A icle
Spanish Valida ion o he Maas ich Acu e S ess Tes (MAST):
A Cos -e ec i e S ess Induc ion P o ocol
Daniel San os-Ca asco and Luis Gonzalo De La Casa
Depa amen o de Psicología Expe imen al, Uni e sidad de Se illa (Spain)
Abs ac
The ise o s ess s udies has led o he exis ence o mul iple s ess induc ion p o ocols. Howe e , cul u al di e ences in s ess eac i i y a e o en
o e looked. The e o e, his s udy aims o alida e he Maas ich Acu e S ess Tes (MAST) in he Spanish popula ion. A sample o 96 young
adul pa icipan s was di ided in o an expe imen al g oup and a con ol g oup based on whe he hey we e exposed o he MAST o a non-
s ess ul con ol ask. S a e anxie y and posi i e and nega i e a ec s we e measu ed be o e and immedia ely a e he p o ocol, while
physiological s ess (blood p essu e and hea a e) was moni o ed h oughou he expe imen . The expe imen al g oup exhibi ed an inc ease
in s a e anxie y, nega i e a ec , and sys olic and dias olic blood p essu es a e he MAST p o ocol. Pa icipan s wi h highe psychopa hological
isk p esen ed highe sco es o psychological s ess han hose wi h lowe isk. Finally, i was ound ha pa icipan s wi h highe ma hema ical
pe o mance exhibi ed lowe anxious eac i i y ollowing s esso exposu e. Ou esul s con i m he e icacy o he MAST and i s alida ion o
use in he Spanish popula ion.
Keywo ds: anxie y; acu e s ess; MAST; s ess eac i i y; sympa ho-ad enal-medulla y (SAM) axis
(Recei ed: 21 May 2024; e ised: 23 Decembe 2024; accep ed: 21 Janua y 2025)
S ess is one o he mos ex ensi ely s udied adap i e esponses o e
he las cen u y. Ope a ionally, s ess is unde s ood as he o gan-
ism’s esponse o pe cei ed demands o h ea s (Le ine & U sin,
1991). Exposu e o s ess ul e en s leads o he ac i a ion o au o-
nomic s ess sys ems wi h he aim o es o ing homeos a ic le els
(Ul ich-Lai & He man, 2009). Physiologically, his en ails an
inc ease in he ac i i y o he sympa ho-ad enal-medulla y
(SAM) and hypo halamus-pi ui a y-ad enal (HPA) axes. Ac i a-
ion o he SAM axis esul s in he elease o ci cula ing ca echol-
amines, such as ad enaline and no ad enaline, ul ima ely
inc easing hea a e o blood p essu e (McEwen, 2008; Ul ich-
Lai & He man, 2009). On he o he hand, he pa allel ac i a ion o
he be e -known HPA axis leads o he elease o glucoco icoids
in o he bloods eam, such as co isol (Ul ich-Lai & He man, 2009).
In he ield o expe imen al s ess esea ch, wo main ypes o
s esso s ha e adi ionally been u ilized: physical s esso s (e.g.,
physical pain) and psychological s esso s (e.g., di icul asks)
(Shields, 2020). A a ie y o s ess ools o bo h na u es ha e
eme ged o e ime, including high-di icul y asks, such as p og es-
si e ma ices o he S oop es (Fe ei a, 2019; Giana os e al.,
2005). Howe e , due o he need o s anda dized ools o yield
compa able esul s, p o ocols speci ically designed o s ess induc-
ion ha e become p e alen . Among hem, wo ha e s ood ou in
he li e a u e: he cold p esso es (CPT) (Lo allo, 1975), in which
he pa icipan mus imme se hei hand in ice wa e (physical
s esso ); and he ie social s ess es (TSST) (Ki schbaum
e al., 1993), whe e he pa icipan mus unde go a job in e iew
(psychological s esso ).
These wo s ess ools ha e been he gold s anda d in acu e s ess
induc ion. Howe e , i has been obse ed ha he ype o s esso
u ilized ac i a es di e en sys ems in ol ed in he s ess esponse.
Physical s esso s en ail ac i a ion o he au onomic ne ous sys em
(HPA axis) h ough an immedia e bodily eac ion ha equi es
ac i a ion o he hypo halamus and b ains em (Ul ich-Lai & He -
man, 2009). In con as , psychological s esso s ac i a e a eas such
as he halamus o on al lobes, wi h p e on al-limbic connec ions
ha consequen ly ac i a e he HPA axis (Dicke son & Kemeny,
2004). These di e ences lead o obse a ions ha he TSST appea s
o be mo e e ec i e in main aining ele a ed glucoco icoid le els
o e a longe pe iod (Schwabe e al., 2008). Howe e , physical
s esso s seem o ha e g ea e ease in ac i a ing he SAM axis
( ypically con olled ia blood p essu e, e.g., Ch ousos, 2009; Chu
e al., 2024; Lundbe g & F ankenhaeuse , 1980). Hence, he highe
concen a ion o glucoco icoids when pa icipan s a e exposed o
he TSST e sus he CPT could be ela ed o he na u e o he
s esso , making bo h ypes o s esso s ele an o elici ing expe i-
men al s ess (e.g., Skoluda e al., 2015).
The e o e, subsequen p o ocols ha e aimed o in eg a e bo h
he physical and psychological componen s o he s esso s. A new
e sion o he CPT, he socially e alua ed cold p esso es (SECPT)
(Schwabe e al., 2008), was c ea ed. Al hough he SECPT has
gene ally yielded be e esul s han he CPT, i does no elici as
high s ess esponses as he TSST (Schwabe & Wol , 2009; Smee s,
Ci e his a icle: San os-Ca asco, D., & De La Casa, L. G. (2025). Spanish Valida ion
o he Maas ich Acu e S ess Tes (MAST): A Cos -e ec i e S ess Induc ion P o ocol.
The Spanish Jou nal o Psychology 28, e1, 1–10. h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4
© The Au ho (s), 2025. Published by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess on behal o Uni e sidad Complu ense de Mad id and Colegio O icial de la Psicología de Mad id. This is an Open Access
a icle, dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion licence (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0), which pe mi s un es ic ed e-use, dis ibu ion and
ep oduc ion, p o ided he o iginal a icle is p ope ly ci ed.
