A study was made in 2 consecutive years of the emotional states and morning and afternoon serum levels of prolactin, cortisol and testosterone of male medical students during a 4- to 5-week period preceding a major university examination. 'Distress', 'anxiety' and, to a lesser degree, 'depression' increased during the 2 weeks immediately preceding the examination and were positively correlated with personality anxiety or neuroticism traits. Group means for hormones showed no consistent change over the same period. Neither was there evidence for a correlation between endocrine and emotional changes within individual students during the pre-examination period. A restricted study showed that there were significant increments in cortisol in samples taken during the examination itself. Changes in emotional state before an examination occurred in the absence of equally dramatic changes in levels of the three hormones studied, though this relationship may have altered during the examination itself. This suggests that the factors controlling the two categories of response may relate differently, in some way, to the imminence of this stressful event.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.