Depression, perceived social control, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in African-American adults.

Abstract

Objective: Social determinants may negatively affect health via Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction. The potential contribution of social determinants and related factors to HPA-axis functioning is important to study among African American adults, who are more likely to experience societal inequities and health disparities relative to other racial/ethnic groups. This study examined the relationship between depressive symptoms and perceived social control on HPA-axis functioning among African American adults. Method: Participants (N = 107; Mage = 50, 79% female) were administered measures including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies–Depression and Informal (neighborhood) Social Control. Study procedures included the provision of 6 saliva samples for cortisol analysis (at wakeup, 30- and 90-min post-wakeup, 2:00 PM, 5:00 PM, and prebedtime). The relationship between depression and social control on the functioning of the HPA-axis were simultaneously examined within a 2-level hierarchical linear model. Results: Variability in the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) was accounted for by depressive symptomatology (p = .023) and perceived social control (p = .016), whereby greater depression was associated with a blunted CAR (less awakening cortisol production) and greater perceptions of neighborhood social control with a higher CAR. Conclusions: Elevated depressive symptoms and low perceptions of neighborhood social control may serve as mechanisms that help to explain within-group variability in the functioning of stress physiology among African American adults. Findings enhance understanding of how social determinants may affect African Americans’ health.

Inter-correlations Among Clinical, Metabolic, and Biochemical Parameters and Their Predictive Value in Healthy and Overtrained Male Athletes: The EROS-CORRELATIONS Study

“…Conversely, while other moods were not significantly correlated with body metabolism or composition, tension had correlations in the opposite direction than those found for vigor. Oppositely to vigor, which unlikely leads to changes in hormonal responses, tension is likely the mood mostly correlated with disrupted hormonal responses (50). Once in our study tension was the mood state most strictly predicted by sleep quality, and that Impaired sleep independently leads to impaired muscle recovery (62), this may justify the correlations between vigor (positive) and tension (negative) and body muscle identified by the EROS study.…”

“…Nonetheless, they were not independent predictors of fatigue when analyzed using multivariate regression. Therefore, a lower increase in cortisol level between awakening and 30 min after awakening is unlikely to be the primary cause of fatigue, but rather a possible consequence of poor sleep quality leading to an impaired cortisol awakening response (47), with a blunted cortisol increase 30 min after awakening and a concurrent decrease in energy level (48)(49)(50), as well as other disruptions of the HPA axis (50). Thus, conclusions regarding adrenal function using these tools are inappropriate (51).…”

Combining Global Positioning System (GPS) with saliva collection among sexual minority adults: A feasibility study

“…Samples 4 and 5 were collected as indicators of the diurnal down-regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis through the early evening. Lastly, the final sample was collected to identify resting cortisol representing a potential lower-limit since hormone levels are typically down regulated to a low-point prior to going to sleep [ 74 , 75 ].…”

Building a Counseling Psychology of Liberation: The Path Behind Us, Under Us, and Before Us

“…We have the call for counseling psychologists to write op-eds challenging anti-Black racism from Dr. Kevin Cokley (2015, 2020), and we know about the science of how anti-Black racism works and lodges in the brain and body from Dr. Ezemanari Obasi et al (2020), while Dr. Candice Hargons (2020) has provided counseling psychology a treasure in the form of “ Black Lives Matter Healing Meditations .” Dr. Carlton Green and Dr. Reuben Faloughi and so many more are leading and teaching from a Black liberatory focus in counseling psychology practice and within higher education settings.…”