Gender and Ethnic Differences in Stress Reduction, Reactivity, and Recovery

To assess whether gender and ethnic subgroups differentially self-reported stress reduction, reactivity, and recovery, 313 undergraduate African American and Caucasian students at an urban northeastern American university were randomly assigned to one of three relaxation conditions which they utilized before and after being exposed to a visual stressor. Self-report measures of state anxiety were taken before and after each activity. Females reported the most stress reduction, reactivity, and recovery. Caucasian females reported unique reactions relative to other groups at all phases. African American males reported the least amount of cognitive reactivity. Results from this study suggest that ethnicity should be evaluated with gender differences, affective reactions need to be better understood, and interventions for stress may need to be specifically tailored.