Sybil Carrère

TRAFFIC CONGESTION, PERCEIVED CONTROL, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS AMONG URBAN BUS DRIVERS

The operation of public transit vehicles in urban centers is a highly stressful job. There has been, however, little detailed analysis of what specific characteristics of the psychosocial or physical job environmental of public transit operators contribute to the high levels of job stress associated with this occupation. In the present study, we show a high degree of association between exposure to peak traffic conditions and on-the-job elevations of urinary catecholamines. These significant relations remain after incorporating various controls for possible selection factors (e.g., job seniority) and health-relevant parameters (e.g., age, smoking). Furthermore, we show that reductions in perceived control on the job partially account for the linkages between traffic congestion and psychophysiological stress.

Predicting marital stability and divorce in newlywed couples.

A longitudinal study with 95 newlywed couples examined the power of the Oral History Interview to predict stable marital relationships and divorce. A principal-components analysis of the interview with the couples (Time 1) identified a latent variable, perceived marital bond, that was significant in predicting which couples would remain married or divorce within the first 5 years of their marriage. A discriminant function analysis of the newlywed oral history data predicted, with 87.4% accuracy, those couples whose marriages remained intact or broke up at the Time 2 data collection point. The oral history data predicted with 81% accuracy those couples who remained married or divorced at the Time 3 data collection point. This study offers support for causal linkages between perceptual biases and selective attention on the path of marriage.

Winter-Over Stress: Physiological and Psychological Adaptation to an Antarctic Isolated and Confined Environment

The isolated and confined environment (ICE) is an area of environmental stress that has received very little attention by U.S. investigators. Understanding the physical and psychological components of ICEs is important because many people are exposed to these settings. Naval submarines routinely go on 60-day patrols where outside communication is extremely limited. Oil companies employ professional divers who are required to remain in hyperbaric chambers for a month at a time. Research and business require the maintenance of isolated stations in both polar regions that can be isolated for 6 to 9 months at a time. The space station proposed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will confine and isolate its inhabitants for extended periods, as well.

The Roles of Marriage and Anger Dysregulation in Biobehavioral Stress Responses

Physiological and behavioral correlates of anger dysregulation in adults were evaluated in the context of marital stress. Fifty-four married couples participated in a series of laboratory procedures that included electrocardiogram measures during a 15-min marital conflict interaction and an interview assessing their inability to regulate anger (anger dysregulation). Results from the multivariate regression analyses indicated that the nature of the couple’s relationship, rather than individual levels of anger dysregulation, predicted lower parasympathetic cardiac activity (indexed by high-frequency heart period variability) and shorter cardiac interbeat intervals. Anger dysregulation, rather than the dyadic relationship, was predictive of greater displays of angry behavior during the marital conflict interaction. The importance of contextual factors in stress processes, such as stress due to marriage, are discussed in light of research linking poor marital quality to greater health risks for women than for men.