Co esponding au ho : Luis Gonzalo De la Casa; Email: [email p o ec ed]
The Spanish Jou nal o Psychology (2025), 28, e1, 1–10
doi:10.1017/SJP.2025.4
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
2011). This led Smee s e al. (2012) o analyze which componen s
we e he mos e ec i e in hese p o ocols and me ge hem in o he
Maas ich Acu e S ess Tes (MAST). The MAST combines he
imme sion o he hand in o ice wa e as he physical s esso and a
complex a i hme ic ask as he psychological s esso . This ool has
been alida ed o elici obus physiological and psychological s ess
esponses (e.g., Capello & Ma kus, 2014; Meye e al., 2013; Shil on
e al., 2017; Smee s e al., 2012), being mo e e ec i e in elici ing
hese esponses han bo h he CPT and he SECPT and ha ing
simila benchma k alues o he TSST (Smee s e al., 2012).
Howe e , i should be no ed ha he e a e many ac o s in lu-
encing s ess eac i i y, such as psychopa hological isk. Thus,
highe basal le els o dep ession and anxie y a e associa ed wi h
inc eased physiological (Kible & Ma, 2004; Ligh e al., 1998) and
psychological s ess eac i i y (de Rooij e al., 2010). Howe e , o he
s udies e ealed ha indi iduals wi h highe dep essi e symp oms
exhibi a educed ca dio ascula esponse ollowing s esso expos-
u e (e.g., Chida & Hame , 2008; Phillips e al., 2011). On he o he
hand,indi idualswhope cei e he askascon ollableappea oha e
lowe s ess eac i i y (Glass e al., 1971). Ano he ac o in luencing
s ess eac i i y is sex, as some s udies ha e ound ha men end o
ha e highe eac i i y o acu e s ess han women (Ki schbaum e al.,
1992;Liue al.,2017). Fu he mo e, beyond he need o add ess all
hese a iables, an elemen ha appea s o be consis en ly o e looked
when conduc ing s ess esea ch is he cul u al ac o . Thus, i has
been ound ha he glucoco icoid esponse di e s among cul u es
(e.g., Mille & Ki schbaum, 2019; Souza-Tala ico e al., 2014). Con-
sequen ly, cul u al di e ences a e ound in s ess app aisal, coping,
eac i i y, and main enance (Be na di e al., 2019; Popa e al., 2014;
U iza e al., 2019), as well as pain belie s and ole ance (Hsieh e al.,
2010;Nayake al.,2000). A ecen me a-analysis by Mille and
Ki schbaum (2019) e alua ed eac i i y o he TSST in di e en
cul u es, epo ing ha Spanish people exhibi ed di e en le els o
s ess eac i i y han o he cul u es, suchas he Du ch and Aus alian
popula ion, whe e he MAST has al eady been alida ed (Smee s
e al., 2012 and Shil on e al., 2017, espec i ely).
The e o e, i is impo an o s anda dized s ess ools o be
alida ed ac oss cul u es, ensu ing hei e icacy beyond he popu-
la ion in which hey we e ini ially es ed. Howe e , o ou know-
ledge, no alida ion o he MAST has been conduc ed in he Spanish
popula ion o assess i s e icacy in elici ing SAM axis s ess
esponses. The p esen s udy aims o alida e and e alua e he
e icacy o he MAST in elici ing bo h psychological and physio-
logical s ess esponses in he Spanish popula ion.
F om his main objec i e, se e al speci ic objec i es and hypo h-
eses eme ge: (i) Analyze sex di e ences in eac i i y o acu e s ess.
I is expec ed o ind a g ea e s ess esponse in men han in
women. (ii) E alua e di e ences in s ess eac i i y depending on
baseline le els o dep ession, anxie y, and s ess. While we expec o
ind g ea e psychological eac i i y among pa icipan s wi h highe
baseline psychopa hological isk, he hypo hesis is unce ain
ega ding ca dio ascula eac i i y. (iii) Examine whe he he pe -
o mance index in men al a i hme ic o he MAST is ela ed o
s ess eac i i y. We expec o ind ha highe a i hme ic pe o m-
ance is associa ed wi h lowe eac i i y.
Me hod
Pa icipan s
To de e mine he equi ed sample size, an a-p io i powe analysis
was conduc ed using G*Powe so wa e ( e sion 3.1, Faul e al.,
2007), wi h αse a .05 and 1 βa .9. A e iew on s ess induc ion
s udies indica ed ha he ypically obse ed e ec size is medium o
high.Thus, beingconse a i e, o an e ec size es ima ed as medium
(ηp
2
= .06), is needed a minimum o 88 pa icipan s (selec ing F es s,
epea ed-measu es ANOVA in G*Powe , wi h ou g oups [G oup:
Expe imen al e sus Con ol × Sex: Men e sus Women]). An ici-
pa ing po en ial wi hd awals om he expe imen , a sample size
app oxima ely 30% la ge han necessa y was ec ui ed.
The e o e, he main sample consis ed o a o al o 120 pa ici-
pan s, who we e unde g adua e psychology s uden s a he Uni e -
si y o Se ille ha pa icipa ed in he s udy o cou se c edi s. These
da a we e collec ed as pa o a la ge s udy in ended o e alua e he
e ec s o s ess on p epulse inhibi ion o he s a le esponse and
cogni i e unc ion (San os-Ca asco and De la Casa, 2024). Rega d-
ing inclusion c i e ia, he s udy included young adul Spanish pa i-
cipan s who did no ha e a cu en o ecen his o y (las 6 mon hs)
o any psychological, neu ological, endoc ine, o ca dio ascula dis-
o de , no d ug consump ion (alcohol, psychoac i e d ugs, and o he
subs ances). In addi ion, i was e i ied ha hey did no p esen a
baseline isk sco e o dep ession, anxie y, o s ess h ough he
DASS-21 scale. Thus, ou o he o al o 120 pa icipan s, one was
excluded o p esen ing hype ension alues and 23 we e excluded
o ha ing high sco es in he DASS-21 classi ied as “Se e e”o
“Ex emely Se e e”( ollowing he guidelines o Shields e al., 2020).
This le a o al sample o 96 pa icipan s, who we e andomly
assigned o wo g oups: Expe imen al G oup (n= 47; M/W: 18/29)
and Con ol G oup (n= 49; M/W = 16/33). The mean age o he
g oups was simila , wi h 20.55 yea s (SD = 3.16) o he Expe i-
men al G oup and 21.29 yea s (SD = 4.19) o he Con ol G oup.
Howe e , in seconda y analyses, whe e he ela ionship be ween
dep ession, anxie y, and s ess le els wi h s ess eac i i y was
examined, he comple e sample was conside ed excep o he
pa icipan wi h hype ension (n= 119; Con ol G oup = 60 pa i-
cipan s [M/W = 21/39]; Expe imen al G oup = 59 pa icipan s
[M/W = 21/38]).
