Publication:
A virtual reality approach to the Trier Social Stress Test: Contrasting two distinct protocols.

dc.contributor.authorMontero-López, Eva
dc.contributor.authorSantos-Ruiz, Ana
dc.contributor.authorGarcía-Ríos, M Carmen
dc.contributor.authorRodríguez-Blázquez, Raúl
dc.contributor.authorPérez-García, Miguel
dc.contributor.authorPeralta-Ramírez, María Isabel
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-25T08:30:21Z
dc.date.available2023-01-25T08:30:21Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractVirtual reality adaptations of the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-VR) constitute useful tools for studying the physiologic axes involved in the stress response. Here, we aimed to determine the most appropriate experimental approach to the TSST-VR when investigating the modulation of the axes involved in the stress response. We compared the use of goggles versus a screen projection in the TSST-VR paradigm. Forty-five healthy participants were divided into two groups: the first one (goggles condition; 13 females, 11 males) wore goggles while performing the TSST-VR; the second (screen condition; 15 females, six males) was exposed to the TSST-VR projected on a screen. Sympathetic reactivity to stress was measured by continuously recording skin conductance (SC), while the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) was evaluated by sampling salivary cortisol throughout the experiment. At the end of the task, there was an increase in SC and cortisol level for both means of delivering the TSST-VR, although the increase in SC was greater in the goggles condition, while salivary cortisol was comparable in both groups. Immersion levels were reportedly higher in the screen presentation than in the goggles group. In terms of sex differences, females experienced greater involvement and spatial presence, though comparatively less experienced realism, than their male counterparts. These findings help us determine which protocol of the TSST-VR is most suitable for the stress response under study. They also emphasize the need to consider the sex of participants, as males and females show distinct responses in each protocol.
dc.identifier.doi10.3758/s13428-015-0565-4
dc.identifier.essn1554-3528
dc.identifier.pmid25673321
dc.identifier.unpaywallURLhttps://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.3758/s13428-015-0565-4.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10668/9650
dc.issue.number1
dc.journal.titleBehavior research methods
dc.journal.titleabbreviationBehav Res Methods
dc.language.isoen
dc.organizationArea de Gestión Sanitaria Norte de Jaén
dc.organizationAGS - Norte de Jaén
dc.page.number223-32
dc.pubmedtypeComparative Study
dc.pubmedtypeJournal Article
dc.pubmedtypeResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
dc.rights.accessRightsopen access
dc.subjectHypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
dc.subjectSalivary cortisol
dc.subjectSympathetic activation
dc.subjectTSST
dc.subjectVirtual reality
dc.subject.meshAdult
dc.subject.meshComputer Simulation
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshHydrocortisone
dc.subject.meshHypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
dc.subject.meshMale
dc.subject.meshPituitary-Adrenal System
dc.subject.meshPsychophysiology
dc.subject.meshSex Factors
dc.subject.meshStress, Psychological
dc.subject.meshSympathetic Nervous System
dc.subject.meshUser-Computer Interface
dc.titleA virtual reality approach to the Trier Social Stress Test: Contrasting two distinct protocols.
dc.typeresearch article
dc.type.hasVersionVoR
dc.volume.number48
dspace.entity.typePublication

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