Effects of Video-Relayed Social Support on Hemodynamic Reactivity and Salivary Cortisol During Laboratory-Based Behavioral Challenge

Author(s)
Thorsteinsson, Einar B
James, Jack E
Gregg, M Elizabeth
Publication Date
1998
Abstract
The authors tested the effects of a laboratory analogue of social support on reactivity to laboratory-based behavioral challenge. Video-relayed supportive commentary was provided by a same-sex confederate while participants (40 healthy men and women assigned to support and no-support groups) performed a demanding computer task, and their heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and salivary cortisol were measured. The authors found that heart rate and cortisol level (but not blood pressure) were attenuated in the support condition for both genders. Objective performance on the task was similar in both groups, but the social support group reported higher levels of perceived support and rated the task as easier than did participants in the no-support condition. Video presentation offers new opportunities for systematically examining social support and its effects.
Citation
Health Psychology, 17(5), p. 436-444
ISSN
1930-7810
0278-6133
Link
Language
en
Publisher
American Psychological Association
Title
Effects of Video-Relayed Social Support on Hemodynamic Reactivity and Salivary Cortisol During Laboratory-Based Behavioral Challenge
Type of document
Journal Article
Entity Type
Publication

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