Stuart Nathan C, Zoccola Peggy M, Dickerson Sally S
Ohio University, United States.
Ohio University, United States.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2025 Sep;179:107517. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107517. Epub 2025 Jun 12.
Emerging evidence from laboratory stressor studies suggests gender/sex differences in the relationship between the tendency to ruminate and prolonged activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as well as elevated levels of its end-product, cortisol. However, research on rumination and diurnal cortisol, particularly in relation to HPA activity and gender/sex differences, is limited. The primary aim of the present study was to extend laboratory findings to a naturalistic setting. Diurnal cortisol slope (DCS), a measure of typical decline in cortisol throughout the day, was examined. The study also examined whether rumination-cortisol associations differed by rumination type and gender/sex: stressor-focused rumination, which involves dwelling on past or current stressors, and brooding rumination, which focuses on evaluative reactions to sad emotions. The sample included 116 college-aged adults (63 women, 53 men) who provided six salivary cortisol samples throughout the day over five days. Analyses revealed that men and women differed in their associations between stressor-focused rumination and diurnal cortisol. Women with higher levels of stressor-focused rumination displayed flatter diurnal cortisol slopes, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in men. No such associations were observed for brooding rumination. Neither rumination measure was directly associated with diurnal cortisol. These findings suggest that women who engage in higher levels of stressor-focused rumination display altered diurnal cortisol in daily life, but not men.
来自实验室应激源研究的新证据表明,在反复思考的倾向与下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺(HPA)轴的长期激活及其终产物皮质醇水平升高之间的关系上存在性别差异。然而,关于反复思考与昼夜皮质醇的研究,特别是与HPA活动及性别差异相关的研究有限。本研究的主要目的是将实验室研究结果扩展到自然环境中。我们考察了昼夜皮质醇斜率(DCS),这是一种衡量全天皮质醇典型下降情况的指标。该研究还考察了反复思考与皮质醇的关联是否因反复思考类型和性别而异:聚焦应激源的反复思考,即纠结于过去或当前的应激源;以及沉思性反复思考,即专注于对悲伤情绪的评价反应。样本包括116名大学生(63名女性,53名男性),他们在五天内每天提供六份唾液皮质醇样本。分析显示,男性和女性在聚焦应激源的反复思考与昼夜皮质醇的关联上存在差异。聚焦应激源反复思考水平较高的女性昼夜皮质醇斜率较平缓,而男性则呈现相反的模式。沉思性反复思考未观察到此类关联。两种反复思考测量指标均与昼夜皮质醇无直接关联。这些发现表明,在日常生活中,聚焦应激源反复思考水平较高的女性昼夜皮质醇会发生变化,而男性则不会。