Cortisol Patterns Research Articles

Sleep disturbances, cortisol, and neuroimaging correlates among memory clinic patients

AbstractBackgroundSleep disturbances are increasingly acknowledged as a preclinical marker for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), however, the mechanisms underlying the association between sleep disturbances and dementia remain unclear. Sleep disturbances may affect AD through brain morphology changes and vascular damage, as sleep disturbances are known to be linked with altered grey‐ and white‐matter integrity. Moreover, sleep and brain changes may be linked with cortisol levels. Sleep disturbances have been proposed to parallel cortisol dysregulation, and older individuals with preclinical AD have altered awakening cortisol, a feature that is intensified among people also suffering from sleep disturbances.MethodThe study is based on 146 memory clinic patients from the Karolinska University Hospital memory clinic (Sweden). Participants are in the age range 47‐86 years and diagnosed with either subjective cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment. Self‐reported sleep disturbances are measured by the Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire. Brain imaging (MRI or CT) was used to semi‐quantify brain atrophy using four visual rating scales: Medial Temporal Atrophy, Global Cortical Atrophy, Koedam (posterior brain atrophy) and Fazekas (white‐matter lesions) scales. Lastly, saliva cortisol has been sampled 6 times daily to measure diurnal cortisol patterns.ResultOrdinal logistic regressions show significant associations between sleep disturbances and brain parameters. Insufficient sleep (OR = 1.30, p = 0.048) is associated with greater odds of white‐matter lesions, and apnea (OR = 1.26, p = 0.036) and snoring (OR = 1.38, p = 0.045) are associated with greater odds of posterior brain atrophy. Increased daytime sleepiness is associated with both reduced awakening cortisol (β = ‐0.03, p = 0.025) and a flattened cortisol curve (β = ‐0.04, p = 0.019). Apnea is associated with reduced awakening cortisol (β = ‐0.06, p = 0.013). However, cortisol was not found to significantly interact with sleep in predicting brain outcomes.ConclusionThese results show that various sleep disturbance parameters (short sleep duration, apnea, and snoring) are associated with neuroimaging correlates, while daytime sleepiness and apnea are associated with markers of dysregulated cortisol patterns. The results suggest that neuroimaging correlates and cortisol measures may clarify the mechanisms underlying the associations between sleep disturbance and cognitive impairment, and the combination of objective sleep measures and neuroimaging markers in future studies may further reveal the mechanisms.

The Role of Cortisol in Chronic Stress, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Psychological Disorders.

Cortisol, a critical glucocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, plays a pivotal role in various physiological processes. Its release is finely orchestrated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus, governing the circadian rhythm and activating the intricate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a vital neuroendocrine system responsible for stress response and maintaining homeostasis. Disruptions in cortisol regulation due to chronic stress, disease, and aging have profound implications for multiple bodily systems. Animal models have been instrumental in elucidating these complex cortisol dynamics during stress, shedding light on the interplay between physiological, neuroendocrine, and immune factors in the stress response. These models have also revealed the impact of various stressors, including social hierarchies, highlighting the role of social factors in cortisol regulation. Moreover, chronic stress is closely linked to the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, driven by excessive cortisol production and HPA axis dysregulation, along with neuroinflammation in the central nervous system. The relationship between cortisol dysregulation and major depressive disorder is complex, characterized by HPA axis hyperactivity and chronic inflammation. Lastly, chronic pain is associated with abnormal cortisol patterns that heighten pain sensitivity and susceptibility. Understanding these multifaceted mechanisms and their effects is essential, as they offer insights into potential interventions to mitigate the detrimental consequences of chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation in these conditions.

Associations of serum cortisol and inflammatory marker features with depression and anxiety in young women with gynecologic cancer.

Serum cortisol and inflammatory markers may play a role in depression and anxiety, but little is known about whether various features of serum cortisol and inflammatory markers have different associations with depression and anxiety. This study examines the associations of serum cortisol and inflammatory marker features with depression and anxiety in young women with gynecologic cancer. Sixty-four young women with gynecologic cancer, aged 15-39 years, were recruited in a tertiary general hospital and a tertiary hospital specializing in oncology in China from May to December 2021. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used to evaluate depression and anxiety. Blood samples were taken at 8 am, 4 pm, and 10 pm on the same day to examine the various features (average, variability, and diurnal patterns) of serum cortisol and inflammatory markers, namely C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Young women with gynecologic cancer who reported depression/anxiety had significantly higher average levels of serum cortisol, IL-6 and TNF-α than those who did not. The dysregulations in the diurnal patterns of serum cortisol and IL-6 were associated with depression and anxiety. Serum cortisol levels were significantly higher in the depression/anxiety group at 10 pm. Depression and anxiety were associated with elevated levels of IL-6 and TNF-α at each time point. This study revealed various associations of serum cortisol and inflammatory marker features with depression and anxiety in young women with gynecologic cancer. Further research is needed to understand the role of serum cortisol and inflammatory marker features in the progression of depression and anxiety.

