RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Exposure to socioeconomic adversity is hypothesized to impact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and cortisol secretion, but existing evidence is inconsistent. Yet, few studies have investigated this association using a developmental approach that considers potential protective contextual factors. This study examined the role of stability and changes in family socioeconomic status (SES) in the prediction of multiple cortisol indicators and tested whether social support moderated these associations. METHODS: Participants were part of a population-based sample of twin pairs recruited at birth. Family SES was assessed in early childhood (ages 0-5) and mid-adolescence (age 14). Social support was assessed at ages 14 and 19. Diurnal cortisol (n = 569) was measured at age 14 at awakening, 30 min later, in the afternoon and evening over four non-consecutive days. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC, n = 704) was measured at age 19. All data were collected before the pandemic and multilevel regression models were conducted to account for the nested data structure. RESULTS: Youth exposed to lower family SES levels in childhood and mid-adolescence had a flatter diurnal slope and higher HCC compared with those who experienced upward socioeconomic mobility in mid-adolescence. Contrastingly, mid-adolescence SES showed no association with the diurnal slope or HCC for youth from higher-SES households in early childhood. Moreover, youth raised in higher-SES families in early childhood had a higher CAR in mid-adolescence if they reported greater social support in mid-adolescence. Social support also moderated the SES-cortisol association in mid-adolescence, with higher-SES youth showing higher awakening cortisol secretion when reporting more social support. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the hypothesis that early socioeconomic adversity sensitizes HPA axis activity to later socioeconomic disadvantage, which may bear consequences for socioemotional and behavioral functioning.
Asunto(s)
Hidrocortisona , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisario , Recién Nacido , Humanos , Adolescente , Preescolar , Adulto Joven , Adulto , Estrés Psicológico , Sistema Hipófiso-Suprarrenal , Clase Social , Cabello/química , Saliva/química , Apoyo Social , Ritmo CircadianoRESUMEN
It is unclear whether peer victimization in college interacts with genetic vulnerabilities or social support in predicting cortisol secretion. This issue was addressed using a sample of 162 Monozygotic and 237 Dizygotic twin pairs (54% females; 86% Whites, 6% Blacks, 6% Asians, 0.3% Native North Americans). At age 19, participants provided hair for cortisol extraction and reported about victimization in college and support by the mother, father, and best friend. Biometric modeling revealed that environmental influences on cortisol secretion were reduced and genetic influences exacerbated when victimization was high. Moderate to high maternal support mitigated the association between victimization and high cortisol secretion. The findings suggest that victimization in college contributes to physical "wear-and-tear", which may be counteracted by social support.
Asunto(s)
Acoso Escolar , Víctimas de Crimen , Femenino , Humanos , Adulto Joven , Adulto , Masculino , Hidrocortisona , Grupo Paritario , Apoyo Social , MadresRESUMEN
While converging evidence suggests that both environmental and genetic factors underlie variations in diurnal cortisol, the extent to which these sources of influence vary according to socioeconomic status (SES) has seldom been investigated, particularly in adolescence. To investigate whether a distinct genetic and environmental contribution to youth's diurnal cortisol secretion emerges according to family SES and whether the timing of these experiences matters. Participants were 592 twin pairs, who mostly came from middle-income and intact families and for whom SES was measured in childhood and adolescence. Diurnal cortisol was assessed at age 14 at awakening, 30 min later, in the afternoon and evening over four nonconsecutive days. SES-cortisol phenotypic associations were specific to the adolescence period. Specifically, higher awakening cortisol levels were detected in wealthier backgrounds, whereas higher cortisol awakening response (CAR) and diurnal changes were present at both ends of the SES continuum. Moreover, smaller genetic contributions emerged for awakening cortisol in youth from poorer compared to wealthier backgrounds. The results suggest that the relative contribution of inherited factors to awakening cortisol secretion may be enhanced or suppressed depending on the socio-family context, which may help to decipher the mechanisms underlying later adjustment.
