Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
Department of Psychology, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Seville, Spain.
Endocr Pract. 2024 Oct;30(10):970-977. doi: 10.1016/j.eprac.2024.07.009. Epub 2024 Jul 19.
Mental health has emerged as a worldwide concern given the increasing incidence of anxiety and depression disorders in the last years. Cortisol and sex steroid hormones have been demonstrated to be important regulators of mental health processes in older adults. However, the evidence considering these integrated variables in apparently healthy middle-aged individuals has not been thoroughly addressed. The present study aimed to investigate the association of the plasma cortisol, testosterone, free testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels with mental health in middle-aged adults.
This cross-sectional study included a cohort of 73 middle-aged adults aged 45 to 65 years (women, 53%). Plasma cortisol, testosterone, SHBG, and DHEAS were assessed using a competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay. Free testosterone was calculated from the total testosterone and SHBG. Self-reported depression severity, generic health-related quality of life, hope, satisfaction with life, and optimism-pessimism were evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey, Adult Hope Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Life Orientation Test-Revised, respectively-with higher total scores of these scales indicating greater levels of these variables.
The testosterone and free testosterone levels were inversely associated with the BDI-II values in men (all P ≤ .042). The cortisol levels were positively related with the Satisfaction with Life Scale scores, whereas the testosterone, free testosterone, SHBG, and DHEAS levels were negatively correlated with the BDI-II values in women (all P ≤ .045).
In summary, these results suggest that the increased levels of steroid hormones-within the normal values-are associated with better mental health in middle-aged adults.
近年来，焦虑和抑郁障碍的发病率不断上升，心理健康已成为全球关注的焦点。皮质醇和性激素已被证明是调节老年人心理健康的重要因素。然而，关于这些综合变量在中年健康个体中的作用的证据尚未得到充分阐明。本研究旨在探讨中年个体血浆皮质醇、睾酮、游离睾酮、性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）和硫酸脱氢表雄酮（DHEAS）水平与心理健康之间的关系。
本横断面研究纳入了 73 名年龄在 45 岁至 65 岁之间的中年成年人（女性 53%）。使用竞争化学发光免疫分析法检测血浆皮质醇、睾酮、SHBG 和 DHEAS。游离睾酮通过总睾酮和 SHBG 计算得出。使用贝克抑郁量表 II（BDI-II）、36 项简短健康调查、成人希望量表、生活满意度量表和生活取向测验修订版评估自我报告的抑郁严重程度、一般健康相关生活质量、希望、生活满意度和乐观-悲观程度，这些量表的总分越高，表明这些变量的水平越高。
在男性中，睾酮和游离睾酮水平与 BDI-II 值呈负相关（均 P ≤.042）。皮质醇水平与生活满意度量表评分呈正相关，而睾酮、游离睾酮、SHBG 和 DHEAS 水平与女性的 BDI-II 值呈负相关（均 P ≤.045）。
综上所述，这些结果表明，在中年成年人中，正常范围内类固醇激素水平的升高与更好的心理健康相关。
