Perceived control as a resilience factor: associations with neural, physiological and affective stress responses and mental health

TL;DR

This study shows that feeling in control during stress can reduce negative stress responses and improve mental health.

Contribution

The study identifies perceived control as a resilience factor linked to neural, physiological, and affective stress responses.

Findings

High perceived control was associated with less helplessness and more flexible stress responses.

The high-control group showed distinct cortisol and brain activity patterns during stress.

Perceived control correlated with better mental health and fewer psychosomatic symptoms.

Abstract

Perceived control is a key mechanism implicated in stress resilience. A tendency to perceive control over stressors may protect individuals against negative outcomes across various situations by increasing active coping and preventing exacerbated stress reactions. Assuming that individual differences in perceived control during an uncontrollable stress task may represent an underlying resilience factor, we investigated associations of perceived control with neural, endocrine, and affective responses to a different, psychosocial stressor, and with overall mental health. 116 male participants aged 18–30 completed a psychosocial stress task, and we assessed stress responses via functional magnetic resonance imaging, cortisol levels, and affective state questionnaires. General mental health was assessed via self-report. Perceived control was measured during a second, uncontrollable stress task and growth mixture modeling revealed a high- and a low-control class. Comparison of these classes showed that the high-control class experienced less helplessness during the uncontrollability task and demonstrated more flexible responses to psychosocial stress as reflected in cortisol secretion and activation of the bilateral posterior insula. Further, the high-control class reported fewer psychosomatic symptoms and a less external locus of control. These findings suggest that perceived control might act as a resilience factor, influencing stress processing across multiple domains. The study highlights the potential for perceived control to be harnessed in resilience-building interventions and underscores the need for further experimental and longitudinal research to confirm its role in modulating stress responses.

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