Cross-Country Differences in Basal and Stress-Induced Cortisol Secretion in Older Adults

Abstract

ObjectiveSeveral studies have emphasized the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and inadequate response of the biological stress system. However, other factors related to SES are rarely considered, such as cultural values, social norms, organization, language and communication skills, which raises the need to investigate cross-country differences in stress response. Although some studies have shown differences in cortisol levels between immigrants and natives, there is no cross-country evidence regarding cortisol levels in country-native elders. This is particularly important given the high prevalence of stress-related disorders across nations during aging. The current study examined basal diurnal and reactive cortisol levels in healthy older adults living in two different countries.MethodsSalivary cortisol of 260 older adults from Canada and Brazil were nalyzed. Diurnal cortisol was measured in saliva samples collected at home throughout two working days at awakening, 30 min after waking, 1400 h, 1600 h and before bedtime. Cortisol reactivity was assessed in response to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) in both populations.ResultsOur results showed that even under similar health status, psychological and cognitive characteristics, Brazilian elders exhibited higher basal and stress-induced cortisol secretion compared to the Canadian participants.ConclusionThese findings suggest that country context may modulate cortisol secretion and could impact the population health.

A time to be stressed? Time perspectives and cortisol dynamics among healthy adults

“…Moreover, participants were all from Montreal, highlighting that they might not generalize to other populations. Relatedly, cross-cultural differences exist in TP (Sircova et al, 2014, 2015), as well as in cortisol (Souza-Talarico, Plusquellec, Lupien, Fiocco, & Suchecki, 2014), that must be assessed in future international studies. Furthermore, the DBTP and DNTP formulation does not take into account different socio-cultural, environmental, and life history factors that could affect the “optimal/suboptimal” time-orientation (Oyanadel & Buela-Casal, 2014; Stolarski et al, 2015).…”

Does exposure to parasites modify relationships between diurnal cortisol and leukocytes among Honduran women?

“…The main aims of this article are to evaluate HPA and immune interactions in a “natural ecological context” and to investigate how variation in parasite exposure influences correspondence between single‐ and diurnal‐measures of HPA and immune function in humans (Dhabhar et al, 1994; Jefferies, 1991; Souza‐Talarico et al, 2014). To accomplish this, we tested whether cortisol and immune associations varied based on sampling period (single‐shot versus diurnal) and differences in IgE and current helminthic infection among a sample of Honduran women.…”

“…Dysregulation of HPA and proinflammatory immune signaling (i.e., glucocorticoid resistance), for example, is a major precursor to many diseases (Jarcho, Slavich, Tylova‐Stein, Wolkowitz, & Burke, 2013; Miller et al, 2008). However, as evidenced by cross‐cultural studies, there are inconsistencies regarding how HPA function, the immune system, and health status are linked across different populations and disease ecologies (Gurven et al, 2009; Kaplan et al, 2017b; Souza‐Talarico, Plusquellec, Lupien, Fiocco, & Suchecki, 2014). Some inconsistencies may be due to an over‐reliance on single‐unit, or single‐system, measures of diurnal biomarkers—whose relationships are dynamic across the day.…”

Cross-country discrepancies on public understanding of stress concepts: evidence for stress-management psychoeducational programs

“…Even though these countries represent North and South America societies, Brazil and Canada are relatively similar in terms of Western culture implying that a more broadly investigation across world, including Eastern countries, may reveal additional findings. Finally, given that cross-country differences may influence stress reactivity and diurnal rhythm of cortisol secretion [ 50 ], stress biomarkers under acute and chronic stressful conditions allied to perceived stress should be incorporated in future research aiming to contribute to further understanding of how cross-cultural differences may shape individuals perception and reaction to challenging and threatening contexts.…”