Daily Rumination and Diurnal Cortisol in Latino Adolescents: The Role of Bicultural Competence and Gender

Abstract

Rumination is a transdiagnostic risk factor for internalizing disorders and is hypothesized to influence psychopathology through alterations in physiological stress systems (i.e., hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis). The current study examined daily and spillover effects of rumination on diurnal cortisol patterns and investigated how bicultural competence and gender moderated those associations. Salivary cortisol was collected five times per day for three weekdays in a sample of 206 Latino adolescents (Mage=18.10, SD=0.41; 64.4% female). Daily diaries assessed daily rumination and perceived stress, and demographics and bicultural competence were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Diurnal cortisol patterns were modeled using three-level growth curve analyses. Illustrating spillover effects, ruminating more than usual about stress/problems one night was linked with flatter next-day diurnal slopes (γ=.119, p<.01). Gender significantly moderated associations between same-day rumination and diurnal cortisol patterns. When females ruminated more than usual about stress/problems, they exhibited a greater cortisol awakening response (CAR; γ=.046, p<.01). Males exhibited a smaller CAR on days when they ruminated more than usual about their feelings (γ=-.067, p<.05). Bicultural competence was not a significant moderator of associations. Findings suggest spillover effects and gender differences in the relation of rumination and diurnal cortisol activity in Latino adolescents. Efforts to identify adolescents at-risk for psychopathology should consider the interplay of detrimental emotion regulation styles and gender that contribute to greater physiological stress at a daily level.