Department of Psychology, Division of Neuropsychology, University of Konstanz, Universitaetsstrasse 10, 78464, Constance, Germany.
Child- and Adolescent Research Department, University Psychiatric Clinics Basel (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 21;14(1):6837. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-57106-x.
Early-life adversity (ELA) is related to profound dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, reflected in both, blunted or exaggerated cortisol stress responses in adulthood. Emotion regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal might contribute to this inconsistent finding. Here, we investigate an interaction of early-life maternal care (MC), where low MC represents a form of ELA, and instructed emotion regulation on cortisol responses to acute stress. Ninety-three healthy young women were assigned to a low (n = 33) or high (n = 60) MC group, based on self-reported early-life MC. In the laboratory, participants received regulation instructions, asking to cognitively reappraise (reappraisal group, n = 45) or to focus on senses (control group, n = 48) during subsequent stress exposure, induced by the Trier Social Stress Test. Salivary cortisol and subjective stress levels were measured repeatedly throughout the experiment. Multilevel model analyses confirmed a MC by emotion regulation interaction effect on cortisol trajectories, while controlling for hormonal status. Individuals with low MC in the control compared with the reappraisal group showed increased cortisol responses; individuals with high MC did not differ. These results highlight the significance of emotion regulation for HPA axis stress regulation following ELA exposure. They provide methodological and health implications, indicating emotion regulation as a promising target of treatment interventions for individuals with a history of ELA.
早期生活逆境（ELA）与下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴的深刻失调有关，这反映在成年期皮质醇应激反应减弱或过度。情绪调节策略，如认知重评，可能对此不一致的发现有贡献。在这里，我们研究了早期生活母性照顾（MC）和指令性情绪调节对急性应激下皮质醇反应的相互作用，其中低 MC 代表一种 ELA。93 名健康的年轻女性根据自我报告的早期生活 MC 被分配到低 MC 组（n=33）或高 MC 组（n=60）。在实验室中，参与者在随后的 Trier 社会应激测试中接受了调节指令，要求他们在感知过程中进行认知重评（重评组，n=45）或专注于感知（对照组，n=48）。在整个实验过程中，反复测量唾液皮质醇和主观应激水平。多水平模型分析证实了 MC 和情绪调节对皮质醇轨迹的相互作用效应，同时控制了激素状态。与重评组相比，低 MC 的对照组个体的皮质醇反应增加；高 MC 的个体则没有差异。这些结果强调了情绪调节对 ELA 暴露后 HPA 轴应激调节的重要性。它们提供了方法和健康方面的影响，表明情绪调节是针对 ELA 个体的治疗干预的一个有前途的目标。