Religious Coping Is Differentially Associated with Physiological and Subjective Distress Indicators: Comparing Cortisol and Self-Report Patterns

Use of religious coping in response to life stress is associated with improved mental and physical health outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of religious coping on conscious self-reported and non-conscious physiological stress responses to an acute, real-world stressor to better understand how this benefit may be conferred. This study examined the trajectory of subjective distress and cortisol patterns leading up to and following a stressful college exam using daily diary and ambulatory saliva samples, respectively (N students = 246). Religious coping was not significantly associated with subjective reports of distress. However, prior to the exam, greater use of religious coping was associated with an ostensibly more adaptive accelerated return to a cortisol baseline. This protective effect was no longer significant when the exam was over, suggesting that religious coping acts as a protective buffer against physiological stress responses rather than aiding in subjective recovery from stress.

Diurnal Cortisol Change Moderates the Associations Between Bedtime Parenting Sensitivity and Young Children's Executive Functioning and Emotion Regulation

Abstract: The present study examined children's diurnal cortisol as a moderator of the association between parenting sensitivity at bedtime and young children's executive functioning and emotion regulation. Fifty-one children ( M age = 4.47 years) and their families participated. Parenting sensitivity was assessed from video recordings of child bedtime. Average child morning and evening cortisol levels were measured from saliva across 3 days. A greater decline in cortisol from morning to evening reflected healthy diurnal patterning. Children's executive functioning was measured objectively, and parents reported on children's emotion regulation. Regression analyses showed that lower parenting sensitivity at bedtime was associated with lower executive functioning and more labile and less adaptive emotion regulation only for children who showed less cortisol decline from morning to evening, suggesting that adaptive cortisol patterning may be protective in the context of low parenting sensitivity. The findings identify children at greatest risk and inform interventions targeting children's developmental outcomes.

Dynamic associations of relational conflicts at work and consequent negative emotion dynamics with diurnal cortisol variations.

This study examines the predictive value of conflict and conflict-related variations in negative emotion dynamics, with respect to three cortisol indicators (cortisol awakening responses; overall cortisol output; diurnal cortisol slopes). A total of 166 workers provided momentary reports on conflict(s) with colleagues and negative emotions 10 times a day for 2 workdays and salivary cortisol samples 5 times a day. The results of latent growth curve piecewise multilevel models revealed that the occurrence of a conflict and the number of conflicts introduced significant variations in specific cortisol parameters indicating greater cortisol levels throughout the day. Moreover, the conflict-elicited negative emotion boost predicted a lower reduction of cortisol levels from morning to evening. Last, the postconflict decline in negative emotions was negatively associated with overall cortisol production. This study contributes to establishing a potential association between naturally occurring episodic conflicts at work and daily cortisol patterns, identifying within-person fluctuations in negative emotions as psychological mechanisms through which this occurs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Dimensions of child maltreatment and longitudinal diurnal cortisol patterns: The roles of resilience and child sex.

Informed by the dimensional approach to adversity, this study disaggregated child maltreatment effects to examine how abuse versus neglect influenced cortisol at the baseline assessment and longitudinal changes in diurnal cortisol among a sample of Chinese children and adolescents (N = 312; aged 9-13 years; M age = 10.80, SD = 0.84; 67% boys). The moderating roles of resilience and sex differences in these associations were also explored. Results revealed distinct effects of abuse versus neglect on diurnal cortisol in girls, but not boys, which varied by the time scale of assessment and type of cortisol measure. Specifically, abuse was associated with girls' longitudinal changes in awakening cortisol, cortisol awakening response, and diurnal cortisol slope over one year, whereas neglect was associated with girls' awakening cortisol and cortisol awakening response at the baseline assessment. Further, resilience moderated the effects of abuse on girls' baseline awakening cortisol and longitudinal changes in diurnal cortisol slope, suggesting both the potential benefits and costs of resilience. Findings support the application of the dimensional approach to research on stress physiology and deepen our understanding of individual differences in the associations between child maltreatment and diurnal cortisol.

