Stress is associated with the secretion of cortisol throughout the day, but less is known about the dynamic effects of stress on the cortisol awakening response (CAR). More widely, knowledge of the causal factors and functions of the CAR are also not fully understood. This study explored: (1) the effects of daily stressors on the next day CAR and; (2) the effects of the CAR on same day physical and affective outcomes. Sixty-four participants completed a daily diary, reporting on the occurrence of daily stressors and stress appraisals, physical symptoms, and affect. Cortisol was measured at 0, 15, 30, and 45 minutes after awakening to provide measures of the CAR on 3 consecutive work days. Stress appraisal was found to negatively predict the CAR, such that where stressors were appraised as more stressful (where perceived demands exceeded resources), the CAR increased less the following morning. Furthermore, the CAR significantly predicted same-day physical symptoms such that a lower CAR was associated with more physical symptoms. This study provides evidence for a pathway through which daily stressors may influence physical wellbeing, and highlights the importance of appraisals for future stress-based cortisol research.

Conscientiousness (C) is positively associated with health and longevity although the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. Stress may play a role in explaining the C-longevity relationship. This study investigated whether C predicted the cognitive appraisals of daily stressors/hassles. Participants (N=102) completed measures of C and cognitive appraisal in relation to the most stressful hassle they had experienced in the last 7 days. Correlational analysis revealed that Total C, Order and Industriousness were positively correlated with primary appraisals, and Responsibility was positively correlated with secondary appraisals. The facets of C were then entered into hierarchical regression models, controlling for age and gender. This demonstrated that Order (β=0.27, p<0.05) and Industriousness (β=0.28, p<0.05) significantly predicted primary appraisals, accounting for 15.8% of the variance. Responsibility significantly predicted secondary appraisals (β=0.44, p<0.01), accounting for 16.3% of the variance. These findings indicate that higher Order and Industriousness are related to having a greater stake in daily stressors, whereas higher Responsibility is related to greater confidence in one's ability to deal with daily stressors. These results are the first demonstration that C is related to the appraisals of daily hassles and suggest that C may moderate the experience of stress in daily life.

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Objectives: Higher conscientiousness (C) predicts better health outcomes. Recent research suggests stress may play an important role in explaining this relationship. The current study aimed to establish whether C moderates the relationship between daily hassle appraisals, daily affect and physical symptoms.Design and Methods: A daily diary design was used, where participants (N=103) completed a baseline measure of C followed by a 14-day daily diary, providing daily details of hassles (primary & secondary appraisals) experienced as well as positive and negative affect and physical symptoms.Results: Hierarchical linear modelling revealed that Total C (as well as two facets of C: Order and Industriousness) moderated the relationship between stress appraisals and positive affect. Specifically, the negative association between the daily appraisal of hassles as stressful (i.e., where perceived demands outweighed perceived resources) and positive affect was stronger for lower and average levels of C, Order and Industriousness. No significant moderated effects were found for negative affect or physical symptoms. The Order facet was found to be an important factor predicting attrition.Conclusions: The current study provided evidence that C and two of its facets can moderate the relationship between hassle appraisal and positive affect. C may exert part of its influence on health by modifying the effects of daily stressors.

The current research sought to validate the Chernyshenko Conscientiousness Scales (CCS), a novel measure designed to assess six facets of conscientiousness. Data from 7569 US and 649 UK participants were analysed to assess the internal reliability and factorial structure of the scales. Test-retest reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and criterion-related validity were also evaluated using a separate UK sample (n=118; n=80 for test-retest). The results showed that those items designed to measure industriousness, order, self-control, traditionalism and virtue were best represented by a five-factor structure, broadly consistent with the five scales. However, the content and structure of the responsibility scale requires further investigation. Overall, the CCS has the potential to be a useful alternative to the faceted measures of conscientiousness that are currently available. However, future research is required to refine a number of problematic items and to clarify which facets can be better described as interstitial dimensions between conscientiousness and other big five domains.

Objectives: Interventions to promote the wearing of face coverings if required in the future can only be developed if we know why people do or do not wear them. Study aims were, therefore, to assess public adherence to wearing face coverings to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and to gauge why people were or were not wearing face coverings in work, public transport, and indoor leisure settings. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: 10,622 adults (25 January-6 February 2022) who were representative of the UK population were asked about their (a) wearing of face coverings in work, public transport, and leisure settings; (b) sociodemographic characteristics; and (c) perceptions of capabilities, opportunities, and motivations ("COM-B"). Data were analysed descriptively, using within-participants ANOVA and multiple linear regression. Results: Participants reported mostly wearing face coverings in public transport settings (>80%), but substantially less in work (<50%) and leisure (<30%) contexts. Perceptions of capabilities, opportunities, and motivations to wear face coverings were consistently associated with the actual wearing of face coverings across the three settings, but there were marked deficits in automatic motivation and | 209 PUBLIC USE OF FACE COVERINGS

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Objectives The cortisol awakening response (CAR) and cortisol reactivity to an acute laboratory stressor both involve steep increases in cortisol secretion and are associated with preparing the body to deal with stressors ahead. Alterations in both have been linked to negative clinical and health outcomes. However, these two aspects of our biological stress response have rarely been directly compared, and the extant research focuses on state, rather than trait CAR. Given the similar roles of the CAR and cortisol reactivity, and their relationships to psychopathology, it is important to understand whether trait CAR and cortisol reactivity to acute stressors are related and whether a blunted CAR may be predictive of blunted cortisol reactivity across an acute laboratory stress task. Design Cross‐sectional. Participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) the week after daily assessment of the CAR. Methods Salivary cortisol secretion across the TSST was compared to the CAR, sampled across five weekdays at waking (S1) and 30 min past waking, for 54 female participants. Results A smaller CAR, lower peak cortisol, and blunted CAR increase were all significantly related to a steep rise and flattened slope of recovery in cortisol secretion following the TSST. Additionally, lower S1 was predictive of a blunted rise in cortisol secretion from baseline to immediately post‐task. Conclusion There was a significant relationship between trait CAR and cortisol secretion across the TSST. The results provided mixed support for hypotheses. A blunted CAR was associated with impaired recovery in cortisol secretion following the TSST, but, surprisingly, a rapid rise in cortisol peaking immediately following the stress task. What is already known on this subject? The CAR and cortisol reactivity to an acute laboratory stress task both are thought to marshal the body's resources to deal with stress. Both the CAR and cortisol reactivity have been related to psychosocial states and clinical and health outcomes in past research. State CAR has been linked to cortisol reactivity to stressors, and a greater CAR is thought to help an individual deal with stressors in the day ahead. What does this study add? The current study predicts trait CAR sampled across multiple days from the rise and recovery in cortisol secretion across an acute stress test. Comparison of trait CAR and cortisol reactivity may clarify both their relationship to each other and to clinical and health outcomes.