Gaab
Fakultäten » Philosophische Fakultät » Psychologisches Institut » Klinische Psychologie und Psychotherapie » Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ehlert » Gaab
Completed research project
| Title / Titel | Effects of a randomized-controlled trial of stress management training on the neuroendocrine stress responses during an academic examination | ||||
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| Abstract (PDF, 14 KB) | |||||
| Summary / Zusammenfassung | Repeated or excessive stress has been linked to dysregulations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Since cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) has been shown to reduce acute neuroendocrine stress responses (Gaab et al., in press), we set out to investigate the effects of CBSM on the stress levels and HPA axis activity in students undergoing an academic exam. 28 healthy male and female students were randomly assigned to CBSM or control group. CBSM was performed six to four weeks before the exam. Salivary cortisol levels were assessed as awakening morning and circadian salivary cortisol profiles six weeks before and on the day of the exam. Perceived stress was assessed during five weeks before and on the day of the exam. In comparison to the control group, the treatment group reported significantly lower levels of stress during the six weeks before the exam. Groups did not differ in cortisol profiles at baseline, but controls had significantly reduced HPA axis responses on the day of the exam. Also, in contrast to the treatment group, no significant association between perceived stress on the day of the exam and the integrated salivary cortisol response was observable in controls (CBSM group: r = 0.59, p = 0.02, control group: r = 0.22, p = 0.53). The reported results show that CBSM training reduces reported stress levels during chronic stress and prevents the development of a dissociation of cognitive stress appraisal and HPA axis activation due to chronic stress. |
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| Publications / Publikationen | Gaab, J., Scherrer, S., Sonderegger, L., Ehlert U. (2003). Effects of a randomized-controlled trial of stress management training on the neuroendocrine stress responses during an academic examination. American Psychosomatic Medicine, 65/1, A56. | ||||
| Keywords / Suchbegriffe | Stress management training, HPA axis, stress, psychoneuroendocrinologyy | ||||
| Project leadership and contacts / Projektleitung und Kontakte |
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| Funding source(s) / Unterstützt durch |
Others |
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| Duration of Project / Projektdauer | Feb 2002 to Jun 2002 |