The present study evaluated the psychophysiological impact of a powerful environmental stressor-the uncertainty and threat during the aftermath of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island (TMI). TMI residents were compared with samples of people living near an undamaged nuclear power plant, people living near a traditional coal-fired power plant, and people living in an area more than 20 miles from any power plant. A number of self-report measures of psychological stress were evaluated by administering the Symptom Checklist-90 and the Beck Depression Inventory more than 1 year after the nuclear accident. In addition, two behavioral measures of stress were obtained (performances on a proofreading task and an embedded figures task). Finally, urinary catecholamine levels were assayed in order to examine chronic stress-related sympathetic arousal. Results indicated that residents of the TMI area exhibited more symptoms of stress (selfreport, performance, and catecholamine levels) more than 1 year after the nuclear accident than did people living under different circumstances. Although the intensity of these problems appears to be subclinical, the persistence of stress may be cause for some concern.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the role of lack of control in determining the extent to which individuals report experiencing physical symptoms. In Experiment 1, subjects who had little control over a noise burst subsequently reported a higher incidence of physical symptoms than did subjects who could control the noise burst. Unfortunately, degree of failure may have been confounded with degree of control in Experiment 1. Thus, Experiment 2 was designed to determine if differential perceptions of control would produce differences in reported symptoms when degree of success was held constant. Greater symptoms were again reported by subjects in the no-control condition. Experiments 1 and 2 also explored questions concerning the mechanism underlying the effects of lack of control on reported physical symptoms. Both experiments failed to find evidence that subjects reported symptoms for ego-preserving reasons. Other data suggested that the symptoms reported by subjects were not related to their past experience with physical symptoms, nor were symptoms reported as a function of perceived or actual physiological arousal.

The present study examined the relationship between biochemical, psychologic, and behavioral components of chronic stress associated with living near the damaged nuclear power plant at Three Mile Island (TMI). Relative to control subjects, TMI subjects had higher levels of urinary cortisol, which correlated significantly with urinary catecholamines, self-report of physical and mental symptoms, and decrements in task performance. Further, it was found that males had higher urinary cortisol levels than females at TMI, while at the control sites, levels of cortisol were comparable between males and females. Finally, no significant relationship between coping style and urinary cortisol was detected. Levels of stress response among TMI area residents, though significantly greater than control subjects, were within normal ranges and thus should be considered subclinical in intensity. Their persistence over 17 months, however, suggests some cause for concern.

It has been hypothesized that increased hemodynamic reactivity to psychological challenge in Type A individuals might be one important factor in specifically promoting the onset or progression of coronary artery disease (CAD). This study sought to test this notion by relating the extent of documented atherosclerosis to cardiovascular responses to challenging social situations. Eighty‐three patients scheduled for cardiac catheterization were given a structured Type A interview and a history quiz while heart rate and blood pressure were monitored. Analyses controlling for age and beta‐adrenergic blocking medications revealed some evidence of Type A‐B differences in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and rate‐pressure product during the interview, but not during the quiz. More importantly for the aim of the study, there was little systematic evidence that magnitude of response on any of the cardiovascular measures was positively related to severity of CAD. Internal analyses of 24 non‐medicated patients and examination of data derived from cardiac catheterization were used to rule out the possible confounding effects of beta‐blocking drugs and myocardial damage. Results of this study do not provide evidence for a direct linkage between blood pressure or heart rate responses and the atherosclerotic process in coronary arteries. Limitations of the present study are discussed, and it is suggested that hemodynamic reactivity may be specifically linked to clinical manifestations of coronary heart disease via mechanisms other than acceleration of the atherosclerotic process.

We wished to study the relationship between modifiable and nonmodifiable factors that were correlated with osteoporosis using a national sample of women aged 50 years and older who have never been on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). We used a cross-sectional study design with a nationally representative sample with a detailed clinical examination and a home interview. Between 1988 and 1994, 1953 postmenopausal women who had never been on HRT, aged 50 years and older, were examined as part of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic blacks were oversampled to produce reliable estimates for these groups. Bone density measurements of four proximal femur sites were assessed by using x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). A DEXA measurement at any single femur site indicated osteoporosis if it was >2.5 standard deviations (SD) below the reference mean of 20--29-year-old women. The study demonstrated that numerous factors, both modifiable and nonmodifiable, were significantly related to the prevalence of osteoporosis. The modifiable factors identified were participation in physical activity (three to five times per week) and body mass index (BMI). Nonmodifiable factors included age, race, and mother's history. With the aging population, osteoporosis is a growing concern for the medical community. It is suggested that educational strategies are needed to increase awareness of factors that contribute to maintaining bone health among postmenopausal women. Emphasis may be placed on maintaining regular physical activity.