Sex-related differences in the associations between diurnal cortisol pattern and social and emotional loneliness in older adults.

Loneliness is a distressful feeling that can affect mental and physical health, particularly among older adults. Cortisol, the primary hormone of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis (HPA-axis), may act as a biological transducer through which loneliness affects health. While most previous studies have evaluated the association between loneliness, as a unidimensional construct, and diurnal cortisol pattern, no research has examined this relationship discriminating between social and emotional loneliness in older adults. As sex differences in the negative mental health outcomes of loneliness have been reported, we also investigated whether diurnal cortisol indices and loneliness associations occur in a sex-specific manner. We analyzed the diurnal cortisol- pattern in 142 community-dwelling, non-depressed, Caucasian older adults (55,6% female) aged 60-90. Social and emotional (family and romantic) loneliness scores were assessed using the Spanish version of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults (SELSA). Five salivary cortisol samples were used to capture key features of the diurnal cortisol pattern, including: awakening and bedtime cortisol levels, awakening response (CAR), post-awakening cortisol output (post-awakening cortisol [i.e., the area under the curve with reference to the ground: AUCG]), total diurnal cortisol release (AUCG), and diurnal cortisol slope (DCS). After controlling for sociodemographic variables, the hierarchical linear multiple regression analyses revealed that in male older adults, higher scores on social and family loneliness were associated with elevated awakening cortisol levels, total diurnal cortisol output, and a steeper diurnal cortisol slope (DCS). However, these associations were not observed in female older adults. In addition, feelings of romantic loneliness were positively associated with bedtime cortisol levels and AUCG in older males. Multilevel growth curve modeling showed that experiencing more social and emotional loneliness predicted higher diurnal cortisol output throughout the day in older male adults. The presence of sex differences in the relationship between cortisol indices and loneliness among older adults holds particular significance for diagnostic and screening procedures. Combining loneliness scales as screening tools with diurnal cortisol measures has the potential to be an effective and cost-efficient approach in identifying higher-risk individuals at early stages.

Salivary Diurnal Glucocorticoid Profiles in Monozygotic Twins With Intratwin Birthweight Differences.

Low birthweight (bw) and unfavorable intrauterine conditions have been associated with metabolic sequelae in later life, but little is known about their impact on glucocorticoid metabolism. We studied monozygotic twins with intratwin bw differences to analyze the long-term impact of bw on glucocorticoid metabolism. 46 monozygotic twin pairs with bw differences of <1 SDS (concordant; n = 29) and ≥1 SDS (discordant; n = 17) were recruited. At 6.9 years (mean age), saliva samples were collected (at 7 hours, 13 hours, 18 hours and 21 hour) and analyzed with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). We found significant or highly significant intratwin correlations in all twin pairs at 3 of 4 (cortisol), and 4 of 4 (cortisone) time points. Graphic evaluation of the diurnal cortisol patterns for each twin pair showed a distinct alignment in all groups. Analyses of the change of intratwin differences over the day by mixed linear modeling showed no intratwin differences in diurnal patterns. Regression analyses of intratwin differences at 7:00 hours showed a significant influence of catch-up growth, indicating lower cortisol concentrations in smaller twins with more catch-up growth (adj. R2 = 0.159, P = .014, ß = -3.71, F(1,42) = 9.15, f2 = 0.19). In monozygotic twins with intratwin bw differences, intratwin catch-up growth showed a moderate influence on intratwin differences in morning cortisol concentrations. We observed no differences regarding diurnal patterns. In contrast, in all groups, we found significant intratwin correlations for cortisol and cortisone over the day and a pronounced graphic alignment of cortisol diurnal patterns. We therefore suggest a predominant significance of the genetic background compared with bw differences on cortisol metabolism.

Latent profile analysis of diurnal cortisol patterns at the ages of 2, 3.5, and 5 years: Associations with childcare setting, child individual characteristics, and maternal distress

This study performed latent profile analysis from more than 4000 saliva cortisol samples collected from children at the ages of 2 (T1), 3.5 (T2), and 5 years (T3). Three clearly different cortisol profiles were identified. The largest group at every age point was the Low/Regular latent profile, in which the cortisol slopes followed typical diurnal variation. A smaller proportion of the children belonged to the latent profile with relatively Low/Flat slope, and a minority belonged to the High/Fluctuating latent group, where the overall cortisol values and variations between the slopes were clearly higher than in the other groups. Most of the children who belonged to the High/Fluctuating group were cared for at home, they had higher temperamental surgency and their mothers had more depressive symptoms than in the other latent profile groups. However, only moderate intraindividual stability in diurnal cortisol profiles was observed across the follow-up period. On average, half of the children moved between the groups from T1 to T3. Neither child temperament, social competence, nor sex explained the stability or movement between the groups across age. Variations in cortisol profiles may be caused by the child’s age, and diurnal cortisol rhythm becomes more regular along with development. Methodological issues regarding saliva cortisol research in young children are discussed. Also, more longitudinal research is needed to clarify mechanisms between environmental as well as individual factors and possible dysregulation in a child’s HPA axis functioning.

Determination of cortisone and cortisol in human scalp hair using an improved LC-MS/MS-based method.

Human scalp hair is an easily available but complex matrix for determination of cortisone and cortisol, and has been shown to reflect long-term glucocorticoid exposure. Hair glucocorticoid analysis has been used to detect hypo- and hypercortisolism. In this study, we describe the development and validation of a LC-MS/MS method for quantification of cortisone and cortisol in human scalp hair, and provide a novel approach for analysis and interpretation of the results. Improved sample preparation using pulverization and solid phase extraction allowed for low sample volumes (10 mg). Baseline chromatographic separation without matrix interference was achieved by reversed phase chromatography and MRM measurement in negative ion mode. Run-to-run time was 8 min. Mixed model analyses were performed to create individual patterns of cortisone and cortisol concentrations. Matrix matched calibration curves showed excellent linearity up to 100 pg (analyte)/mg (hair) for both cortisone and cortisol (R2>0.995). LLOQ was 1.5 and 1.0 pg/mg for cortisone and cortisol, respectively. Matrix effect was negligible for hair color (recoveries 95-105 %). Cortisone and cortisol concentrations decreased from proximal to distal hair segments, following a predictable, but subject-specific pattern, with less individual variation for cortisone than for cortisol. This improved LC-MS/MS method is able to accurately quantify cortisone and cortisol in human hair with minimum matrix interference. This new way of data analysis and interpretation including individual patterns of cortisone and cortisol will be of help with detection of pathological concentrations in both the high- and the low ranges of glucocorticoids.

Characterizing Alterations in Cortisol Secretion During Cardiac Surgery.

Cortisol is a neuroendocrine hormone of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis secreted from adrenal glands in response to stimulation by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary and corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) from the hypothalamus. Cortisol has multiple functionalities in maintaining bodily homeostasis - including anti-inflammatory influences - through its diurnal secretion pattern (which has been studied extensively); its secretion is also increased in response to major traumatic events such as surgery. Due to the adverse health consequences of an abnormal immune response, it is crucial to understand the effect of cortisol in modulating inflammation. To address this physiological issue, we characterize the secretion of cortisol using a high temporal resolution dataset of ten patients undergoing coronary arterial bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, in comparison with a control group not undergoing surgery. We find that cortisol exhibits different pulsatile dynamics in those undergoing cardiac surgery compared to the control subjects. We also summarize the causality of cortisol's relationship with different cytokines (which are one type of inflammatory markers) by performing Granger causality analysis.Clinical relevance- This work documents time-varying patterns of the HPA axis hormone cortisol in the inflammatory response to cardiac surgery and may eventually help improve patients' prognosis post-surgery (or in other conditions) by enabling early detection of an abnormal cortisol or inflammatory response and enabling patient specific remedial interventions.

Parent-Child Separation and Diurnal Cortisol Rhythms Among Left-Behind Adolescents: The Moderating Role of Sex.

Prior research examining parent-child separation and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning has primarily focused on separation due to parental divorce or loss or forced migration. Less clear is the impact of parental economic migration on adolescents' HPA axis functioning. The present study fills this gap by examining diurnal cortisol patterns among left-behind adolescents who experienced separation from their migrant parents. Participants were 293 Chinese adolescents (33.4% girls, 66.21% left-behind adolescents; Mage = 10.80 years old, SD = 0.82 years). Two-level multilevel modeling was conducted to examine the associations between parent-child separation experiences and diurnal cortisol patterns. Although no significant differences were found between left-behind adolescents and their non-left-behind peers, results revealed that left-behind adolescents who experienced parent-child separation at earlier ages had more blunted diurnal cortisol slopes (usually signaling poorer mental and physical health), compared to their counterparts who experienced separation at older ages. Left-behind adolescent girls who had more adverse separation experiences exhibited smaller waking cortisol and blunted diurnal slopes; these findings were not observed among left-behind adolescent boys. Observing the association between timing of parent-child separation and adolescents' diurnal cortisol and the moderating effects of child sex, this study contributes uniquely to the developmental science of left-behind adolescents' physiological health.