Ins umen s
Dep ession, anxie y and s ess scale (DASS-21)
The Dep ession, Anxie y, and S ess Scale (DASS-21) de eloped by
Lo ibond & Lo ibond (1995) was adminis e ed. This sel -
adminis e ed scale consis s o a o al o 21 Like - ype i ems wi h
ou op ions, making i a cos -e ec i e sc eening ool o de ec ing
dep essi e, anxious, o s ess symp oms (e.g., Ruiz e al., 2017). The
Spanish alida ed e sion by Daza e al. (2002) was u ilized. This
e sion has demons a ed high le els o in e nal consis ency in bo h
Spanish uni e si y and gene al popula ions, wi h C onbach’s alpha
coe icien s anging om 0.90 o 0.95 (Fonseca-Ped e o e al., 2010;
Ruiz e al., 2017). The subscales show alpha alues be ween 0.80 and
0.92 o he dep ession subscale, 0.73–0.87 o he anxie y subscale,
and 0.81 o 0.86 o he s ess subscale. In addi ion, i p esen s good
le els o con e gen , disc iminan , and in e nal alidi y (Daza e al.,
2002), wi h a hie a chical ac o s uc u e o h ee i s -o de
ac o s (dep ession, anxie y, and s ess) and a second-o de ac o
(emo ional symp oms) (e.g., Fonseca-Ped e o e al., 2010; Ruiz
e al., 2017). In he cu en sample, C onbach’s alpha coe icien s
we e 0.85, 0.81, 0.62, and 0.68 o he o al sco e o he DASS-21 and
he subscales o dep ession, anxie y, and s ess, espec i ely.
Maas ich acu e s ess es (MAST)
To induce acu e s ess, he s anda dized MAST p o ocol (Smee s
e al., 2012) was used, which has been alida ed o inducing bo h
2 Daniel San os-Ca asco and Luis Gonzalo De la Casa
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
physiological and psychological s ess (e.g., Moses e al., 2023;
Shil on e al., 2017). To adap he MAST p o ocol o he Spanish
sample, wo independen ansla ions we e pe o med by wo
ansla o s, ollowing he back- ansla ion p ocedu e acco ding o
in e na ional guidelines and ecommenda ions (Muñiz e al., 2013;
Muñiz & Ba am, 2007). Speci ically, a bilingual na i e Spanish–
English ansla o ansla ed he MAST p o ocol om English o
Spanish. Then, a bilingual na i e English–Spanish ansla o ans-
la ed he p o ocol om Spanish back in o English. Following his,
he scale was e ansla ed in o Spanish by an independen e iewe
using he back- ansla ion p ocedu e. Finally, disc epancies
be ween he o iginal p o ocol and he back- ansla ed e sion we e
esol ed by membe s o he esea ch eam. Subsequen ly, a pilo es
was conduc ed wi h i e Spanish pa icipan s ( wo males, h ee
emales; aged 18–27 yea s) o ensu e comp ehension o all ins uc-
ions. A e making necessa y co ec ions, he inal e sion o he
MAST o he Spanish popula ion was ob ained.
Pa icipan s in he expe imen al g oup unde wen he MAST
p o ocol, which s a s wi h a 5 min p epa a ion pe iod whe e hey
ead ins uc ions on Powe Poin slides. This was ollowed by a
10 min s ess induc ion phase, combining psychological and phys-
ical s ess ials. Du ing he psychological ials, pa icipan s coun
backwa ds om 2043 in s eps o 17, and du ing he physical ials,
hey imme se hei hand in cold wa e (4–6°C). The expe imen e
con inuously moni o s hem, p o iding only nega i e eedback,
and pa icipan s belie e hey a e being ideo aped. The con ol
g oup pe o med a non-s ess- ela ed ask, al e na ing be ween
subme ging hei hand in wa m wa e (35–37°C) and coun ing
aloud om 1 o 25. The e was no pe o mance e alua ion o
ideo aping in he con ol g oup.
Asano el elemen compa ed op e iouss udiesusing heMAST,
he co ec a i hme ical esponses o pa icipan s in he expe imen al
g oup we e egis e ed du ing he psychological s ess ials.
S a e- ai anxie y in en o y (STAI)
To assess ai anxie y a baseline, he STAI was adminis e ed in i s
ai e sion o sc een o pa icipan s wi h ele a ed anxie y le els.
This sel - epo scale, de eloped by Spielbe ge e al. (1982),
includes he ai anxie y subscale (STAI-T), consis ing o 20 Like -
ype i ems wi h ou esponse op ions. In addi ion, o e alua e
changes in s a e anxie y om baseline (p io o MAST) o pos -
s ess, he s a e anxie y subscale o he STAI (STAI-S) was admin-
is e ed jus be o e and immedia ely a e comple ing he p o ocol.
This subscale also comp ises 20 Like - ype i ems bu ocuses on
assessing cu en le els o anxie y.
The Spanish e sion o he in en o y was used (Buela-Casal
e al., 2011). This e sion has a escaled sco ing ( anging om 0 o
3 poin s), esul ing in a o al sco e anging om 0 o 60. This e sion
o he STAI demons a es high in e nal consis ency, wi h C on-
bach’s alpha alues anging om 0.80 o 0.97 o he STAI-S, and
be ween 0.88 and 0.95 o he STAI-T (Fonseca-Ped e o e al., 2012;
Guillén Riquelme & Buela Casal, 2011; O uño Sie a e al., 2016).
The scale demons a es good es - e es eliabili y and e idence
suppo ing i s in e nal s uc u e o bo h he h ee- ac o (Guillén
Riquelme & Buela Casal, 2011) and ou - ac o models (Fonseca-
Ped e o e al., 2012; O uño Sie a e al., 2016). I also shows
concu en alidi y when compa ed wi h o he anxie y scales such
as he IPAT, TMAS, and Bu ns-A (O uño Sie a e al., 2016).
In he cu en sample, C onbach’s alpha coe icien s we e 0.89,
0.89, and 0.92 o he STAI-T, he STAI-S be o e he MAST and he
STAI-S a e he MAST, espec i ely. Tempo al s abili y was cal-
cula ed using he es - e es eliabili y coe icien known as
in aclass co ela ion coe icien (ICC, selec ing wo-way andom
o absolu e ag eemen o he a e age measu e). To do his, he da a
om he con ol g oup and he expe imen al g oup we e analyzed
sepa a ely, as each unde wen a di e en ea men (s ess induc-
ion ia MAST o a s ess- ee ask). In he cu en sample, he ICC
o he STAI-S in he con ol g oup was 0.88, and o he expe i-
men al g oup, i was 0.73 (all p’s <.001).
