Hopelessness and Physiological Stress Dysregulation Indicated by Diurnal Cortisol Patterns in College Students

• In Event: Diverse Methodologies for Studying the Effects of Emotion on Learning

Abstract

In a pilot study, we examined college students’ (N = 60) stress levels around their midterm exam via surveys and stress hormone sampling (n = 43). Students’ diurnal cortisol and emotions were assessed a week before and the week during their mid-term. We hypothesized that students’ learning-related Hopelessness would predict a flatter diurnal cortisol pattern as an indicator of stress dysregulation before the exam. Results showed that diurnal cortisol was on average flatter the week during the exam vs. the week prior to the exam; moreover, Hopelessness predicted less change in the diurnal cortisol slope between the two weeks. We suspect that students’ learning-related Hopelessness may be a psychosocial risk factor that disables students to physiologically adapt to exam-related contexts.

Authors

• Katherine C Cheng, Arizona State University

• Jenefer E. Husman, Arizona State University

• Masumi Iida, Arizona State University

• Maryann Elizabeth Barnes, Arizona State University

• Kurtis Espino, Arizona State University - Tempe