BLUNTED CORTISOL RESPONSE TO A PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSOR IN SCHIZOPHRENIA

Schizophrenia is considered a neurodevelopmental disorder in which vul nerability to stress may be a contributing factor. Coping is an import ant psychological component of stress processing, and the hypothalamic -pituitary-adrenal system (HPA system) is one of the biological compon ents of stress adaptation. Disturbances of either of these components may make schizophrenic patients more vulnerable to develop a psychosis under stressful circumstances. In this study, 10 schizophrenic men we re compared with 10 healthy male controls in their response to a psych osocial stressor, consisting of a public-speaking task. Heart rate was monitored as a measure of autonomic arousal. HPA responses were asses sed by measuring salivary cortisol. Coping skills were measured by usi ng the Utrecht Coping List and the Ways of Coping Checklist. The stres s of speaking in public increased the heart rate in both patients and controls; however, a significant cortisol response was found in the co ntrols, but not in the schizophrenic patients. The patients used more passive and avoidant coping strategies than controls. The findings pro vide support for the notion that schizophrenic patients have an impair ed ability to adapt, both psychologically and biologically, to their e nvironment. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.