Adrenocorticotropin responses to interpersonal stress: effects of overt anger expression style and defensiveness

This study evaluated the influence of overt anger expression style and defe nsiveness on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) responses to a cute psychological stress. These personality traits are thought to modulate the stress cardiovascular response and influence disease risk, however, li ttle is known about their influence on HPA responses. Forty-six young, heal thy male volunteers worked on counterbalanced extended public-speaking and mental arithmetic. The sample was dichotomitized into groups low vs. high i n anger-out, using Spielberger's Anger-Expression Inventory, and in defensi veness, using the Marlowe-Crown Social Desirability Scale. Serum cortisol a nd adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) concentrations were measured before a nd after performing each task. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressures (BP) wer e obtained continuously in 2-min intervals before, during and after the tas ks. Public speaking produced greater adrenocortical and cardiovascular stre ss responses than mental arithmetic, and the greatest increases in ACTH occ urred in subjects high in anger-out and defensiveness. These preliminary fi ndings provide evidence that a mismatch between traits of preferred anger e xpression style and defensive style produces pronounced adrenocorticotropic responses during socially salient stress. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. A ll rights reserved.