dc.description.abstract | The present study evaluated a new paradigm for identifying
individuals who show exaggerated, delayed physiological
recovery following mental stress. Siibjects first performed
a mental task, a face-to-face quiz, wliile heart rate was
recorded. Ten minutes later they performed a physical task,
squeezing a hand dynamometer, with the force varied in order
to produce a heart rate elevation identical to the mental
task. Each task was followed by a ten minute recovery
period. Twenty seven subjects satisfied the criterion for
equivalent heart rate elevations to both stressors.
A difference score, reflecting relatively slower recovery
from the mental stressor (relative to the physical task),
was significantly correlated with the Anger-Out subscale of
the Anger Expression scale (Sp i.e Iber ger, Johnson, Russell,
et al,, .1 985 ) for the first five minutes of recovery from
the mental stressor. In contrast, residual recovery heart
rate scores, controlling for resting and stress response
level, were correlated with reported levels of physical
fitness, but not personality factors. These results
indicate the value of combining this new difference score
paradigm with the standard residual score analysis of
recovery to identify which factors are affecting recovery
through psychological versus physiological mechanisms. | |