Asunto(s)
Hidrocortisona , Clase Social , Adolescente , Humanos , Ritmo Circadiano/fisiología , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisario , Renta , Sistema Hipófiso-Suprarrenal/fisiología , Saliva , Gemelos/genéticaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: While evidence shows that lower socioeconomic status (SES) is related to dysregulated hair cortisol concentration (HCC), the genetic and environmental processes underlying this association remain understudied. OBJECTIVES: (1) to examine whether childhood and adolescence SES are phenotypically related to late adolescence HCC and to what extent these associations are explained by common underlying genetic factors (2) to estimate whether the genetic and environmental etiology of HCC varies according to SES and the timing of these experiences. METHODS: Participants were 422 twin pairs for whom SES was measured in childhood (ages 0-5 years) and adolescence (age 14 years). Hair cortisol was assessed at age 19. RESULTS: Additive genetic factors explained 39% of variability in HCC, whereas nonshared environmental factors accounted for the remaining 61%. A significant negative association emerged between HCC and family SES assessed in adolescence (ß=-.11,p = .02), which was entirely explained by common underlying environmental influences. We also found evidence of stronger genetic contributions to HCC among youths who lived in more disadvantaged households during childhood in comparison to those from wealthier backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides first-time evidence that the association between adolescence SES and HCC is environmentally-explained and that genetic influences underlying HCC are not uniformly distributed across the family SES continuum measured during childhood. These findings may pave the way for a fuller understanding of the impact of early adversity on HPA axis activity.
Asunto(s)
Hidrocortisona , Sistema Hipotálamo-Hipofisario , Adolescente , Adulto , Preescolar , Cabello , Humanos , Lactante , Recién Nacido , Sistema Hipófiso-Suprarrenal , Clase Social , Estrés Psicológico/genética , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Depression and anxiety symptoms are commonly observed among clinical populations, especially among women and maltreated individuals. Few investigations have, however, assessed the existence of distinct symptoms trajectories among clinical populations and how these relate to childhood maltreatment, sex differences, and stress physiology indexed by hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs). The current study a) identified distinct depression and anxious trajectories in a sample of psychiatric inpatients followed up prospectively from their admission to a psychiatric emergency service, and b) examined whether HCC, childhood maltreatment, and sex independently and jointly predict these trajectories. METHODS: Adult inpatients (n = 402; 55% women) were recruited upon admission to psychiatric emergency service (T1) during which HCC (reflecting cortisol secretion for the last 3 months), childhood maltreatment, and depression and anxiety symptoms were assessed. Symptoms were reevaluated when patients were discharged from the hospital (T2), admitted to outpatient clinics (T3), and 12 months later or at the end of outpatient treatment (T4). RESULTS: Three trajectories were identified for depression and anxiety symptoms. Among men, higher HCC predicted higher odds of evincing chronic depressive symptoms compared with a low stable trajectory (odds ratio [OR] = 3.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.43-8.40). Greater childhood maltreatment among men predicted higher chances of exhibiting chronic anxious symptoms than the low stable (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.07-2.02) and the high decreasing trajectories (OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.51-0.95). Opposite findings were noted for women. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood maltreatment and HCC should be further investigated as predictors of anxious and depressive trajectories, during which sex-specific associations ought to be considered.
Asunto(s)
Maltrato a los Niños , Hidrocortisona , Adulto , Ansiedad/epidemiología , Ansiedad/psicología , Niño , Depresión/epidemiología , Depresión/psicología , Femenino , Cabello , Humanos , Pacientes Internos , MasculinoRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Converging evidence suggests that maltreated children suffer from depression at an early age and experience recurrent episodes of depression that persist over longer periods of time. However, the stress-related mechanisms hypothesized to be implicated in these associations remain to be specified. The present study tested the mediating and moderating roles of acute cortisol response to stress and coping strategies in the association between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms in early adulthood. METHODS: Data from 156 men aged 18 to 35 years (n = 56 maltreated) were collected using self-reported questionnaires assessing child maltreatment, depressive symptomatology and coping strategies. Cortisol was measured in response to the "Trier Social Stress Test" (TSST). RESULTS: Although acute cortisol response to stress did not mediate the maltreatment-depressive symptoms association, a moderation effect was found. Child maltreatment was associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms among participants with a higher cortisol response to stress, but not for those with moderate-to-lower cortisol responses. Additionally, maltreated participants reported more depressive symptoms, an association that was partly explained by their higher use of emotion-oriented coping (mediation). Finally, maltreated individuals who reported using less task-oriented coping had greater depressive symptomatology than those who adopted this coping strategy more frequently (moderation). CONCLUSION: These findings extend prior work examining the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the etiology of depression. The results draw attention to coping strategies, in addition to acute cortisol response to stress, as potential targets for mitigating the onset of depressive symptoms in adults maltreated as children.