Effect of perceived control on stress Reduction in adult dental patients

A signaling device was given to patients to reduce stress in the dental chair. Galvanic skin response during the dental procedures indicated a complex relationship. Patients with the signaling device showed less arousal under high stress conditions but somewhat higher arousal under low stress conditions when compared with a control group. Lazarusl has elaborated on the theoretical importance of perceived control in situa-tions that involve psychological stress. In situations where the individual may con-front an impending threat, the degree to which he is able to perceive himself as hav-ing coping resources will determine, to a great extent, the degree of stress he experi-ences. Consequently, if an individual be-lieves he has some control over what is hap-pening to him in a threatening environ-ment, he will experience less stress then if he believes he has no control. Several laboratory studies using a variety of approaches have demonstrated reduced physiologic arousal under conditions of per-ceived control in connection with aversive stimulation.2 4 However, there is little or no evidence to support the usefulness of perceived control paradigms in real-life situa-tions. Dental procedures offer real-life situa-tions where psychological stress and the variables associated with stress may be in-vestigated readily. There are a number of reasons for the inherently stressful char-acter of the dental operatory. First, the majority of patients believe that confron-tation with aversive stimuli will occur. Sec