Objective:
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) can safely simulate the onset of psychosocial stress via activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis. The TSST has identified differences in stress response by demographical features such as age or biological sex and may have utility in identifying differences between firearm owners (FOs) and those who do not own firearms (DNOs). Given what we know about rates of firearm suicide, psychosocial stressors commonly preceding suicide, and rapid fluctuations in suicide risk, a critical need emerges to identify quantitative differences in stress response via cortisol between FOs and DNOs. In the absence of this information, our ability to leverage how FOs experience stress activation during times of psychosocial crisis into agile interventions will remain limited; meanwhile, increasing rates of firearm-related death proceed without limit.
The overall objective for this study is to fill a knowledge gap: identify differences in psychosocial stress response between FOs and DNOs. The rationale for this study is that FOs and DNOs will produce detectable, differential stress response patterns with measurable difference during simulated psychosocial stress via TSST. This study proposes to identify differences in stress response between FOs and DNOs from salivary cortisol collected during the TSST. This proposed study will include seven measurements spanning pre- to post-TSST and salivary cortisol comparisons between FOs and DNOs will take place for each of these measures. By the conclusion of this proposed study, the expected outcome will identify differences in stress response between FOs and DNOs.
Funded By:
New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center
Project Status:
In progress
Principal Investigator (PI):
Jeffrey Tabares, PhD
Amount Awarded:
$50,000