Sex determines cortisol and alpha‐amylase responses to acute physical and psychosocial stress in patients with avoidant personality disorder

Abstract

IntroductionsAvoidant personality disorder (AVPD) has excessive and pervasive anxiety and discomfort in social situations. The aims of this study were to explore the relationship between AVPD and physical and psychological stress and psychological tests.MethodsWe evaluated 93 AVPD patients and 355 nonpatient controls by salivary amylase and cortisol responses during exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and electrical stimulation stress. Spielberger state‐trait anxiety inventory (STAI), Profile of Mood State (POMS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Depression and Anxiety Cognition Scale (DACS), and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered.ResultsFollowing electrical stimulation, salivary cortisol levels in female AVPD decreased significantly less than that in female's controls, but salivary cortisol levels did not show a difference between male AVPD patients and controls. Salivary alpha‐amylase (sAA) levels did not show a difference between females or male AVPD patients and controls. Following TSST exposure, sAA levels did not show a difference between females or male AVPD patients and controls. Salivary cortisol levels did not show a difference between females or male AVPD patients and controls. In the AVPD patients, POMS scores were significantly higher compared with the controls. STAI, BDI, DACS scores, and CTQ significantly increased in the AVPD patients compared with the controls. LF in heart rate variability in AVPD significantly increased more compared with controls.ConclusionsThese results suggest that heightened sympathetic reactivity in female AVPD co‐occurs with attenuated salivary cortisol responses to electric stimulation stress and there is a significant difference between AVPD and controls in mood, anxiety, social cognition, and automatic nerve systems.

Avoidant Personality Disorder Symptoms and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Psychological Stress Tasks With Increasing Cognitive Demands

“…Results showed that avoidant personality disorder symptoms were not associated with SBP reactivity under the low-and moderate-demand conditions and DBP reactivity under the low-demand condition but were associated with blunted SBP reactivity under the high-demand condition and blunted DBP reactivity under the moderate-and high-demand conditions. Based on previous research findings (Tanaka et al, 2016), this study further tested avoidant personality disorder symptoms in a nonclinical sample and their relation to cardiovascular reactivity in psychological stress tasks with three levels of cognitive demands (i.e., low, moderate, high). Our findings suggested that individuals with higher levels of avoidant personality disorder symptoms exhibited comparable cardiovascular reactivity in stress tasks with low cognitive demands but blunted cardiovascular reactivity in stress tasks with increased cognitive demands compared to those with lower levels of avoidant personality disorder symptoms.…”

“…Based on previous research findings (Tanaka et al, 2016), this study further tested avoidant personality disorder symptoms in a nonclinical sample and their relation to cardiovascular reactivity in psychological stress tasks with three levels of cognitive demands (i.e., low, moderate, high). Our findings suggested that individuals with higher levels of avoidant personality disorder symptoms exhibited comparable cardiovascular reactivity in stress tasks with low cognitive demands but blunted cardiovascular reactivity in stress tasks with increased cognitive demands compared to those with lower levels of avoidant personality disorder symptoms.…”

Measurement of stress response in laboratory settings – a review of studies using stress induction protocols

“…Test ten można przeprowadzić w różnych warunkach, a zadanie nie wymaga pozostawania bez ruchu, co jest konieczne w przypadku badań neuroobrazowych. Wykorzystywano go do oceny rekcji stresowej w grupie osób doświadczonych w medytacji [27], z unikającym zaburzeniem osobowości [28], o różnym chronotypie [29,30], różniących się pod względem postrzegania ryzyka społecznego [31], różnym postrzeganiem własnego ciała i poczuciem wstydu [32], z deprywacją snu [33], z grupy ryzyka rozwoju zaburzeń psychicznych [34], a także wśród kobiet w ciąży [35,36] lub osób mających trudne doświadczenia [37,38], z nadwagą [39,40], doświadczających wypalenia zawodowego [41], po próbach samobójczych [42] i uzależnionych od internetu lub hazardu [43,44].…”

“…Badania przeprowadzono w grupach osób z różnymi cechami osobowości w celu oceny wpływu tych cech na reaktywność organizmu na stresu wywołany procedurą TSST. Były to osoby z cechami osobowości unikającej [28], z różną tendencją do ruminacji [45] oraz o różnym natężeniu neurotyczności [46] i poziomie lęku [47].…”

“…W badaniach z wykorzystaniem TSST najczęściej wykorzystywano ocenę stężenia kortyzolu [27-42, 44, 46, 48,49] i zmiany sercowo-naczyniowe [28,31,33,41,43,44,46,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. Wykorzystywano także reakcję skórno-galwaniczną [43,50], analizę rozszerzania się źrenicy [49], aktywność elektryczną mózgu [52] oraz aktywność czynnościową mózgu mierzoną za pomocą fMRI po sytuacji stresu [34,58], a także miary subiektywne [27,28,33,41,42,46,49,[54][55][56].…”