation effects.
Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom
Change in saliva cortisol (pre-post MMST)
Changes in the concentration of saliva free cortisol assessed by ELISA.
Time frame: Change from 5 minutes pre to peak post stress test/no stress control condition
Change in subjective stress response (Subjective stress scale) (0-9 Likert scale)
Questionnaire comprised of a 10-point rating scale from 0 to 9 (0 - no subjective stress experience at all; 9 - extreme experience of subjective stress experience.
Time frame: Change from 5 minutes pre to immediately post stress test/no stress control condition
Heart rate
Continuous measurement of heart rate will be assessed using a telemetric chest strap.
Time frame: Continuously assessed from 30 minutes before to 60 minutes after the stress tests and control tests
Change in emotional response to stress
Questionnaire used to determine the extent to which participants felt the MMST was difficult, challenging, and upsetting. Using a 7-pt scale (1 = not at all; 7 = extremely) participants rate their level of nervousness during the laboratory task. Participants will also rate the level of effort they put into the task on a scale ranging from 1 (didn't try at all) to 7 (tried as hard as I could), which will be used as a manipulation check.
Time frame: Change from 5 minutes pre to immediately post stress test/no stress control condition
Rumination measure
Questionnaire used to determine the extent of rumination about an induced stressful situation. Using a 7-pt scale (1= not at all, 7 = all the time), participants indicate the extent to which they; thought about the test (stress test and control) after having completed it, criticised themselves about not performing well, thought about other past experiences of being evaluated, thought about the anxiety they felt during the task.
Time frame: Assessed +60 minutes after the stress tests and no stress control condition
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