The relationship of partner support and expressed emotion to cortisol reactivity in a community sample

Abstract

Partner support has been shown to reduce acute cortisol reactivity, but the extent of stress reduction may depend on relationship characteristics (Kirschbaum et al., 1995; Ditzen et al, 2008). Expressed Emotion (EE) may moderate the effects of partner support on biological stress reactivity due to its association with negative clinical and health outcomes (Hooley, 2007, Band et al., 2014). The purpose of the current study is three-fold: to test a new partner support modification for the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993), to determine whether high EE exists in a college population using a modified form of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI: Vaughn & Leff, 1976), and to assess whether high EE predicts elevated cortisol section across the TSST. This study is a pilot for a grant proposal to use the current methodology with individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Major Depressive Disorder. Cortisol secretion across the TSST (Areas Under the Curve (AUC) ground/increase and slopes) was compared between the first 5 participants (study 2) and a group of 5 age, race, and gender-matched participants who completed the standard TSST (study 1). Results indicate that the partner support TSST elicited a sharp, substantial rise in cortisol secretion similar to that seen for the standard TSST (study 1: Mrise = 0.14, Mrecovery = -0.15, MAUCg = 557.32, MAUCi = 131.17; study 2: Mrise = 0.18, Mrecovery = -0.17, MAUCg = 660.04, MAUCi = 255.30). EE and cortisol results for 15 more dyads will be reported after May, 2016.