Acute and Chronic Stress: The Effects of Loss of Control
Abstract
Long-term unemployment often accompanied by homelessness, has been identified as a chronic stressor affecting the health and well-being of the unemployed and their families. This study was designed to test how loss of control associated with chronic unemployment generalized to, and affected response subsequent acute stressors increasing the likelihood of the development or exacerbation of stress-related physical and emotional distress. Eighty four male subjects participated in this study forming three groups based on current employment status: short-term (unemployed for less than two months); long-term (unemployed for longer than two months); and employed controls. Perceptions of control over the laboratory stressor were manipulated by randomly assigning half the men in each group into no control or perceived control conditions resulting in a 2 X 3 factorial design. Subjects were exposed to loud intermittent noise while working on three types of tasks; the effects of exposure to this stressor were assessed by performance and persistent on a cognitive task. Blood pressure and heart rate were used as measures of cardiovascular responses to stress and self-report provided data on somatic complaints psychological response and distress. Chronic stress associated with long-term unemployment was hypothesized to be related to elevated psychophysiological symptoms and that attendant loss of control would generalize to the laboratory stressor resulting in performance deficits and helpless behavior
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 31, 1996
- Accession Number
- ADA423652
Entities
People
- Linda Weiss
Organizations
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences