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Defensiveness and individual response stereotypy in asthma
Jonathan M Feldman1, Paul M Lehrer, Stuart M Hochron
1Department of Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
Psychosomatic Medicine
|March 27, 2002
Summary
Defensiveness in asthma patients is linked to lower sympathetic activity and higher parasympathetic activity during stress. This suggests defensiveness may influence asthma responses to stress, warranting further investigation.
Area of Science:
- Psychophysiology
- Behavioral Medicine
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Defensiveness, a psychological trait, is associated with heightened sympathetic nervous system responses to stress and cardiovascular risk factors.
- Previous research indicates a link between defensiveness and physiological stress reactivity, but its impact on asthma populations remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the known relationship between defensiveness, stress reactivity, and cardiac risk factors extends to individuals with asthma.
- To examine the psychophysiological responses to laboratory stressors in defensive versus nondefensive asthma patients.
Main Methods:
- Participants with asthma were categorized as defensive (high defensiveness, top 25%) or nondefensive (low defensiveness, bottom 75%) using the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale.
- A cohort of 22 defensive and 66 nondefensive asthma patients underwent a laboratory stress protocol including rest, a reaction time task, and a stressful film.
- Physiological measures, including skin conductance and respiratory sinus arrhythmia, were recorded during stress exposure, and spirometry was assessed before and after.
Main Results:
- Defensive asthma patients exhibited lower skin conductance levels and greater respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitudes during stress tasks compared to nondefensive individuals.
- Following stress exposure, defensive asthma patients showed a decrease in spirometry measures, whereas nondefensive patients demonstrated an increase.
- These findings suggest distinct autonomic nervous system responses to stress based on defensiveness levels in asthma.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms individual response stereotypy in asthma patients concerning stress reactivity.
- Defensiveness in asthma may be characterized by sympathetic hypoarousal and parasympathetic hyperarousal.
- Further research is necessary to ascertain if defensiveness acts as a risk factor for stress-induced bronchoconstriction in asthma.