Psychophysiological response to social stressors: Relevance of sex and age.

BACKGROUND: Understanding the factors involved in the psychophysiological response of people in acute stressful situations is crucial to the prevention and treatment of stress-related health problems. We aim to integrate the results of studies investigating the role of sex and age in the inter-individual variability in several biomarkers of the stress response.

METHODS: We summarize the main findings of our research group and other laboratories regarding sex and age-related differences in the psychophysiological response to psychosocial stress.

RESULTS: Sex-related differences in the stress response are observed in blood pressure and cortisol, but not in heart rate, heart rate variability, or salivary alpha-amylase. Additionally, age may explain differences in cortisol levels and basal sympathetic nervous system activity.

CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of taking sex and age into account in order to understand the stress response and its possible negative effects on health.