Salivary cortisol in university students after the COVID-19 pandemic

Nicole Andelic* (Corresponding Author), Julia Allan, Keith Bender, Ioannis Theodossiou, Daniel Powell

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)
2 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic required people to navigate lockdowns and unfamiliar restrictions for the first time. It is known that situations characterised by uncontrollability and novelty heighten the physiological response to stress. The data presented here was collected as part of an experimental stress study and offered an opportunity to compare cortisol levels upon arrival to the lab before and after the first UK lockdown, when students had to navigate novel health and safety restrictions on campus. Participants (n = 152) were students who took part in an experiment designed to measure salivary cortisol levels as a response to a stress task. All provided a baseline cortisol sample after arriving to the lab but before the experimental task. Pre-lockdown participants (n = 72) were familiar with the campus rules whereas post-lockdown participants (n = 80) had to adhere to novel restrictions, including health questionnaires, PPE and social distancing. The post-lockdown sample had significantly higher levels of baseline cortisol, cortisol output (AUCg) and cortisol response (AUCi) than the pre-lockdown group. This effect remained significant even after controlling for sample characteristics. These findings suggest that navigating new restrictions may lead to heightened levels of anticipatory stress even if there is no difference in recent general mental health before and after the lockdown.
Original languageEnglish
Article number100160
Number of pages5
JournalComprehensive Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume12
Early online date20 Sept 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2022
EventInterdisciplinary Approaches to Performance-Related Pay and Incentives in Work - University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
Duration: 7 Jun 20227 Jun 2022

Bibliographical note

Acknowledgements: Funding from the ESRC is gratefully acknowledged (Grant ES/R01163X/1). We also wish to thank participants at the Interdisciplinary Approaches to Performance-Related Pay and Incentives in Work conference who provided thoughtful comments on this manuscript.

Data Availability Statement

Supplementary data to this article can be found online at https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.cpnec.2022.100160.

Keywords

  • Stress
  • Cortisol
  • COVID-19

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