Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Psychophysiology Laboratory, Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, United Kingdom.
Horm Behav. 2019 Sep;115:104558. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.07.006. Epub 2019 Jul 20.
This study used an intensive protocol to examine the effects of daily hassles and loneliness on diurnal salivary cortisol levels. Fifty Chinese undergraduates (28 females) provided six saliva samples each day for two consecutive days (at 0, 0.5, 3, 6, and 12 h after waking and at bedtime) and completed a questionnaire that included scales to measure daily hassles experienced over the previous month, trait loneliness, and depression. Cortisol data were aggregated over two days and used in subsequent analyses, focusing on the cortisol awakening response, diurnal slope, and overall cortisol output operationalized as the area under the curve with reference to the ground (AUC). Multiple regression analysis showed that an increase in loneliness had a significant association with an increase in the AUC and with a steeper diurnal slope. Loneliness also showed a significant interaction with daily hassles in that the positive association between daily hassles and AUC was accentuated in the participants who reported a greater degree of loneliness. Our findings demonstrate for the first time the importance of trait loneliness in modulating the association between daily hassles and diurnal cortisol levels, which has significant clinical implications. Interventions to reduce loneliness should help college students to better cope with daily stressors. Increased attention should also be paid to the health implications of an elevated cortisol level in this relatively young and healthy population.
本研究采用强化方案，考察日常烦扰和孤独感对日间唾液皮质醇水平的影响。50 名中国大学生（28 名女性）连续两天每天提供 6 份唾液样本（分别在醒来后 0、0.5、3、6 和 12 小时以及睡前），并完成一份问卷，其中包括衡量过去一个月经历的日常烦扰、特质孤独和抑郁的量表。皮质醇数据在两天内进行汇总，并在随后的分析中使用，重点关注皮质醇觉醒反应、日间斜率和总体皮质醇输出，即参考基础的曲线下面积（AUC）。多元回归分析表明，孤独感的增加与 AUC 的增加以及日间斜率的增加呈显著正相关。孤独感还与日常烦扰呈显著的交互作用，即在报告孤独感程度较高的参与者中，日常烦扰与 AUC 之间的正相关关系更为明显。我们的研究结果首次表明，特质孤独感在调节日常烦扰与日间皮质醇水平之间的关系方面具有重要意义，这具有重要的临床意义。减少孤独感的干预措施应有助于大学生更好地应对日常压力源。在这个相对年轻和健康的人群中，应该更加关注皮质醇水平升高对健康的影响。