Posi i e a ec and nega i e a ec scales (PANAS)
The PANAS scale (Wa son e al., 1988) was also adminis e ed
be o e he MAST and immedia ely a e s ess induc ion. This scale
assesses bo h posi i e and nega i e a ec h ough wo subscales o
10 i ems each, whe e pa icipan s a e how hey cu en ly iden i y
wi h a ious posi i e (posi i e a ec ) and nega i e (nega i e a ec )
i ems on a scale om 1 o 5. The Spanish e sion o he PANAS
(Sandin e al., 1999) was u ilized. This e sion o he PANAS
demons a es high in e nal consis ency, wi h C onbach’s alpha
alues anging om 0.86 o 0.90 o he posi i e a ec subscale
and om 0.84 o 0.91 o he nega i e a ec subscale, bo h in
uni e si y s uden s and he gene al popula ion (e.g., O uño-Sie a
e al., 2015; Sandin e al., 1999). In addi ion, he scale shows
e idence suppo ing i s in e nal s uc u e o bo h a wo-dimension
a ec model (Sandin e al., 1999) and a h ee-dimension model
(O uño-Sie a e al., 2015).
In he cu en sample, C onbach’s alpha coe icien s we e 0.75,
0.82, and 0.89 o he o al sco e o he PANAS, and he subscales o
posi i e and nega i e a ec be o e he MAST, espec i ely. A e he
MAST, he alpha alues o hese indices we e 0.74, 0.85, and 0.90.
In addi ion, empo al s abili y was calcula ed h ough he es –
e es eliabili y coe icien known as ICC (selec ing wo-way an-
dom o absolu e ag eemen o he a e age measu e). To do his, he
da a om he con ol g oup and he expe imen al g oup we e
analyzed sepa a ely, as each unde wen a di e en ea men
(s ess induc ion ia MAST o a s ess- ee ask). In he cu en
sample, he ICC alue o posi i e a ec was 0.91, and o nega i e
a ec , i was 0.77 o he con ol g oup. Fo he expe imen al g oup,
he ICC alues we e 0.79 and 0.66 o he posi i e and nega i e
a ec subscales, espec i ely (all p’s < .001).
Physiological s ess measu es
Pa ame e s di ec ly ela ed o he sympa he ic-ad enal-medulla y
(SAM) axis we e moni o ed, as his sys em p o ides eliable ma ke s
o s ess eac i i y (e.g., Ch ousos, 2009;Chue al.,2024;Skoludae al.,
2015). Thus, sys olic blood p essu e (SBP), dias olic blood p essu e
(DBP), as well as hea a e (HR) we e e alua ed. These measu emen s
we e egis e ed wi h an au oma ic oscillome e w is cu posi ioned on
he uppe pa icipan ’s a m (Medisana MTP PLUS) a de ice al eady
alida ed in p e ious s udies (E dem e al., 2011).
The physiological s ess measu emen s we e egis e ed a ou
consecu i e ime poin s o each pa icipan o ob ain a comp e-
hensi e moni o ing o he du a ion o acu e s ess a he physio-
logical le el. Thus, measu emen s we e ex ended up o 30 min
ollowing exposu e o he p o ocol, ollowing he p ocedu e ou -
lined by Shil on e al. (2017). Acco dingly, measu emen s we e
ob ained a baseline be o e he s ess induc ion p o ocol [TBase],
immedia ely a e comple ing he MAST [T0], and a 15 [T15] and
35 min [T35] a e p o ocol comple ion.
P ocedu e
This s udy was app o ed by he Resea ch E hics Commi ee o he
Uni e si y o Se ille (0559-N23). The expe imen al sessions we e
The Spanish Jou nal o Psychology 3
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
conduc ed be ween 9:00 AM and 7:00 PM in an isola ed oom.
Pa icipan s we e ins uc ed no o consume ca eina ed, ene gy, o
suga y d inks, as well as o a oid hea y meals, nico ine, alcohol, o
o he d ugs, and in ense physical exe cise in he 2 h p eceding he
s udy. Upon a i al, pa icipan s ead he s udy in o ma ion shee ,
and hey olun a ily decided o pa icipa e by signing he in o med
consen o m. Subsequen ly, pa icipan s we e in e iewed o check
inclusion c i e ia, a e which hey comple ed he DASS-21, STAI-
T, STAI-S, and PANAS scales, ollowed by he ini ial measu emen
o blood p essu e and hea a e [TBase]. A e wa d, pa icipan s
we e exposed o ei he he MAST p o ocol o he non-s ess- ela ed
con ol ask. Upon comple ion, physiological and psychological
s ess measu es we e eassessed [T0]. Blood p essu e and hea a e
we e ee alua ed a 15 [T15] and 35 min [T35] ollowing MAST
exposu e.
Da a analysis
All s a is ical analyses we e conduc ed using e sion 29 o SPSS. To
de e mine he signi icance, alpha was se a 0.05 o all es s. Omega
squa ed (ω
2
) was used as he e ec size measu e in all ANOVA
analyses. In addi ion, he assump ion o no mali y was es ed using
he Shapi o-Wilk no mali y es . The G eenhouse–Geisse co ec-
ion was applied when he sphe ici y assump ion was iola ed, as
e i ied using Mauchly’s sphe ici y es . Pos -hoc analyses using
Bon e oni co ec ion o mul iple compa isons we e pe o med.
The Bon e oni me hod was chosen as i is su icien ly conse a i e
and less suscep ible o Type I e o s due o i s limi s on alpha
in la ion (e.g., McHugh, 2011; Midway e al., 2020). When he
assump ion o no mali y was no me , he co esponding non-
pa ame ic es was u ilized. The e was no missing da a.
Resul s
Demog aphic and baseline di e ences
To assess age and sex di e ences be ween g oups, Mann–Whi ney’s
es s we e used. The e we e no di e ences be ween g oups in e ms
o age (u= 1210.5, p= .65, d= .05) no sex (u= 1086.5, p= .57,
d= .06).
