Cortisol titre increases with novelty of academic oral examinations.

OBJECTIVE: In the present study we evaluated whether intensity and novelty of oral academic examinations are reflected in saliva cortisol titre. DESIGN AND SETTING: 91 pupils completed questionnaires on sensation seeking according to Zuckerman as well as on stress coping strategies and rated their individual stress intensity upon minor oral examinations. 26 of these students donated saliva samples before as well as ten and 30 minutes after the examination to quantify cortisol using an immuno assay. Oral examinations during the school year, where students may re-adjust their grade on subsequent examinations, were regarded as minor oral examinations, whereas school exit examinations, where students do not have the chance to correct their grade anymore and may even risk a delay of several months in their academic career when they fail, were regarded as major examinations. RESULTS: Minor oral examinations revealed either a moderate, but significant, increase in saliva cortisol titre by 1.1 fold or did not have a significant impact on cortisol titre. In contrast, school exit exams elevated cortisol titre 5.2 fold. In minor oral examinations, moderate correlations between cortisol titre and subsets in sensation seeking and coping strategies, respectively, were identified. CONCLUSION: Intensity and novelty of an academic examination is significantly correlated to cortisol titre. Minor oral examinations, with little consequences on academic career, only have a minor impact on cortisol titre, whereas school exit examinations, which are novel to students and may have major consequences on the academic career, elicit a major increase in cortisol titre.

Gender-dependent differences in sensation seeking and social interaction are correlated with saliva testosterone titre in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that gender - dependent differences in novelty seeking, leadership, and sympathy might correlate with testosterone titre. Since several studies report that the impact of testosterone on personality traits is more visible under emotional challenging situations, we harvested saliva testosterone upon an anticipated stressor (academic examination) and under basal conditions. SETTING AND DESIGN: 19 female and 23 male adolescents (17 to 19 years of age) completed standardized questionnaires on sensation seeking, anxiety, and social interaction. Two weeks later, they had to write an anticipated, rigorous examination in mathematics in their school. Before and after the examination, saliva had been harvested from each subject and testosterone titre has been estimated. METHODS: Saliva testosterone was quantified using a luminescence immunoassay (LIA). Each subject completed questionnaires on sensations seeking according to Zuckerman (SSS - V), anxiety (STAI), and social interactions. RESULTS: Both genders showed an increase in their testosterone titre shortly after examination or announcement of test scores. A Spearman correlation coefficient indicated a significant correlation between testosterone titre and sensation seeking subscales in female but not in male subjects. Analysis of social interactions revealed that peers regarded male subjects, who had high testosterone titres, as leaders but not as likeable individuals, whereas they regarded female subjects, who had high testosterone titres, not as leaders but as highly likeable individuals. CONCLUSION: Theses findings strongly suggest that testosterone has gender specific effects on novelty seeking, dominance, and sympathy.