Perceived control moderates the influence of active coping on salivary cortisol response to acute pain among women but not men

SummaryIt is generally established that active-coping strategies and greater perceived control over pain are associated with improved pain-related outcomes; however, it remains unclear whether these factors independently or interactively influence adrenocortical function in reaction to a painful stimulus. The present study examined whether active coping predicted magnitude cortisol response to acute pain, whether perceived control over pain moderated this association, and whether effects differed as a function of sex. Our findings suggest that perceived control moderates the active coping–adrenocortical relation among women but not men, such that active coping may augment the release of cortisol in response to a painful stimulus only in the presence of greater perceived control over pain. Taken together, active coping and perceived control may potentiate an adaptive neuroendocrine response to an acute painful stressor.