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Establishing the validity of a novel passive stress task
Siobhán M Griffin1,2,3, Siobhán Howard1,2,3
1SASHLab, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.
Psychophysiology
|February 29, 2020
Summary
This study validated a passive psychological stressor task. Watching a video of oneself giving a speech elicited a vascular response, unlike physical stressors, confirming its use in stress research.
Area of Science:
- Psychophysiology
- Cardiovascular Research
- Stress Response
Background:
- Laboratory stress tasks often use physical elements, confounding psychological stress assessment.
- Previous passive stress tasks incorporated physical stressors, limiting their ability to isolate psychological responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate a purely psychological passive stressor task.
- To compare the cardiovascular and hemodynamic responses to active and passive psychological stressors.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-six healthy young adults underwent a speech task and, 12 months later, watched a video of their speech.
- Cardiovascular parameters including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), and total peripheral resistance (TPR) were measured.
Main Results:
- Both active and passive tasks significantly increased SBP and DBP.
- The active task uniquely increased HR and CO, while the passive task uniquely increased TPR.
- The passive stressor induced a mixed hemodynamic profile, distinct from the myocardial profile of the active stressor.
Conclusions:
- Watching a video of a speech is a valid passive psychological stressor.
- This task elicits a distinct vascular response profile associated with passive coping.
- The findings differentiate responses to active vs. passive psychological stress in laboratory settings.
