Subjective stress in female elite athletes and non-athletes: Evidence from cortisol analyses

Stress response can be considered a consequence of psychological or physiological threats to the human organism.Elev ated cortisol secretion represents a biological indicator of subjective stress.The extent of subjectively experienced stress depends on indiv idual coping strategies or self-regulation skills.Because of their experience with competitive pressure, athletes might show less pronounced biological stress responses during stressful events compared to non-athletes.I n the present study, the short version of the Berlin I ntelligence Structure Test, a paper-pencil intelligence test, w as used as an experimental stressor.Cortisol responses of 26 female Sw iss elite athletes and 26 female non-athlete controls were compared.Salivary free cortisol responses were measured 15minutes prior to, as well as immediately before and after psychometric testing.I n both groups, a significant effect of time w as found: High cortisol levels prior to testing decreased significantly during the testing session.Furthermore, athletes exhibited reliably lower cortisol levels than non-athlete controls.No significant interaction effects could be observed.The overall pattern of results supports the idea that elite athletes show a less pronounced cortisol-related stress response due to more efficient coping strategies.