| Abstract: | The purpose of this research was to test the reliability of a measure of neutrophil activation and to apply the measure in stress research. Two studies were carried out with university undergraduates. The first was a test‐retest reliability study of the nitro‐blue tetrazolium (NBT) test, a measure of neutrophil activity. The second was an applied study of its use in stress research. In the first study, finger‐stick blood samples were taken at three points in time (baseline, +1 hour, and at 1 month) from 30 participants. Physiological arousal was monitored (heart rate and blood pressure) before and after samples were taken. Neutrophil activity is determined by their capacity to reduce NBT and is presented as a percentage of NBT positive cells. Highly significant correlations were found between all time points (p = 0.0001) and there were no significant differences between the means. The NBT test was found to be reliable and was used in an examination of the association between neutrophil activity and perceived stress (PSS). Health related issues were also explored. A highly significant positive association was found between NBT and PSS (r = 0.840, p = 0.01). No associations are found between PSS and health. The results confirm and extend findings that stressors, even naturalistic stressors, can activate neutrophils. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
