Resumo

SOARES, António José de Almeida  e  ALVES, Maria da Graça Pereira. Cortisol as a variable in health psychology . Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2006, vol.7, n.2, pp.165-177. ISSN 1645-0086.

The article revises past and recent research in Stress. Special relevance is given to the physiological changes that occur due to stress and distress situations, mainly in informal caregivers of chronically ill patients. Some methods of assessment of stress hormones are reviewed, along with their benefits, limitations and implications to physical and mental health. Finally, the importance of the use of cortisol as a valid method of study in Health Psychology is emphasized.

Palavras-chave : Anxiety; Caregiver; Cortisol; Chronic disease; Depression; Health; PTSD; Stress.

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