Mean sco es on he DASS-21 subscales (dep ession, anxie y, and
s ess) and STAI-T a e shown in Table 1. A mixed 2 × 2 ANOVA
(G oup: Expe imen al e sus Con ol × Sex: Men e sus Women)
was conduc ed on DASS-21 subscales and STAI-T sco es. The main
e ec o G oup was no signi ican in any case (all F’s < 1). The main
e ec o Sex on s ess and ai anxie y sco es was signi ican ,
F(1.92) = 3.97, p= .049, ω
2
=.03,andF(1.92) = 7.77, p= .006,
ω
2
= .065, espec i ely, wi h women epo ing highe le els o bo h
s ess and ai anxie y han men. The main e ec o sex on dep ession
sco e was non-signi ican (p= .215). Only he G oup × Sex in e ac ion
o he anxie y sco e was signi ican , F(1.92) = 11.23, p= .001, ω
2
=.096
(all p’s > .15 o he emaining in e ac ions). Pos -hoc compa isons
(Bon e oni co ec ion o mul iple compa isons, p_bon < .05) con-
duc ed o iden i y he sou ce o he G oup × Sex in e ac ion e ealed
ha women in he con ol g oup epo ed mo e anxie y han men bu
he opposi e occu ed in he expe imen al g oup.
Physiological and psychological s ess esponses
Rega ding physiological s ess esponses, p elimina y one-way
ANOVAswe econduc edonbaselineSBP,DBP,andHRwi hG oup
and Sex as main ac o s (G oups: Con ol e sus Expe imen al × Sex:
Men e sus Women). The main e ec o g oups was non-signi ican
o allca dio ascula measu es(all F’s≤1).Howe e ,signi ican main
e ec s o sex we e ound o SBP (F(1.92) = 10.57, p= .002, ω
2
=.092)
and HR alues (F(1.92) = 4.05, p= .047, ω
2
= .031), wi h women
p esen ing lowe SBP and highe HR han men. Nei he he main
e ec o sex o DBP no any G oup × Sex in e ac ion was signi ican
(all p’s > .29). Themeans,s anda d de ia ions, and s a is ics o all he
one-way ANOVA compa isons conduc ed a e gi en in Table S1
(Supplemen a y Ma e ial).
The mean sco es o SBP a e displayed in Figu e 1. The analyses
o SBP we e conduc ed wi h a 2 × 2 × 4 epea ed measu es mixed
ANOVA (G oup: Con ol e sus Expe imen al × Sex: Men e sus
Women × Pe iod: TBaseline e sus T0 e sus T15 e sus T35). The
main e ec o Pe iod was signi ican , F(3.276) = 4.13, p= .007,
ω
2
= .007, e ealing a p og essi e educ ion o SBP in bo h g oups.
The Pe iod × G oup in e ac ion was also signi ican , F(3.276) = 8.07,
p< .001, ω
2
= .017. Pos -hoc analyses (Bon e oni co ec ion o
mul iple compa isons, p_bon < .05) e ealed ha he in e ac ion
was due o a g adual educ ion in SBP o he Con ol G oup, and
an inc ease o he Expe imen al G oup om TBaseline o T0
(immedia ely a e he MAST p o ocol). The SBP peak in he expe i-
men al g oup a T0 was signi ican ly highe han all o he ime poin s
(all p’s bon < .042). The main e ec o G oup and Sex was also
signi ican , F(1.92) = 10.46, p= .002, ω
2
= .048, and F(1.92) = 21.88,
p< .001, ω
2
= .101, espec i ely. The main e ec o G oup was due o
pa icipan s in he Expe imen al G oup showing an o e all highe SBP
Table 1. Mean sco es o STAI-T and DASS-21 (dep ession, anxie y, and s ess
subscales) be o e expe imen al ea men and STAI-S, PANAS+, and PANAS-
sco es be o e and a e esponse o he MAST in bo h g oups, s a i ied by
gende . S anda d de ia ions appea be ween b acke s
Con ol g oup Expe imen al g oup
Men Women Men Women
STAI-T baseline 14.56 22.88 18.89 21.48
(6.66) (10.39) (9.27) (8.71)
DASS-D baseline 2.37 3.82 3.00 3.10
(2.60) (3.14) (3.03) (2.68)
DASS-A baseline 1.75 3.73 3.67 2.65
(1.44) (2.01) (2.27) (2.33)
DASS-S baseline 5.62 7.54 6.11 6.62
(3.61) (2.83) (2.49) (2.61)
STAI-S p e 12.75 15.15 14.00 14.10
(8.21) (8.34) (7.32) (5.49)
STAI-S pos 10.50 13.27 18.78 17.83
(7.62) (8.19) (9.35) (8.28)
PANAS + p e 37.69 36.36 36.83 34.97
(5.09) (5.99) (4.57) (5.62)
PANAS + Pos 37.00 35.76 35.39 33.52
(6.41) (5.93) (4.67) (6.17)
PANAS- p e 14.06 15.61 14.78 13.69
(4.57) (6.60) (5.15) (3.29)
PANAS- pos 12.94 14.27 16.00 16.59
(3.89) (4.96) (5.04) (6.61)
4 Daniel San os-Ca asco and Luis Gonzalo De la Casa
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
han he Con ol G oup. The main e ec o Sex e lec s lowe SBP
alues o women han o men a all ime poin s in bo h g oups.
Nei he he Pe iod × Sex, G oup × Sex, no he h ee-way in e ac ions
we e signi ican (all p’s>.13).
All DBP esul s ob ained by he pa icipan s can be obse ed in
Figu e 2. A 2 × 2 × 4 epea ed-measu es mixed ANOVA was
conduc ed on DBP sco es (G oup: Con ol e sus Expe imen al ×
Sex: Men e sus Women × Pe iod: TBaseline e sus T0 e sus T15
e sus T35). Mauchly’s es o sphe ici y indica ed a iola ion o he
sphe ici y assump ion o DBP measu es, so he G eenhouse-Geisse
co ec ion was used. The main e ec o Pe iod was signi ican ,
F(2.224) = 4.39, p= .009, ω
2
= .009, showing a p og essi e dec ease
o DBP in bo h g oups. The Pe iod × G oup in e ac ion was also
signi ican , F(2.224) = 6.13, p= .001, ω
2
= .013. Pos -hoc analyses
(Bon e oni co ec ion o mul iple compa isons, p_bon < .05)
e ealed ha while he Con ol G oup exhibi ed a g adual educ ion
in DBP om baseline, pa icipan s in he Expe imen al G oup expe i-
enced a con inuous inc ease in DBP, peaking a e heMAST (T0) wi h
le els signi ican ly highe han hose a baseline and T35 (bo h p’s
bon < .001), bu compa able o T15 (p_bon = 1). The main e ec o
G oup was signi ican , F(1.92) = 9.09, p= .003, ω
2
= .042. This e ec
was due o highe DBP in he Expe imen al compa ed o he Con ol
G oup. Nei he he main e ec o sex no he emaining in e ac ions
we e signi ican (all p’s>.06).
