Department of Military Psychology and Military Pedagogy Studies, Military Academy at ETH Zurich, Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Stress. 2023 Jan;26(1):2199886. doi: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2199886.
Prolonged or severe stress has been found to inhibit the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPG) and its testosterone release. In contrast, acute stress, including competition, social evaluation, or physical challenges, shows more inconsistent response patterns. This study examined changes in cortisol and testosterone across different types and durations of stress in the same individuals. We further explored the influence of baseline levels on hormonal stress responses. Sixty-seven male officer cadets in the Swiss Armed Forces (mean age 20.46 years ± 1.33) were assessed during two different acute stressors-the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G) and a brief military field exercise-and in the long-term during the 15-week officer training school. Several saliva samples were collected before and after the acute stressors for cortisol and testosterone. Morning testosterone was assessed four times during officer training school. There were significant increases in cortisol and testosterone during the TSST-G and the field exercise. Baseline levels of testosterone were negatively associated with acute cortisol response during the field exercise but not during the TSST-G. Morning saliva testosterone decreased during the first 12 weeks of officer training school and increased again in week 15, with no differences to baseline levels. The findings suggest that group stress tests such as the TSST-G or field exercises in groups may be particularly challenging for young men. The results also point to an adaptive role of testosterone during acute challenges during prolonged stress.
长期或严重的压力被发现会抑制下丘脑-垂体-性腺轴（HPG）及其睾丸激素的释放。相比之下，急性压力，包括竞争、社会评价或身体挑战，表现出更不一致的反应模式。本研究在同一人群中检查了不同类型和持续时间的压力对皮质醇和睾丸激素的影响。我们进一步探讨了基线水平对激素应激反应的影响。瑞士武装部队的 67 名男性军官学员（平均年龄 20.46 岁±1.33 岁）在两个不同的急性应激源——团体特里尔社会应激测试（TSST-G）和短暂的军事野外训练中以及在 15 周的军官培训学校期间进行了评估。在急性应激源前后采集了几次唾液样本，用于检测皮质醇和睾丸激素。在军官培训学校期间，四次采集了早晨的睾丸激素样本。在 TSST-G 和野外训练中，皮质醇和睾丸激素显著增加。在野外训练中，睾丸激素的基线水平与急性皮质醇反应呈负相关，但在 TSST-G 中则没有。在军官培训学校的前 12 周，早晨唾液睾丸激素下降，在第 15 周再次增加，但与基线水平没有差异。研究结果表明，团体应激测试，如 TSST-G 或团体野外训练，可能对年轻男性特别具有挑战性。研究结果还表明，睾丸激素在长期压力下的急性挑战期间具有适应性作用。
