Chronic stress biomarkers assessment in nursing professionals

• Grant number: 13/01637-2
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nursing - Medical-Surgical Nursing
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Nery de Souza Talarico
• Grantee: Juliana Nery de Souza Talarico
• Host Institution: Escola de Enfermagem (EE). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Behavior and emotional signs of psychosocial stress have been extensively described among nursing professionals. However, the investigation about the chronic stress influence on the physiological system of adaptation (allostatic system) and on the body functioning still remains inconclusive. This is particularly important given that chronic stress is associated with the vulnerability to develop cardiovascular, immunologic and psychiatric diseases. Particularly, the chronic exposure to the main stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) may overload the allostatic system through neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, immunologic and metabolic mediators. Thus, the investigation about how the physical and emotional wear is expressed in the body functioning may contribute to the risk assessment that nursing professionals are exposed. The objective of this study is to analyze the frequency of professionals under chronic stress as well as its relationship with atypical profiles of diurnal cortisol and emotional signs in nursing professionals of hospital units. One hundred and eighty nine professionals from different assistance units of the Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo will be included. Blood and salivary samples will be collected to analyze biological mediators of allostatic load (neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, immunologic and metabolic) as well as diurnal cortisol profile. The emotional signs of stress will be assessed using psychometric instruments of perceived stress and depression. We hypothesize that the frequency of nursing professionals under chronic stress would be high and that individuals under allostatic load present atypical profiles of diurnal cortisol (inadequate cortisol levels during morning - hyper or hypocortisolemia - and high in the afternoon and evening). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SIOMARA TAVARES FERNANDES YAMAGUTI; AMANDA ROCA BLASQUES DE MENDONÇA; DANIELA COELHO; AMANDA LUIZ MACHADO; JULIANA NERY DE SOUZA-TALARICO. Padrão atípico de secreção de cortisol em profissionais de Enfermagem. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, v. 49, p. 109-116, 2015-12-00. (13/01637-2)

FERNANDES YAMAGUTI, SIOMARA TAVARES; BLASQUES DE MENDONCA, AMANDA ROCA; COELHO, DANIELA; MACHADO, AMANDA LUIZ; DE SOUZA-TALARICO, JULIANA NERY. Atypical secretion of cortisol in Nursing professionals. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, v. 49, n. SI, p. 107-114, FEB 2015. (13/01637-2)