Stress reactivity as an underlying mechanism of anxiety? Findings from the TRAILS study

This short report provides an overview of the results from a recent Dutch study on the relation between anxiety and the reactivity of two important stress response systems; the autonomic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis. In future research, the reactivity of both stress response systems should be investigated in combination with several other important biological, psychological and social factors to gain more insight in the complex and interacting mechanisms underlying anxiety.