The HR alues h oughou he expe imen can be obse ed in
Figu e 3. A 2 × 2 × 4 epea ed-measu es mixed ANOVA (G oup:
Con ol e sus Expe imen al × Sex: Men e sus Women × Pe iod:
TBaseline e sus T0 e sus T15 e sus T35), wi h G eenhouse-Geisse
co ec ion, was applied o he HR esul s. The analyses e ealed a
signi ican main e ec o Pe iod, F(3.252) = 5.15, p= .002, ω
2
= .009,
due o a p og essi e dec ease in HR ac oss ime poin s in bo h g oups.
No mo e signi ican di e ences appea ed (all p’s>.07).
Rega ding he psychological s ess measu es, a one-way ANOVA
wi h G oup and Sex as main ac o s (G oup: Con ol e sus Expe i-
men al × Sex: Men e sus Women) was conduc ed on p e-induc ion
pe iod sco es (baseline). Nei he he main e ec s no any in e ac ion
esul ed signi ican (all ps > .31).
All psychological s ess measu es alues a e depic ed in Table 1
and we e submi ed o a 2 × 2 × 2 epea ed measu es mixed
ANOVA (G oup: Con ol e sus Expe imen al × Sex: Men e sus
Women × Pe iod: P e- e sus Pos -manipula ion). Rega ding
changes in s a e anxie y, a main e ec o G oup was obse ed, F
(1.92) = 4.31, p= .041, ω
2
= .017, wi h pa icipan s in he Expe i-
men al G oup showing highe anxie y le els han hose in he
Con ol G oup. The Pe iod × G oup in e ac ion was also signi i-
can , F(1.92) = 26.71, p< .001, ω
2
= .035. Pos -hoc analyses
(Bon e oni co ec ion o mul iple compa isons, p_bon < .05)
e ealed a signi ican inc ease in anxie y om p e- o pos -MAST
pe iod in he Expe imen al G oup, bu a educ ion in he Con ol
G oup. Nei he he main e ec s o Pe iod and Sex, no any o he
in e ac ions we e signi ican (all p’s > .07).
Fo posi i e a ec sco es, he main e ec o Pe iod was signi i-
can , F(1.92) = 6.09, p= .01, ω
2
= .007, indica ing a educ ion in
posi i e a ec in bo h g oups om he p e- o pos -manipula ion.
All o he compa isons we e non-signi ican (all p’s > .17). Rega d-
ing nega i e a ec , he Pe iod × G oup in e ac ion esul ed signi i-
can , F(1.92) = 10.92, p= .001, ω
2
= .021. Pos -hoc compa isons
(Bon e oni co ec ion o mul iple compa isons, p_bon < .05)
e ealed a signi ican inc ease in nega i e a ec om he p e- o
pos -MAST pe iod o he Expe imen al bu a educ ion o he
Con ol G oup. The s a is ics o all he mixed epea ed measu es
ANOVA compa isons conduc ed a e gi en in Table S2 (Supplemen a y
Ma e ial).
Co ela ions be ween s ess eac i i y, a i hme ical
pe o mance, and psychological measu es
The pe o mance in he men al a i hme ic ask o he MAST was
co ela ed wi h s ess eac i i y measu es. These analyses only
conside ed da a om pa icipan s in he Expe imen al G oup, since
he Con ol G oup did no unde go his ask. The sco es on he ou
Figu e 1. Mean sys olic blood p essu e alues be o e and a e he MAST o Con ol
and Expe imen al g oups, s a i ied by gende . E o ba s ep esen SEMs.
Figu e 2. Mean dias olic blood p essu e alues be o e and a e he MAST o Con ol
and Expe imen al g oups, s a i ied by gende . E o ba s ep esen SEMs.
Figu e 3. Mean hea a e alues and a e he MAST o Con ol and Expe imen al
g oups, s a i ied by gende . E o ba s ep esen SEMs.
The Spanish Jou nal o Psychology 5
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
men al a i hme ic ials as well as he o al pe o mance we e
co ela ed wi h he s ess eac i i y coe icien s. Nega i e signi ican
co ela ions we e ound be ween he o al pe o mance in men al
a i hme ic and STAI-S eac i i y ( ho = .29, p= .043), and
be ween he STAI-S eac i i y and pe o mance in men al a i h-
me ic in he i s ial ( ho = .39, p= .007). All o he co ela ions
we e non-signi ican (all p’s > .05). The g aphical ep esen a ion o
all co ela ions in a hea map and he sca e plo depic ing he
ela ionship be ween anxious eac i i y and o al a i hme ic pe -
o mance can be obse ed in le and igh sec ions o Figu e 4,
espec i ely.
Fo he ollowing analyses, he o al sample (n= 119) was
conside ed o see i he e we e di e ences in s ess esponse based
on whe he pa icipan s had psychopa hological isk (“Se e e”o
“Ex emely Se e e”sco es) o no (“No mal”o “Mode a e”sco es)
based on hei sco es on he DASS-21. Fi s , sco es on he DASS-21
and STAI-T scales we e co ela ed wi h s ess eac i i y coe icien s
and a i hme ic pe o mance. None o he co ela ions we e signi-
ican (all p’s > .05). Nex , epea ed-measu es ANOVAs (Risk:
Psychopa hological isk e sus Low isk × Pe iod: P e- e sus Pos -
manipula ion) we e conduc ed. No di e ences we e ound be ween
subjec s in physiological eac i i y (all p’s > .53), bu di e ences
we e ound in wo o he psychological s ess measu es. Speci ically,
pa icipan s wi h highe psychopa hological isk exhibi ed highe
le els o s a e anxie y (F(1.115) = 16.34, p< .001, ω
2
= .062) and
nega i e a ec (F(1.115) = 13.54, p< .001, ω
2
= .051) bo h p e- and
pos -MAST as compa ed o he non- isk g oup. Figu e 5 depic s he
alues ob ained by pa icipan s wi h highe and lowe psychopa-
hological isk in s a e anxie y (le sec ion) and nega i e a ec
( igh sec ion).
