Children's diurnal cortisol output and temperament in two different childcare settings at 2 and 3.5 years of age

Abstract Background Depression and overweight are each associated with abnormal immune system activation. We sought to disentangle the extent to which depressive symptoms and overweight status contributed to increased inflammation and abnormal cortisol levels. Methods Participants were recruited through the Wellcome Trust NIMA Consortium. The sample of 216 participants consisted of 69 overweight patients with depression; 35 overweight controls; 55 normal-weight patients with depression and 57 normal-weight controls. Peripheral inflammation was measured as high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) in serum. Salivary cortisol was collected at multiple points throughout the day to measure cortisol awakening response and diurnal cortisol levels. Results Overweight patients with depression had significantly higher hsCRP compared with overweight controls (p = 0.042), normal-weight depressed patients (p < 0.001) and normal-weight controls (p < 0.001), after controlling for age and gender. Multivariable logistic regression showed that comorbid depression and overweight significantly increased the risk of clinically elevated hsCRP levels ⩾3 mg/L (OR 2.44, 1.28–3.94). In a separate multivariable logistic regression model, overweight status contributed most to the risk of having hsCRP levels ⩾3 mg/L (OR 1.52, 0.7–2.41), while depression also contributed a significant risk (OR 1.09, 0.27–2). There were no significant differences between groups in cortisol awakening response and diurnal cortisol levels. Conclusion Comorbid depression and overweight status are associated with increased hsCRP, and the coexistence of these conditions amplified the risk of clinically elevated hsCRP levels. Overweight status contributed most to the risk of clinically elevated hsCRP levels, but depression also contributed to a significant risk. We observed no differences in cortisol levels between groups.

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Couples’ Communication Behaviors and Diurnal Cortisol Patterns

Journal of Family Issues ◽

10.1177/0192513x19868260 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (18) ◽

pp. 2871-2892

Author(s):

Natasha S. Seiter ◽

Rachel G. Lucas-Thompson ◽

Kim L. Henry

Keyword(s):

Marital Conflict ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis ◽

Communication Behaviors ◽

Important Indicator ◽

Diurnal Cortisol ◽

Couple Communication ◽

Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal ◽

Adrenal Axis ◽

Pituitary Adrenal Axis

Previous research suggests that more negative or less positive couple communication can be stressful and that chronic stress can lead to less healthy patterns of physiological stress functioning. Our goal was to investigate whether couples’ observed communication behaviors and reported relationship conflict were related to diurnal cortisol patterns, an important indicator of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis functioning. Sixty-two couples ( n = 124 individuals) reported marital conflict and were video-recorded engaging in a coded conflict discussion. Diurnal cortisol samples were collected. Results suggested that men’s greater observed communication quality predicted women’s higher awakening cortisol levels as well as men’s steeper decreases in cortisol across the day (i.e., slopes), men’s greater reported conflict predicted women’s lower awakening levels, and, in some models, women’s greater reported resolution predicted women’s lower awakening levels and men’s steeper slopes. These findings suggest that less positive and more negative marital conflict contribute to dysfunction of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis.

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