The Effects of Predictability on Stress and Immune Function
Abstract
Acute laboratory stressors have been shown to cause immune function changes. Mediators of stress that reduce the stressfulness of an event may attenuate the immunological effects of a stressor. Information enhancing predictability of a stressful event is one such mediator and may reduce the impact of a given stressor. The present study assessed whether predictability can reduce the impact of a stressor on psychological, cardiovascular, and immunological responses. The effects of a predictable and an unpredictable acute stressor on self-reported distress, cardiovascular reactivity. behavioral aftereffects, and immune function in humans were examined. Thirty-six male volunteers were randomly assigned to the stressor or control conditions. Two groups completed ten trials of a cold pressor task and one group completed a comparable warm pressor control task. One of the stressor groups was given predictability over the duration of the cold pressor trials by hearing the seconds being counted down from beginning to end of each trial (predictable stressor), whereas the other stressor group received no duration predictability(unpredictable stressor).
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 24, 1993
- Accession Number
- AD1011300
Entities
People
- Sandra G. Zakowski
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences