The influence of perceived control and locus of control on the cortisol and subjective responses to stress

Abstract

Stress has been implicated in the etiology of numerous mental and physical illnesses. Thus, it is important to identify factors that buffer individuals against stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of perceived control (PC) on the biological and subjective stress responses, and to investigate the potential moderating effect of locus of control (LOC) on this relationship. Stress was induced with a noise-cognitive paradigm, and PC was manipulated by offering the option of manual control over noise intensity. Saliva cortisol and subjective stress were measured. There was no main effect of control on cortisol. However, LOC moderated the relation between control and cortisol; participants with more internal LOC, who also perceived themselves to have control over the stressor, showed a reduced cortisol response in the PC condition. The results are discussed in light of their implications for elucidating the determinants of the effects of perceived control on stress.