Efecto del estrés social agudo sobre impulsividad, toma de riesgos y sesgos atencionales en jóvenes con y sin historia familiar de abuso de alcohol

The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of social stress — induced experimentally — in youth people with positive family history (PFH) or negative family history (NFH) of alcohol abuse. The measurements included the level of cortisol in saliva, the subjective perception of emotional state, and performance in tests that measure attention to stimuli that signal to alcohol, impulsivity and risk taking. Participants exposed to stress exhibited higher levels of cortisol in saliva and in the subjective perception of discomfort, and a lower level of well-being than their controls. PFH participants reported a significantly lower level of well-being and more distress than their NFH peers. There were no significant effects of treatment, and no significant interactions between treatment and FH in the scores of impulsivity, risk-taking, and attentional biases.