LAUSR

ABSTRACT Objective Although stress is posited to play a key role in health disparities, the extent to which commonly used self-report psychosocial stress measures are related to neurobiological stress processes, especially across diverse populations, is unresolved. This study examined how two measures of psychosocial stress, perceived stress and domain-specific stress, covary with the acute neurobiological stress response. Methods The Richmond Stress and Sugar Study includes a racially and socioeconomically diverse cohort of adults at risk for type 2 diabetes (n = 125; mean age = 57 years, 48% Black, and 61% high neighborhood socioeconomic status [SES]). Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity was assessed by salivary cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a laboratory stressor. Results Higher perceived stress was associated with a lower cortisol response to the TSST (−7.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −13.1% to −1.5%) but was not associated with cortisol recovery after the TSST (3%; 95% CI = −0.6% to 6.8%). In contrast, domain-specific stress was not associated with cortisol response (−2.1%; 95% CI = −20.7% to 20.9%) but was inversely associated with cortisol recovery (3.7%; 95% CI = 0.6% to 7.0%). SES modified these associations: both perceived stress and domain-specific stress were associated with TSST cortisol response only among participants from high-SES neighborhoods. There was minimal evidence of effect modification by race. Conclusions Both self-report measures of psychosocial stress were associated with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity to an acute stressor. These associations varied by perceived versus domain-specific measurement scales and by neighborhood SES. Further efforts to refine stress measures and clarify biological linkages between social status and health are needed.