Stress hormone levels in saliva after shogi competition are modified by stress coping strategies.

OBJECTIVE

Using shogi, a representative table game popular in Japan, to model a stress situation, we investigated the modulatory effects of player characteristics on changes in the levels of cortisol and testosterone in the saliva of the players.

METHODS

Saliva samples were collected at the following time-points: (1) 30 min after awakening on the day of the shogi convention; (2) immediately before the game; (3) immediately after the game; (4) 30 min after the end of game; (5) 30 min after awakening the following morning. The study cohort comprised 90 healthy male university students who were members of a shogi club, who were subsequently classified into either the emotional strategy (Em) or cognitive strategy (Co) group based on their scores on a Lazarus-type stress coping inventory.

RESULTS

Cortisol levels were significantly higher in the Em group than in the Co group the morning following the convention, and this difference was not affected by either outcome (victory or defeat) or perception (competitive or noncompetitive) of the match. A similar but non-significant trend was observed for testosterone levels.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that the Em group had a greater capacity to manage the stress from a shogi convention than the Co group.