Scholarlink

<p>The present study examined whether hormonal contraceptive use influences women’s stress responses, specifically comparing the tend-and-befriend and fight-or-flight reactions to stress in hormonally contracepted and naturally cycling women. Adult cisgender women (25 hormonal contraceptive users and 41 naturally cycling) completed a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to induce stress, along with self-report measures, including the Perceived Stress Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Tend-and-Befriend Scale. Results confirmed the effectiveness of the stress manipulation, with post-TSST stress scores significantly higher than pre-TSST scores. Across all participants, tend responses were endorsed more strongly than fight or befriend responses, and flight responses were selected more frequently than befriend responses. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed no overall group differences; however, hormonal contraceptive users reported significantly lower fight scores than naturally cycling women. Although exploratory given the nonsignificant overall MANOVA, this finding suggests that hormonal contraceptive use may be associated with reduced endorsement of fight-related coping behaviors. These results provide preliminary evidence for potential differences in stress response profiles associated with hormonal contraceptive use, contributing to a growing body of research on hormonal influences in women’s stress and coping processes.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Examining Stress Responses in Naturally Cycling Versus Hormonally Contracepted Women Using the Tend-And-Befriend Model

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月31日

查看全文
  • Lisa L. M. Welling,
  • Mercedes Hughes

摘要

The present study examined whether hormonal contraceptive use influences women’s stress responses, specifically comparing the tend-and-befriend and fight-or-flight reactions to stress in hormonally contracepted and naturally cycling women. Adult cisgender women (25 hormonal contraceptive users and 41 naturally cycling) completed a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) to induce stress, along with self-report measures, including the Perceived Stress Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Tend-and-Befriend Scale. Results confirmed the effectiveness of the stress manipulation, with post-TSST stress scores significantly higher than pre-TSST scores. Across all participants, tend responses were endorsed more strongly than fight or befriend responses, and flight responses were selected more frequently than befriend responses. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) revealed no overall group differences; however, hormonal contraceptive users reported significantly lower fight scores than naturally cycling women. Although exploratory given the nonsignificant overall MANOVA, this finding suggests that hormonal contraceptive use may be associated with reduced endorsement of fight-related coping behaviors. These results provide preliminary evidence for potential differences in stress response profiles associated with hormonal contraceptive use, contributing to a growing body of research on hormonal influences in women’s stress and coping processes.