TABLE II.

Behavioral and Physiological Indicators of Stress^*

	BMI			VAT:SAT
	Low	High	P≤	Low	High	P≤
Social statusa	0.48 (0.1)	0.55 (0.1)	0.60	0.6 (0.1)	0.3 (0.1)	0.002
Rate of aggressionb	4.3 (0.8)	5.6 (1.0)	0.34	6.0 (0.7)	2.8 (0.9)	0.01
Rate of receiving aggressionb	5.0 (1.0)	4.4 (1.0)	0.65	3.2 (0.6)	7.5 (1.4)	0.003
% time being groomed	10.7 (1.3)	10.6 (1.7)	0.95	12 (1.3)	8 (1.5)	0.07
% time grooming	10.6 (1.6)	11.6 (2.1)	0.71	13 (1.8)	7.5 (0.8)	0.03
% time alone	49 (2.8)	47 (3.7)	0.66	45 (2.6)	54 (3.4)	0.06
% suppression of cortisolc	68.6 (4.4)	72.5 (8.4)	0.64	82.4 (2.0)	56.3 (7.7)	0.008
% cycles ovulatory	82.1 (4.7)	82.5 (5.7)	0.63	89.5 (0.2)	74.7 (6.8)	0.01

^*Adapted from Shively et al. [2009].

^aSocial status is expressed as the average rank of each animal corrected for social group size and varies from most subordinate (score = 0.0) to most dominant (score = 1.0).

^bFrequency/hour.

^cThe dexamethasone suppression test assesses sensitivity of the hypothalamus and pituitary to negative feedback from circulating levels of cortisol. A morning blood sample is taken for a baseline measure of cortisol. That evening, a low dose (130 µg/kg BW, i.m.) of dexamethasone is administered. The next morning another blood sample is taken for cortisol assay. Percent suppression = (difference between the first and second morning cortisol concentrations/baseline) *100, and is used as an indicator of sensitivity to negative feedback [Shively et al., 1997].