Fig. 1

Mean (± SEM) heart rate and cortisol during the TSST for the low anxiety and high anxiety groups. Peacekeepers with a score above the median for trait anxiety are depicted by circles, and those with a score below the median are depicted by squares. a Mean heart rate (± SEM) is depicted at four time points: basal, speech task, arithmetic task and recovery. Participants with higher trait anxiety react less to speech and arithmetic tasks in comparison with those who have lower trait anxiety. Asterisks represent a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the groups. b Mean salivary cortisol concentration (± SEM) is depicted at five time points relative to the beginning of TSST: −15 min (basal), −5 min (pre-task), +10 min (post-task), +25 min (response) and +40 min (recovery). There was not a significant interaction between conditions and Trait Anxiety