Endocrine response patterns and psychological correlates.

A group of young men volunteering for military service in the United States Navy were studied during an acute stress situation. The subjects (S's)(N = 62) were non-swimmers, and they all had to jump from a 5-foot platform into the deep end of a swimming pool. Before and after the exposure, blood and urine samples were taken for endocrine analysis. The Defense Mechanism Test (DMT), the Coping Operations Preference Enquiry (COPE), Joffe and Nanitch Scales for Defenses (J&N), and a Mood Questionnaire (MQ) were administered. For the endocrine reactions, postsamples, 3 factors emerged: a Cortisol factor, a Testosterone factor, and a Catecholamine factor. There was a significant correlation between the Cortisol factor and defense mechanisms, evaluated both by the DMT and the paper-and-pencil tests. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between high anxiety, and defense mechanisms on the one hand, and physiological responses on the other.