Competition stress in soccer coaches increases salivary. Immunoglobin A and salivary cortisol concentrations

The effect of acute psychological stress on salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) and salivary cortisol concentrations was studied in professional soccer coaches (n = 17) before, during, and after a match of their team. Saliva samples were collected at five time points (2 hours before the match, at the beginning of the match, during half time break, at the end of the match and one hour after the match) and analysed for sIgA and salivary cortisol together with the subjective rating of perceived psychophysiological arousal. In addition, control subjects (n = 8) were tested under resting conditions with identical procedures. Results show that soccer coaches rated themselves as more excited and tense during the match compared to time points before and after the match of their team. Furthermore, coaches revealed pronounced, transient increases in sIgA and salivary cortisol concentrations compared to control subjects. These data indicate, that acute psychological stress activates non-specific humoral immune functions.