Discussion
The p esen s udy was aimed o alida e he MAST in he Spanish
popula ion. The esul s indica ed ha he expe imen al g oup
showed an inc ease in SBP and DBP om baseline o immedia ely
a e he MAST. Mo eo e , an inc eased psychological s ess
eac i i y was ound, as e idenced by he augmen ed s a e anxie y
and nega i e a ec om baseline o pos -MAST in he expe imen al
g oup. In addi ion, pa icipan s wi h highe psychopa hological isk
(dep ession, anxie y, and s ess subscales om he DASS-21) exhib-
i ed highe s a e anxie y and nega i e a ec sco es bo h be o e and
a e exposu e o he s esso . Finally, a signi ican co ela ion was
ound be ween ma h pe o mance and anxie y eac i i y, indica ing
ha pa icipan s wi h highe a i hme ic pe o mance exhibi ed
lowe anxie y eac i i y ollowing MAST.
The inc eases om baseline o pos -MAST pe iod obse ed in
he Expe imen al G oup o SBP and DBP a e consis en wi h
p e ious s udies using his p o ocol (e.g., Smee s e al., 2012; Shil on
e al., 2017), suppo ing i s abili y o elici obus au onomic
esponses. Howe e , he e was a educed HR a iabili y, which in
ac may indica e he e ec i e unc ioning o he homeos a ic
sys em whe eby HR eco e y pos -s esso exposu e is ela i ely
as (e.g., Goswami e al., 2010; Shil on e al., 2017; S ep oe e al.,
2003). As o he sexual di e ences, i was ound ha women
exhibi ed lowe SBP and highe HR han men a baseline, a sexual
disc epancy in ca dio ascula indexes ha is consis en wi h p e-
ious s udies (e.g., Ben-Do e al., 2008). Howe e , he e we e no
sexual di e ences in DBP, possibly due o he g ea e sensi i i y o
SBP in de ec ing such di e ences (e.g., Kajan ie & Phillips, 2006).
On he o he hand, no sexual di e ences we e ound in s ess
eac i i y, di e ging om indings in s udies whe e highe eac i i y
is gene ally obse ed among men (e.g., Ki schbaum e al., 1992;
Kudielka & Ki schbaum, 2005; Liu e al., 2017). This disc epancy
may be due o he lack o con ol o mens ual cycle ho monal
luc ua ions o sexual o ien a ion, ac o s known o in luence s ess
esponse (Jus e e al., 2015; Ki schbaum e al., 1999). In addi ion, i
is wo h no ing ha p e ious s udies using he MAST and ca dio-
ascula measu es o assess physiological s ess eac i i y did no
e alua e sexual di e ences, which may sugges he insensi i i y o
his s esso in elici ing sex-dependen s ess esponses.
Pa icipan s in he Expe imen al G oup showed a signi ican
inc ease in s a e anxie y and nega i e a ec om baseline o pos -
exposu e, unlike he Con ol G oup, which showed a dec ease.
This aligns wi h s udies epo ing inc eased nega i e s a es in
MAST pa icipan s (e.g., Bos e al., 2014; Meye e al., 2013;
Smee s e al., 2012). The educ ion in he Con ol G oup likely
e lec s habi ua ion o he expe imen al oom, p e iously
Figu e 4. Hea map o co ela ions be ween a i hme ical pe o mance and s ess eac i i y coe icien s. S a is ical di e ences a e ep esen ed by * (p≤.05) and ** (p≤.01) (le
sec ion), and Sca e plo o he co ela ion be ween o al a i hme ical pe o mance and s a e anxie y eac i i y ( igh sec ion). Do ed lines ep esen he 95% mean con iden
in e al.
No e. Abb e ia ions: DBP, dias olic blood p essu e; HR, hea a e; MA-1, a i hme ical pe o mance in he i s ial; MA-2, a i hme ical pe o mance in he second ial; MA-3,
a i hme ical pe o mance in he hi d ial; MA-4, a i hme ical pe o mance in he ou h ial; MA-T, o al a i hme ical pe o mance; PANAS-, nega i e a ec ; PANAS+, posi i e a ec ;
SBP, sys olic blood p essu e; STAI-S, s a e anxie y
6 Daniel San os-Ca asco and Luis Gonzalo De la Casa
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
documen ed as a po en ially h ea ening si ua ion (e.g., Nash &
Heiss, 1967;So oe al.,2012). Bo h g oups expe ienced a decline
in posi i e a ec , possibly due o he mono onous na u e o he
asks (e.g., Chin e al., 2017;Rubenking,2017). Con a y o ou
ini ial hypo heses, no sex di e ences appea ed in psychological
s ess eac i i y, possibly due o he insensi i i y o he psycho-
logical scales (e.g., Lim e al., 2020;T o imo a,2013)o heMAST
i sel .
To his poin , ha ing es ablished he e ec i eness o he MAST,
we can s a e ha his p o ocol has been alida ed in a young-adul
Spanish sample. Howe e , gi en ha he na u e o his alida ion
inhe en ly conside s cul u al di e ences in s ess eac i i y (e.g.,
Be na di e al., 2019; Souza-Tala ico e al., 2014; U iza e al., 2019),
i is ele an o discuss whe he he esul s ound in he Spanish
sample a e simila o hose ound in o he cul u es. Thus, ou esul s
on psychological s ess eac i i y we e simila o ha o p e ious
s udies (e.g., Smee s e al., 2012; Shil on e al., 2017; Bos e al., 2014),
wi h he impossibili y o e i ying simila i y in e ms o he du -
a ion o psychological s ess since we only egis e ed hem a wo
ime poin s (p e- and pos -MAST). As o ca dio ascula eac i i y,
Smee s e al. (2012) ound a signi ican BP inc ease om baseline
a e MAST in Du ch people, and a e u n o baseline alues a e
5 min (Smee s e al., 2012). Simila ly, a subsequen s udy, also wi h
Du ch popula ion, ound ha BP peak pe sis ed un il 10 min a e
MAST exposu e (Bos e al., 2014). In a sample o Aus alian
popula ion, i appea ed an inc ease in BP om baseline o 20 min
a e MAST exposu e (Shil on e al., 2017).
A me a-analysis by Mille and Ki schbaum (2019) ound ha
Spanish and Du ch popula ions show lowe s ess esponses a e
TSST compa ed o Aus alians, who exhibi highe eac i i y. Ou
indings align wi h his, as he ca dio ascula s ess esponse in ou
Expe imen al G oup was sho -li ed, simila o he Du ch sample,
whe eas o he s udies ound mo e sus ained esponses, like in
Aus alians. No ably, acu e s ess measu ed wi h glucoco icoids
(e.g., sali a y co isol -HPA axis-) ypically las s longe han wi h
ca dio ascula esponses (e.g., SAM axis) (e.g., Hidalgo e al.,
2020;Mi e ee al.,2021; Smee s e al., 2012). The e o e, he sho
du a ion o ca dio ascula s ess esponse e lec s he au onomic
sys em’s quick ac ion o es o e homeos asis (e.g., Goswami
e al., 2010;S ep oee al.,2003). The signi ican di e ences
obse ed con i m he MAST p o ocol’s success in gene a ing
acu e s ess. Thus, MAST is e ec i e in elici ing obus au o-
nomic s ess esponses in he Spanish popula ion, using bo h
physical and psychological s esso s o analyze e ec s on beha -
io and cogni ion.
