The Relationship Between Public Speaking Performance, Interpersonal Factors, and Endocrine and Inflammatory Response To Stress Open Access

Abstract

Introduction: While physiological measures as well as self-report have been widely employed to examine what individual characteristics alter one's response to acute laboratory psychosocial stress challenges, measures of overt behavior have less commonly been utilized. Measures of overt behaviors, like physiological measures, may reveal important information about anxiety that is otherwise suppressed during self-report.

Methods: Speech form during a standardized acute psychosocial stress challenge (the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]) was analyzed for speech errors using criteria previously outlined by Lewin et al., (1996). Speech errors were quantified as verbal errors (i.e. correlations, repetitions) as well as procrastinating verbalizations. Speech form was then related to subjective distress responses to the TSST (Profile of Mood States [POMS]), endocrine (cortisol) and inflammatory (interleukin [IL]-6) responses to the TSST as well as to trait features including depression (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]) and anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]), and state features including perceived life stress (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS]) and life satisfaction (Satisfaction With Life Scale [SWLS]).

Results: Speech errors were not found to be associated with changes in circulating concentrations of cortisol or IL-6 as a result of challenge with the TSST. However, speech errors were found to be positively associated with change in POMS total score from before to immediately following the TSST. BDI, PSS, and SWLS scores were found to be associated with increased speech errors during the task. No significant relationship was found between speech errors and BAI scores.

Conclusion: These results suggest that measures of speech performance during an acute laboratory psychosocial stressor may be related to subjective distress experience during the same challenge, as well as depression features, perceived life stress, and life satisfaction.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents Background……………………………………………………………………………....1 Methods……………………………………………………………………………….....3 Results……………………………………………………………………………………7 Discussion………………………………………………………………………………10 Table 1…………………………………………………………………………………..14 Table 2…………………………………………………………………………………..15 Figure 1………………………………………………………………………………….16 Figure 2………………………………………………………………………………….17 Figure 3………………………………………………………………………………….18 Figure 4………………………………………………………………………………….19 Figure 5………………………………………………………………………………….20 Figure 6………………………………………………………………………………….21 Table 3…………………………………………………………………………………..22 References………………………………………………………………………………23

About this Honors Thesis

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School	Emory College
Department	Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology
Degree	BS
Submission	Honors Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Psychology, Behavioral
Keyword	stress speech cortisol IL-6
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Pace, Thaddeus, Emory University
Committee Members	Worthman, Carol, Emory University Crutcher, Michael D, Emory University

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