The first anniversary: stress, well-being, and optimism in older widows

The 50th anniversary of May 4, 1970 is associated with elevations of distress but no increase in mental health symptoms

Anniversaries of traumatic events are associated with increased symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, especially in individuals with prior mental health symptoms. However, research has largely focussed on 1-year anniversaries, and it is unclear whether symptom exacerbation persists for more distal, or milestone, anniversaries. Symptoms typically decrease over time after traumatic events, but major anniversaries may be associated with increases in mental health symptoms. During and 3 months after the 50th anniversary of the political protest violence at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, 115 individuals completed measures of PTSD, depression, anxiety, and anniversary-related stress. Participants reported greater stress (t(97) = 4.04 p ≤ .001) during the 50th anniversary compared to 3 months later, but there were no differences in total PTSD (t(114) = .65, p = .52) or depression/anxiety symptoms (all p's > .05). Even in higher-risk individuals (those who previously received mental health services), symptoms did not differ during versus after the anniversary. In general, long-term anniversaries may contribute to transient increases in distress but do not induce major changes in mental health symptoms.

Neuroendocrine mechanisms of grief and bereavement: A systematic review and implications for future interventions

Bereavement is associated with many negative behavioural, psychological and physiological consequences and leads to an increased risk of mortality and morbidity. However, studies specifically examining neuroendocrine mechanisms of grief and bereavement have yet to be reviewed. This systematic review is a synthesis of the latest evidence in this field and aims to draw conclusions about the implications of neurobiological findings on the development of new interventions. PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews were used to search for articles assessing neuroendocrine correlates of grief. Findings were qualitatively summarised. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Study Assessment Tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. Out of 460 papers, 20 met the inclusion criteria. However, most were of fair quality only. As a neuroendocrine marker, the majority of the studies reported cortisol as the outcome measure and found elevated mean cortisol levels, flattened diurnal cortisol slopes and higher morning cortisol in bereaved subjects. Cortisol alterations were moderated by individual differences such as emotional reaction to grief, depressive symptoms, grief severity, closeness to the deceased and age or gender. Research on neuroendocrine mechanisms of grief is still in its early stages regarding grief measures and the use and timing of neuroendocrine assessments. Most of the studies focus on cortisol as outcome, and only limited data exist on other biomarkers such as oxytocin. Future research might consider assessing a broader range of neuroendocrine markers and use longitudinal designs with a focus on the psychobiological reactions to loss. Based on this, individually tailored psychosocial interventions, possibly in the palliative care context, might be developed to prevent prolonged grief disorder.

Pilot Study on Childhood Sexual Abuse, Diurnal Cortisol Secretion, and Weight Loss in Bariatric Surgery Patients

Childhood sexual abuse increases risk for adult obesity. A potential contributing factor is altered cortisol secretion. In this pilot study, relationships among childhood sexual abuse, diurnal salivary cortisol secretion, and weight loss were explored in 17 bariatric surgery patients. Measurement points were before surgery (baseline) and 3 and 6 months after surgery. Childhood sexual abuse was measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. The results showed moderate but nonsignificant positive correlations between the childhood sexual abuse subscale score and baseline morning cortisol, evening cortisol, and daily mean cortisol. An unexpected positive correlation was noted between the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire total score and weight loss at six months. Diurnal cortisol secretion did not change over time after surgery nor correlate significantly with weight loss at six months.

Cortisol and politics: variance in voting behavior is predicted by baseline cortisol levels

Participation in electoral politics is affected by a host of social and demographics variables, but there is growing evidence that biological predispositions may also play a role in behavior related to political involvement. We examined the role of individual variation in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis parameters in explaining differences in self-reported and actual participation in political activities. Self-reported political activity, religious participation, and verified voting activity in U.S. national elections were collected from 105 participants, who were subsequently exposed to a standardized (nonpolitical) psychosocial stressor. We demonstrated that lower baseline salivary cortisol in the late afternoon was significantly associated with increased actual voting frequency in six national elections, but not with self-reported non-voting political activity. Baseline cortisol predicted significant variation in voting behavior above and beyond variation accounted for by traditional demographic variables (particularly age of participant in our sample). Participation in religious activity was weakly (and negatively) associated with baseline cortisol. Our results suggest that HPA-mediated characteristics of social, cognitive, and emotional processes may exert an influence on a trait as complex as voting behavior, and that cortisol is a better predictor of actual voting behavior, as opposed to self-reported political activity.

Associations between dispositional optimism and diurnal cortisol in a community sample: when stress is perceived as higher than normal

OBJECTIVES

This study examined whether dispositional optimism would be associated with reduced levels of cortisol secretion among individuals who perceive stress levels that are either higher than their normal average (i.e., within-person associations) or higher than the stress levels of other individuals (i.e., between-person associations).

METHODS

Stress perceptions and four indicators of diurnal cortisol (area-under-the-curve, awakening, afternoon/evening, and cortisol awakening response [CAR] levels) were assessed on 12 different days over 6 years in a sample of 135 community-dwelling older adults.

RESULTS

Hierarchical linear models showed that although pessimists secreted relatively elevated area-under-the-curve, awakening, and afternoon/evening levels of cortisol (but not CAR) on days they perceived stress levels that were higher than their normal average, optimists were protected from these stress-related elevations in cortisol. However, when absolute stress levels were compared across participants, there was only a significant effect for predicting CAR (but not the other cortisol measures), indicating that optimism was associated particularly strongly with a reduced CAR among participants who experienced high levels of stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Dispositional optimism can buffer the association between stress perceptions and elevated levels of diurnal cortisol when individuals perceive higher-than-normal levels of stress, and it may predict a reduced CAR among individuals who generally perceive high stress levels. Research should examine relative, in addition to absolute, levels of stress to identify the personality factors that help individuals adjust to psychological perceptions of stress.

Social regulation of the stress response in the transitional newborn: a pilot study

The purpose of the study was to explore relationships between caregiver holding and feeding behaviors and the transitional newborn infant's cortisol response. Behaviors of 46 mothers, fathers, and their term transitional newborn infants were measured with the Index of Mother-Infant Separation (IMIS). Repeated measures of infant salivary cortisol were used to calculate area under the curve. A higher percentage of observations in which mother was holding infant was related to lower infant total cortisol during the first 6 hours after birth (r = -.24, p = .05, one-tailed).

Changes in diurnal salivary cortisol levels in response to an acute stressor in healthy young adults

BACKGROUND

Knowledge of the diurnal cortisol response to acute stress in healthy individuals can help us better understand the physiological and health effects of chronic stress.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the diurnal patterns of cortisol secretion of 15 medical students 2 weeks before a major written examination (control phase) and 2 weeks later at the time of the examination (acute stress phase).

DESIGN

Interrupted time series within-subjects.

RESULTS

During the acute stress phase, less cortisol was secreted over the course of the day, as demonstrated by a more prolonged and steeper decline in cortisol levels. In addition, higher cortisol levels were present in the evening. Despite these changes in the usual diurnal pattern, overall exposure to cortisol remained the same for both phases.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study suggest that specific adaptations to the diurnal pattern of cortisol are made in the face of acute stress, important information for understanding cortisol regulation in health and illness.