In addi ion, he esul s e ealed ha pa icipan s wi h he high-
es psychopa hological isk exhibi ed he g ea es le els o anxie y
and nega i e a ec bo h be o e and immedia ely a e he MAST.
This suppo s ou hypo hesis, as well as eplica es p e ious indings
indica ing ha pa icipan s wi h highe anxie y and dep ession
sco es display g ea e psychological s ess eac i i y (e.g., de Rooij
e al., 2010). Howe e , we did no ind di e ences be ween g oups in
physiological measu es, unlike o he s udies ha ha e epo ed
ei he an inc ease (Kible & Ma, 2004; Ligh e al., 1998)o a
educ ion (Chida & Hame , 2008; Phillips e al., 2011) in ca dio-
ascula s ess eac i i y. Rega ding a i hme ic pe o mance, we
ound ha pa icipan s wi h highe pe o mance showed a educed
change in anxie y le els om baseline o he pos -MAST pe iod.
This is consis en wi h a key elemen in s ess induc ion, namely he
sense o uncon ollabili y (e.g., Dicke son & Kemeny, 2004; Shields,
2020). Thus, when pa icipan s pe cei e asks as con ollable, hey
epo lowe le els o s ess eac i i y (e.g., Glass e al., 1971),
sugges ing ha ha ing con ol o e he a i hme ical ask would
lead o pe cei ing i as con ollable, he eby inc easing sel -e icacy,
which, in u n, is associa ed wi h lowe s ess le els (e.g., Nie op
e al., 2008). Howe e , hese esul s should be in e p e ed wi h
cau ion since, o ou knowledge, his is he i s ime ha he
a i hme ic index om he MAST has been independen ly analyzed.
Mo eo e , as no baseline assessmen o he pa icipan s’a i hme ic
pe o mance was conduc ed, i is no possible o de e mine whe he
highe a i hme ical pe o mance in luences s ess eac i i y, o ice
e sa
Some possible limi a ions o ou s udy mus be conside ed. Thus,
i could ha e been ele an o eco d mo e ime poin s om MAST
p o ocol p esen a ion o he psychological s ess assessmen o
e alua e changes in subjec i e s ess. Mo eo e , pa icipan s in ou
s udy pe o med some cogni i e asks a e he pos -MAST meas-
u emen s. While hese asks we e no s ess ul in na u e, hey could
ha e induced changes in BP o HR measu emen s. Howe e , his
seems unlikely gi en ha all pa icipan s (bo h in Con ol and
Expe imen al g oups) pe o med he same asks, he asks we e ully
coun e balanced, and he esul s o ca dio ascula eac i i y we e
simila o p e ious epo s using he MAST. In u u e s udies, i
would be in e es ing o compa e he ex en o which acu e s ess
eac i i y o he s esso is simila o baseline alues in indi iduals
a ec ed by pa hological acu e s ess, aiming o e alua e he ecological
alidi y o he MAST. In addi ion, i is impo an o no e ha he
ela ionship be ween a i hme ic pe o mance and s ess eac i i y is
di icul o disce n in his s udy because we do no ha e a baseline
measu e o a i hme ic pe o mance. Fu u e s udies using he MAST
Figu e 5. Mean alues o s a e anxie y (le sec ion) and nega i e a ec ( igh sec ion) be o e and a e he MAST o Con ol and Expe imen al g oups, s a i ied by he le el o
psychopa hological isk. E o ba s ep esen SEMs.
The Spanish Jou nal o Psychology 7
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
should include a baseline a i hme ic measu e o explo e his ela-
ionship in dep h, conside ing he possible ole o sel -e icacy in
subjec i e s ess induc ion. Finally, con inuing he esea ch ini ia ed
by Mille and Ki schbaum (2019) o u he alida e hese expe i-
men al s esso s ac oss di e en cul u es will enable compa isons o
s ess eac i i y be ween cul u es.
In summa y, ou s udy es ed he e icacy o he MAST o induce
obus acu e s ess esponses in a sample o young Spanish adul s.
Speci ically, pa icipan s exposed o he MAST, as opposed o
con ols, exhibi ed a signi ican inc ease in s a e anxie y, nega i e
a ec , as well as a ise in SBP and DBP. The e o e, we ha e alida ed
MAST as an e ec i e s ess induc ion p o ocol in he Spanish
popula ion, wi h some alues di e ing om hose epo ed in o he
cul u es. Howe e , since uni e si y s uden s may no be ully ep-
esen a i e o he gene al popula ion in Spain, ollow-up s udies a e
ecommended o es he gene alizabili y o he esul s wi h mo e
di e se samples. Thus, conside ing he impac o cul u e on s ess
eac i i y, i is impe a i e o con inue alida ing his and o he
s ess p o ocols o analyze how simila o di e en cul u es a e
unde s ess.
Supplemen a y ma e ial. To iew supplemen a y ma e ial o his a icle,
please isi h p://doi.o g/10.1017/SJP.2025.4.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen . The da a and ma e ials ha suppo he ind-
ings o his s udy a e a ailable om he co esponding au ho upon eques o
comply wi h he p o ec ion o pe sonal da a o he pa icipan s.
Acknowledgmen . We would like o hank Se gio Villa-Consueg a, Ma ía de
los Ángeles Cin ado, Gab iel González and Lucía Cá cel o echnical ad ice and
D . Tom Smee s o sha ing wi h us he ma e ials o he MAST.
Au ho con ibu ion. D.S-C.: Concep ualiza ion, da a cu a ion, o mal ana-
lysis, in es iga ion, me hodology, w i ing (o iginal d a , e iewing and edi ing);
L.G.D.l.C.: Concep ualiza ion, o mal analysis, unding acquisi ion, me hod-
ology, p ojec adminis a ion, supe ision, w i ing (o iginal d a , e iewing and
edi ing).
Funding s a emen . This esea ch was unded by he Agencia Es a al de
In es igación (AEI) o Spain (g an n°: PID2019-107530GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/
501100011033) and by he Spanish Minis e io de Ciencia, Inno ación y Uni e si-
dades (PhD g an e . FPU21/00344).
Compe ing in e es s. The au ho s decla e none.
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