Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Department of Chemistry, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jul 3;19(7):1944. doi: 10.3390/ijms19071944.
This study aimed to examine the relationship between trait loneliness and diurnal rhythms of salivary cortisol. Fifty-One Chinese undergraduates provided six saliva samples on a weekday at immediately, 0.5, 3, 6, and 12 h after waking, and at bedtime. Saliva collection times were monitored using electronic devices (MEMS TrackCaps). Participants were also administered a questionnaire consisting of scales measuring, trait loneliness, depression, and demographics. Relationships between loneliness and the cortisol awakening response (CAR), diurnal slope (DS), and area under the curve with respect to ground (AUC) were examined using multiple regression analyses. Results showed that a higher loneliness score was associated with an attenuated CAR, a large AUC, and a steeper DS, with the effects of compliance, waking time, and depression being controlled. As a blunted CAR and a higher diurnal cortisol level have been shown to be associated with poorer health in prior studies, increased attention to the mechanisms translating loneliness into disease endpoints via elevated cortisol is warranted.
本研究旨在探讨特质孤独感与唾液皮质醇昼夜节律之间的关系。51 名中国大学生在工作日的即时、0.5、3、6 和 12 小时后醒来以及睡前，提供了 6 个唾液样本。使用电子设备（MEMS TrackCaps）监测唾液采集时间。参与者还接受了一份问卷，其中包括衡量特质孤独感、抑郁和人口统计学的量表。在控制了顺应性、醒来时间和抑郁的影响后，使用多元回归分析检查了孤独感与皮质醇觉醒反应（CAR）、昼夜斜率（DS）和地面下曲线下面积（AUC）之间的关系。结果表明，较高的孤独感评分与 CAR 减弱、AUC 增大和 DS 陡峭有关。在先前的研究中，已经表明迟钝的 CAR 和更高的日间皮质醇水平与较差的健康状况有关，因此需要更多地关注通过升高皮质醇将孤独感转化为疾病终点的机制。
