NCJ Number
58102
Journal
Psychosomatic Medicine Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Dated: (MARCH 1978) Pages: 116-125
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
METHODOLOGY AND RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF AN IMPENDING COURT PROCEDURE ON URINARY CATECHOLAMINES IN ARRESTEES IN RELATION TO SCORES IN PSYCHOLOGIC TESTING.
Abstract
LABORATORY STUDIES HAVE CONCLUSIVELY DOCUMENTED THE SENSITIVITY OF THE ADRENOMEDULLARY SYSTEM TO STRESSFUL AND EMOTION-INDUCING STIMULI. RELATIVELY LESS ATTENTION HAS BEEN GIVEN TO THE EFFECTS OF 'REAL LIFE STRESSORS'. THIS STUDY HELPS FILL THIS RESEARCH GAP. TWENTY-FOUR ARRESTED MEN, 18 TO 29 YEARS OLD, VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. ON THE BASIS OF PSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW, THE SUBJECTS WERE RATED IN NINE POINT SCALES ON SEVEN VARIABLES RELATED TO PSYCHOPATHY ACCORDING TO CRITERIA SUGGESTED BY CLECKLEY ('THE MASK OF SANITY,' ST. LOUIS, MO., MOSBY, 1976). BIOCHEMICAL, PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL, AND NEUROPSYCHOLOGIAL PROCEDURES WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. ONLY THE BIOCHEMICAL DATA ARE PRESENTED. A DESCRIPTION IS GIVEN OF THE PROCEDURE WHICH PRODUCED THE URINE SAMPLES. THE URINARY EXCRETION OF ADRENALINE (A) AND NORADRENALINE (NA) IN THE SAMPLE WAS MEASURED IN THREE EXPERIMENTAL SESSIONS: TWO WEEKS, ONE WEEK, AND IMMEDIATELY BEFORE TRIAL. THE FIRST SESSION WAS ASSUMED TO REPRESENT A MODERATE LABORATORY STRESS DUE TO THE NOVELTY OF THE SITUATION, AND THE LAST SESSION WAS CONSIDERED A REAL LIFE STRESS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTICIPATION OF APPEARING IN COURT. BOTH ARE SUPERIMPOSED ON THE SUSTAINED REAL LIFE STRESS OF BEING IN JAIL. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN A OR NA IN THE LAST, PRESUMABLY MOST STRESSFUL SESSION; HOWEVER, WHEN PERSONALITY MEASURES WERE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, THERE WERE SIGNIFICANT AND CONSISTENT DIFFERENCES IN THE PATTERN OF A AND NA EXCRETION OVER THE SESSIONS BETWEEN SUBGROUPS OF SUBJECTS. SUBJECTS HIGH IN PSYCHOPATHY DID NOT REACT WITH AN INCREASE IN EITHER A OR NA IN THE LAST SESSION. THEY ALSO HAD CONSPICUOUSLY LOWER NA EXCRETION, AS COMPARED TO SUBJECTS LOW IN PSYCHOPATHY AND RELATIVE TO THEIR OWN A EXCRETION. SUBJECTS LOW IN PSYCHOPATHY SHOWED A REVERSED PATTERN. THE PRESENT FINDINGS ARE CONSISTENT WITH STUDIES INDICATING THAT MORE PSYCHOPATHIC SUBJECTS TEND TO HAVE A LOWER AROUSAL LEVEL THAN NORMALS IN SITUATIONS INVOLVING ANTICIPATION OF NOXIOUS STIMULATION. GRAPHIC AND TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.