Racial Discrimination and Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Dysregulation in Adolescents With Overweight and Obesity: Does Context Matter?

In adolescents at higher risk for chronic disease, the role that context of a discriminatory event may play on cortisol dysregulation is unclear. The purpose of this study was to perform a cross-sectional analysis examining the association between racial discrimination context (peer, educational, institutional, and cumulative) and diurnal cortisol patterning in adolescents with overweight and obesity. One hundred adolescents (13-19 years; 49% non-Hispanic Black; 65% female; body mass index percentile = 93.9% [4.14%]) were included in this analysis. Racial discrimination context was measured using the self-reported Adolescent Discrimination Distress Index. Salivary cortisol, collected across 3 days at five time points during the day, was used to calculate Δ 0-30 minutes, diurnal slope, and average total diurnal cortisol area under the curve. Sixteen separate multivariable linear regression models were performed to analyze the relationship between racial discrimination and diurnal cortisol patterns. Primary findings show that cumulative racial discrimination and peer discrimination were associated with a greater diurnal slope (cumulative: β = 0.010 ± 0.004, p = .03; peer: β = 0.023 ± 0.010, p = .026). Findings from this study identified cross-sectional associations between racial discrimination experienced among peers and diurnal cortisol patterns in adolescents with overweight/obesity. If our findings were to be confirmed in longitudinal analyses, evidence-based programs should be considered to buffer the effects of discrimination on adolescent health, and more importantly, policy makers should work to eliminate discrimination exposure.

P30-030-23 Elevated Salivary Interleukin-1β Is Associated With Greater Fluctuations in Cortisol and Less Healthful Dietary Patterns

P30-030-23 Elevated Salivary Interleukin-1β Is Associated With Greater Fluctuations in Cortisol and Less Healthful Dietary Patterns

627-P: Cortisol-Based Measures of Stress Are Associated with Fasting Blood Glucose but Not Perceived Stress in Adolescents

Objective: We previously showed that mind/body practices improve glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes presumably by reducing stress and lowering stress biomarkers thereby reducing glycemia. The relationship between subjectively experienced stress and stress biomarkers and subsequent glycemic effects is not understood. Our objective was to determine if subjective stress predicts cortisol levels. Methods: We examined 232 healthy, primarily Latino, adolescents (mean age=15.8 years, 70 males, all BMI categories). Stress was assessed using the 14-item questionnaire of perceived stress scale (PSS). Serum cortisol (sCOR) was measured at fasting. Salivary cortisol was measured 3 times daily (awakening, 30-min post-awakening, and evening) to assess Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR= 30-minute post-awakening - awakening) and Diurnal Cortisol Slope (DCS= evening-awakening). We performed multivariate regression to test association between PSS and sCOR and mixed effects regression to test association between PSS and CAR and DCS. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, and BMI. Additional covariates (e.g. SES, ethnicity, etc.) gave similar results. Multivariate regression was used to assess association between PSS and fasting blood glucose (FBG), biomarkers of stress and FBG, a biologic outcome affected by stress. Results: There was no association between PSS and sCOR (p= 0.40), CAR (p =0.26), DCS (p =0.38), or FBG (p = 0.47). There was a significant association between sCOR and FBG (β=0.02, p &amp;lt;0.001). Conclusion: We found no evidence of association between PSS and biomarkers of stress. We further show an association between sCOR and FBG, but no association between PSS and FBG, suggesting PSS may measure a different aspect of stress than reflected in sCOR and diurnal cortisol patterns. Disclosure F.Sanogo: None. R.M.Watanabe: None. M.Weigensberg: None. A.Ruth: None.

