Differences in acute stress responses depending on first or second language in a Hispanic-American sample

Area of Science:

• Psycholinguistics
• Stress Physiology
• Bilingualism Research

Background:

• Second language acquisition is common, especially for migrants.
• The physiological and psychological stress responses to using a second language are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether speaking a second language elicits a stronger cortisol or salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) response than a first language.
• To compare perceived threat, stress, and affect between first and second language use during a challenging task.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-two Hispanic-American participants completed two versions of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), one in their first language (Spanish) and one in their second language (German).
• Saliva samples were collected to measure cortisol and sAA levels.
• Participants completed questionnaires assessing perceived threat, stress, affect, and state-anxiety.

Main Results:

• A significantly higher cortisol response was observed in the second language (German) condition compared to the first language (Spanish) condition.
• Participants reported significantly higher perceived threat and negative affect after the TSST in the second language condition.
• While state-anxiety increased more in the second language condition, the difference did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions:

• Using a second language in a challenging situation appears to be more stressful and threatening than using a first language.
• The findings suggest that second language use can induce a greater physiological stress response (cortisol) and heightened psychological distress.
• Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms underlying these stress responses and their relationship with language proficiency.