Ageing, depression, anxiety, social support and the diurnal rhythm and awakening response of salivary cortisol

Abstract

The present study compared the cortisol awakening response and diurnal rhythm in 24 young healthy students and 48 community-dwelling older adults. The associations with diurnal cortisol and depression, anxiety and social support were also examined in relation to age. Salivary cortisol was measured over the course of one day: immediately upon awakening, 30 min later, and then 3 h, 6 h, 9 h and 12 h post-awakening. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring symptoms of anxiety and depression and social support was assessed. Older adults exhibited a significantly reduced awakening response, overall cortisol levels, area under the curve (AUC) and diurnal slopes than younger adults, resulting in a flatter diurnal rhythm. Younger adults with higher depression scores had significantly higher overall cortisol and higher levels upon awakening and 30 min postawakening. In the younger adults, anxiety and depression correlated positively with AUC and the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Older adults with lower social support had a reduced AUC where younger adults with lower social support displayed a larger AUC. These findings suggest that the diurnal rhythm and awakening response of salivary cortisol are significantly reduced in older adults and the associations between anxiety, depression and social support and diurnal cortisol vary with age.

Preventing Internalizing Problems in 6–8 Year Old Children: A Universal School-Based Program

“…As with risk factors, protective factors have generally pertained to individual child characteristics (e.g., temperament, cognitive style, social skills, self-efficacy, and esteem) or environmental and learning experiences such as effective parenting, high family cohesion, positive parent-child relationships (Davis et al, 2000; Dick-Niederhauser and Silverman, 2004; Jakobsen et al, 2012). The presence of positive social support networks have been found to be an important protective factor against the development of emotional disorders, particularly in the face of stressful life events (Heaney et al, 2010; Grav et al, 2012; Tsai et al, 2012). Another important protective factor is a child's coping skills repertoire (Wright et al, 2010), with problem focused coping strategies being associated with greater mastery and positive psychological adjustment than avoidant or emotion focused coping skills (Dick-Niederhauser and Silverman, 2004; Klein et al, 2011).…”

Temporal relationships between awakening cortisol and psychosocial variables in inpatients with anorexia nervosa – A time series approach

“…Regarding associations between cortisol and depression, previous research in other patient groups has shown inconsistent results: some studies reported that depression was associated with an increased cortisol awakening response (CAR) or higher overall cortisol levels (Fries et al, 2009;Heaney et al, 2010); other studies described a blunted CAR in patients with depression (Fries et al, 2009). Regarding day-today dynamics, Adam et al (2006), for instance, showed in a sample of 156 older adults that prior-day feelings of sadness were associated with a higher cortisol awakening response.…”

Resilient to Stress: Proposed a Novel Type E Personality

“…Individuals with supportive resources showed decreased cortisol reactivity which is accompanied by diminished activity of brain regions responsible for social separation (Eisenberger NI et al 2007, Heaney JL et al 2010. It has been reported that higher social support is closely related with higher level of anti-stress hormone, oxytocin and lower level of catecholamine which is associated with cardiovascular function (Uchino BN 2006).…”