Biological and psychological determinants in response to situations of social stress

Multidisciplinary stress research are actual for different scientific areas. Stress is determined as different adaptation reactions of the body and psychic in response to the environmental and activity changes. The actual task is to identify determinants of stress reactivity which allow to diagnose, control and manage the development of adaptation syndrome. Current manuscript is devoted to the part of empirical data collected in multidisciplinary study «Endocrine and psychological determinants of human behavior in stressе» (grant SPbSU 8.37.112.2011), focused on differentiation sensitivity of biological and psychological determinants of stress reactivity in social stress situations.. Study objective was to investigate individual psychological and endocrine reactivity in response of experimental situations modeling two types of social stress - public speaking and interviewing (modified Trier Social Stress Test). Total sample size was 58 adolescents living in St. Petersburg, male and female, age range 19-34 y.o. To identify stressreactivity before and after experimental situations the following tests were used: 1) salivary cortisol tool kit; 2) test battery to for express-evaluation of emotional states to identify non-arbitrary regulation (balance regulation on tensometric platform, instrument for testing biopotential on two hands) and arbitrary regulation (subjective time counting, modified scale for emotional experience developed by Safonov and Prosvirin). The significant dynamic in two experiments were found for a non-arbitrary regulation determinants. Half of the sample demonstrated significant endocrine reactions in both experimental situations modeling social stress. The determinants of self-esteem related to time counting proved the opinion that study subjects could keep the ability for adequate self-control during experiments. The significant dynamic were observed in the levels of different feelings associated with activation processes. There were no significant associations between the levels of cortisol and determinants of psychic state self-esteem in total sample. Study results proved higher sensitivity of psychological determinants in response to external and/or internal conditions. That is support the idea that subjective components of reflection are the major triggers of transactional process. Non-arbitrary manifestations of psychic regulation could be used to control emotional states, and arbitrary manifestations - to regulate emotional state in potentially stressful situations. Developed and piloted algorithm and methods for stress-reactivity diagnostic demonstrated the good level of validity and information and could be recommended for the future multidisciplinary stress research.