To Stress Or Not to Stress: the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Cholesterol

Abstract

Background: Stress has been shown to result in adverse health outcomes including poor cholesterol. Previous research provides that an individual’s perceived stress may greatly influence lipid levels. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between cholesterol and perceived stress. Methods: A volunteer sample of full-time faculty and staff of the University of Central Oklahoma were administered the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS; N=47) which is a 10-question survey of perceived stress over the last month. Blood lipid profiles were also taken for the measurement of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL; N=38), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL; N=38), and total cholesterol (TC; N=39). For this measurement, each participant was fasted for 8-12 hours. The relationship between perceived stress and cholesterol levels were examined using a Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation. Results: A significant relationship was found between LDL and perceived stress (r=-.32, p=.05) as well as TC and perceived stress (r=-.33, p=.04). No relationship was revealed between HDL and perceived stress (r=-.08, p=.65). Discussion: While previous research revealed adverse physiological outcomes due to stress, this study found an inverse relationship between perceived stress and cholesterol levels. Further research is needed to understand the magnitude of the relationship between cholesterol and perceived stress.