Association of Daily Stressors and Salivary Cortisol in Spinal Cord Injury

作者：Kalpakjian Claire Z^*; Farrell Debra J; Albright Kathie J; Chiodo Anthony; Young Elizabeth A

来源：Rehabilitation Psychology, 2009, 54(3): 288-298.

DOI：10.1037/a0016614

• spinal cord injuries
• psychological stress
• hydrocortisone
• ecological momentary assessment

Objective: Examine the diurnal variation of salivary cortisol in adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) and the effect of stressors on cortisol and mood. Method: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to capture cortisol, stress, and mood from 25 persons with SCI and 26 without SCI. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models. Results: There were no systematic differences between groups on missing data. Diurnal variation of cortisol of participants with SCI reflected an expected pattern. No significant group differences for cortisol diurnal pattern, stress, or mood; when group interactions were significant, results indicated lower cortisol reactivity to stress in participants with SCI. Stress had a significant impact on positive, negative and agitated moods. Conclusions: Stress in daily life and its association with cortisol and mood were largely similar between persons with and without SCI. A key methodological contribution is the demonstration of using EMA to collect biological and behavioral data in the field from participants with SCI. The use of EMA in rehabilitation psychology research has great potential to advance our understanding of the dynamics of daily life with disability.

• 出版日期2009-8