Assessing the Repeatability of a Psychological Stress Test
Study Details
Study Description
Brief Summary
To establish the efficacy and repeatability of a suitable psychological stress test. The Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test (MMST) is a validated laboratory stress test that combines cognitive, emotional, acoustic and motivational stress components. Despite the test increasing self-reported levels of stress, meaningful changes in saliva cortisol are typically observed in only half of all participants. In addition, the MMST is susceptible to habituation of the cortisol response upon repeated exposures, limiting its current usefulness for repeated measures. Given the multicomponent nature of the MMST, there is potential for components of the test to be manipulated to overcome these limitations i.e., increase the magnitude of the saliva cortisol response and mitigate against habituation effects. In addition, a supplementary topic of interest is to what extent cortisol responses to acute laboratory stress tests, like the MMST, relate to the well described rise in morning cortisol ~30 minutes after awakening. This may be of clinical relevance given that blunted cortisol response upon awakening and in response to acute psychological stress tests have been associated with poor health outcomes.
The primary objective of the current study is to investigate if the MMST elicits a meaningful increase in saliva cortisol.
The secondary objective is to investigate the efficacy of mitigation strategies to overcome habituation to the MMST.
A supplementary objective is to to investigate the relationship between the saliva cortisol response upon awakening and the saliva cortisol response to the MMST.
| Condition or Disease | Intervention/Treatment | Phase |
|---|---|---|
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N/A |
Study Design
Arms and Interventions
| Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
|---|---|
| No Intervention: MMST control
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| Experimental: MMST+
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Behavioral: Experimental: MMST+
The format of the MMST will remain the same; however, the white noise, images and math task will be modified to mitigate habituation effects.
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Outcome Measures
Primary Outcome Measures
- Change in saliva cortisol (pre-post MMST) [Change from 5 minutes pre to immediately post stress test/no stress control condition]
Changes in the concentration of saliva free cortisol assessed by ELISA.
- Change in subjective stress response (Subjective stress scale) (0-9 Likert scale) [Change from 5 minutes pre to immediately post stress test/no stress control condition]
Questionnaire comprised of a 10-point rating scale from 0 to 9 (0 - no subjective stress experience at all; 9 - extreme experience of subjective stress experience.
- Heart rate [Continuously assessed from 30 minutes before to 60 minutes after the stress tests and control tests]
Continuous measurement of heart rate will be assessed using a telemetric chest strap.
Secondary Outcome Measures
- Change in emotional response to stress [Change from 5 minutes pre to immediately post stress test/no stress control condition]
Questionnaire used to determine the extent to which participants felt the MMST was difficult, challenging, and upsetting. Using a 7-pt scale (1 = not at all; 7 = extremely) participants rate their level of nervousness during the laboratory task. Participants will also rate the level of effort they put into the task on a scale ranging from 1 (didn't try at all) to 7 (tried as hard as I could), which will be used as a manipulation check.
- Rumination measure [Assessed +60 minutes after the stress tests and no stress control condition]
Questionnaire used to determine the extent of rumination about an induced stressful situation. Using a 7-pt scale (1= not at all, 7 = all the time), participants indicate the extent to which they; thought about the test (stress test and control) after having completed it, criticised themselves about not performing well, thought about other past experiences of being evaluated, thought about the anxiety they felt during the task.
Other Outcome Measures
- Saliva cortisol awakening response (CAR) [Assessing upon awakening, and every 15 minutes for the first 45 minutes after awakening (i.e. +15, +30, +45, +60 minutes after awakening)]
A biomarker for Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal activity; a naturally occurring increase in cortisol upon waking, assessed by ELISA.
Eligibility Criteria
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
Participants who…
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have read and signed the study informed consent
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are healthy, recreationally active men and women aged 18-35 years
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test negative for coronavirus (COVID-19)
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are willing to provide saliva samples throughout and complete the MMST through the duration of the study
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are using monophasic birth control (women only)
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants who…
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have a recent history or are a current smoker
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are currently taking prescription/Over-the-counter medication
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consume ≥ 91 units of alcohol per month
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have a clinically diagnosed history of cardiovascular and/or metabolic disease including diabetes and abnormal blood pressure
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are pregnant
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have a recent or ongoing viral or bacterial illness in past 4 weeks
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test positive for coronavirus (COVID-19)
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have a clinically diagnosed psychiatric disorder
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have a clinically diagnosed sleeping disorder
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have a clinically diagnosed gambling addiction
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BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 - calculated in the online health screening questionnaire
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report unusually high levels of recent or ongoing life stress over the last month; as assessed by the perceived stress scale (PSS) i.e. rating ≥ 13 indicates high perception of recent and ongoing life stress
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Endurance trained or engage in ≥3.5 hours of physical activity a week
Contacts and Locations
Locations
| Site | City | State | Country | Postal Code | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University | Liverpool | Merseyside | United Kingdom | L3 3AF |
Sponsors and Collaborators
- Liverpool John Moores University
- Danone Nutricia Research
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Neil P Walsh, PHD, Liverpool John Moores University
Study Documents (Full-Text)
None provided.More Information
Publications
None provided.- ORION Study 1