Adolescence and Early Adulthood in Context

Adolescence and early adulthood are periods of rapid biological and social change, during which stressors can have large, and long-lasting impacts on stress biology and developmental outcomes. Some have termed adolescence a “second sensitive period” due to rapid changes in biology and increases in stress-sensitivity occurring during this period. Although much early research focused on family and peer stressors and daily life events stress in adolescents and young adults, more recent theory and research has highlighted the important impacts of youth exposure to more structural forms of stress emerging from broader neighborhood, societal, and cultural contexts, such as economic stress, or the stress of discrimination based on race, gender identity and/or sexual orientation, especially among minoritized youth. Recent research has also focused on positive aspects of youth development and youth contexts that may protect youth against the negative impacts of stress or promote positive youth development in the face of high stressor exposure. In this set of four talks, researchers each highlight the impacts of different structural/contextual forms of stressors or supports on multiple stress-sensitive aspects of adolescent or young adult biology, and the implications of stress-related alterations in biology for youth health and wellbeing. In the first presentation, Paul Hastings reviews data from the California Families project, a large longitudinal sample of Mexican-origin families, presenting data on how structural stressors and exposures impact multiple youth neurobiological systems. In the second presentation, Luis Parra presents data from multiple studies on the impacts of heterosexist and racist discrimination and hate violence on the adrenocortical functioning, psychosocial adjustment, and mental health of ethnically/racially diverse LGBQ young adults. In the third presentation, Leah Doane examines the impact of cultural values and cultural contexts on the day-to-day links between sleep and diurnal cortisol patterns among Latino college students. In the final presentation, Lindsay Till-Hoyt presents data from two studies focusing on how macro-level sociopolitical events, the 2016 and 2020 U.S. presidential elections, differentially affect youth stress (perceived stress and diurnal cortisol patterns) and youth behavior (e.g. civic engagement) depending on their social positions, identities and experiences. Together, these studies highlight the importance of examining diverse samples of youth and considering how broad social, political, economic and cultural contexts intersect to affect youth exposures to stressors and supports, which in turn impact their stress biology and developmental wellbeing.

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

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.

Additive, Common, and Cumulative Contributions of Stress on Diurnal Cortisol Activity: Evidence Among Latino College Students

The transition to college is a major socio-contextual shift marked by opportunity and stress. Adolescents who encounter significant stress during this time may experience changes in neuroendocrine function, an identified mechanism underlying associations between stress and psychopathology. Latino students may be particularly at-risk for stress exposure, as ethnic/racial minority youth experience both minority-specific and general life stressors. This study employed a “multi-risk model” to examine additive, common, and cumulative effects of various stressors on Latino college students’ diurnal cortisol. 180 Latino college students (Mage=18.95; 64.4% female) provided five saliva samples a day across three weekdays (M=14.88, SD=.95; 2,667 samples) to assess diurnal cortisol patterns (i.e., cortisol awakening response (CAR), diurnal cortisol slope (DCS)). Participants self-reported on multiple stress forms (general, academic, social, financial, bicultural, discrimination) via online survey and daily diary. Common and cumulative stress were assessed via exploratory factor analysis and cumulative risk index, respectively. Three-level growth curve models were fit using Mplus. In the additive model, general stress was associated with a flatter DCS (γ=.01, p=.03) and bicultural stress was linked with a steeper DCS (γ=-.07, p=.047). In the common model, college stress was related to a lower CAR (γ=-.09, p=.045). Higher cumulative stress was linked with a lower CAR (γ=-.06, p=.007). Findings highlight the physiological correlates of various stressors experienced by Latino college students. Results have implications for equity promoting interventions to reduce stress and subsequent physiological processes underlying the development of psychopathology.

Early Life Adversity alters Maternal-Fetal-Placental Biology and may Propagate Population Health Disparities

Research findings dating back decades indicate that prenatal maternal psychological distress can predict poor child health outcomes, with potentially lasting effects. These results have been extensively replicated and have encouraged longitudinal cohort studies to begin before birth; many clinical interventions to promote maternal health in pregnancy are underway. Studies of prenatal maternal distress emphasize in utero effects, likely arising from multiple biological changes. Alternatively, developmental and life history models suggest that prenatal distress likely has pre-pregnancy developmental origins. Studies linking pre-pregnancy adversity to prenatal maternal distress and maternal-fetal-placental biology are underway, but are typically limited in scope. The ECHO-UPSIDE cohort is well-positioned to contribute novel data to this area; it is a prospective pregnancy cohort study of a socio-economically and racially/ethnically diverse sample at elevated psychosocial risk but normal medical risk status (Rochester, NY; n=326). Clinical, socio-demographic, health data and extensive biological samples were collected at each trimester and placentae were collected at birth. Women who experienced higher adversity in early childhood (using Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACE] scale) reported wide-spread differences in prenatal health, with moderate effect sizes (Cohen’s d>.5) for depressive and anxiety symptoms, stress, body mass index (BMI), sleep disturbance, and diet. Higher ACE scores predicted altered (flatter) diurnal cortisol pattern throughout pregnancy (p<.01). There was also limited but significant impact on maternal immune activation from specific immune markers and measures of placenta structure and function. The studies demonstrate potential pathways through which pre-pregnancy adversity may propagate persisting health disparities.