Vergara-Lopez Chrystal, Scalco Matthew D, Gaffey Allison E, Reid Brie M, Bublitz Margaret H, Lee Sharon Y, Gomez Andrea, Mercado Nadia, Stroud Laura R
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, The Miriam Hospital, Coro West, Suite 309, 164 Summit Avenue, Providence, RI 02906, USA.
Cognit Ther Res. 2024 Oct;48(5):1027-1034. doi: 10.1007/s10608-024-10492-y. Epub 2024 May 22.
The perseverative cognition hypothesis stipulates that rumination (repetitive, passive, uncontrollable negative thinking) prolongs the experience of a stressor which impacts stress physiology. In line with this hypothesis, we proposed that in response to real-life experiences of social rejection, adolescent girls who ruminate would show a blunted diurnal cortisol slope the next day relative to girls who do not ruminate. We also examined the effects of social rejection and rumination on waking cortisol levels and the cortisol awakening response.
Participants were ( = 50) adolescent girls (mean age = 13.30, SD = 2.34) who varied on psychiatric risk and provided saliva samples 4 times a day for 3 days, as well as, daily diary reports of social rejection and rumination. A lagged multilevel model was utilized to examine the interactive effects of rejection and rumination on diurnal cortisol.
There was a significant interaction between social rejection and rumination. Specifically, rumination following social rejection was associated with a flatter diurnal cortisol slope. In the absence of rumination, social rejection was marginally associated with a steeper diurnal cortisol slope. The effects for waking cortisol levels and the cortisol awakening response were null.
Findings support the perseverative cognition hypothesis and suggest that cognitive mechanisms such as rumination can impact stress physiology.
持续认知假说规定，沉思（反复、被动、无法控制的消极思维）会延长应激源的体验时间，进而影响应激生理学。根据这一假说，我们提出，面对现实生活中的社会排斥经历，与不沉思的女孩相比，沉思的青春期女孩在第二天的昼夜皮质醇斜率会变平缓。我们还研究了社会排斥和沉思对清醒时皮质醇水平以及皮质醇觉醒反应的影响。
参与者为50名青春期女孩（平均年龄=13.30，标准差=2.34），她们在精神疾病风险方面存在差异，连续3天每天4次提供唾液样本，同时每天记录社会排斥和沉思的日记报告。采用滞后多级模型来研究排斥和沉思对昼夜皮质醇的交互作用。
社会排斥和沉思之间存在显著的交互作用。具体而言，社会排斥后的沉思与更平缓的昼夜皮质醇斜率相关。在没有沉思的情况下，社会排斥与更陡峭的昼夜皮质醇斜率存在微弱关联。清醒时皮质醇水平和皮质醇觉醒反应的影响不显著。
研究结果支持持续认知假说，并表明沉思等认知机制会影响应激生理学。
