Abstract
Whereas much is known about the function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis during environmental stress and in psychiatric disorders, little is known about the relation of individual differences in basal HPA-functioning to individual differences in healthy psychological functioning. In the present study, we recruited 37 healthy young men and examined the relations of hardiness, self-esteem and hypomanic personality-dispositions that moderate the effects of psychooocial stress on depressive reactions and health-to circulating levels of cortisol and β-endorphin at rest. High self-esteem, hardiness and affective stability were associated with higher plasma cortisol levels and less psychological distress. Additionally, affective stability was associated with higher levels of β-endorphin. The present findings suggest that individual differences in basal HPA-function are associated with individual differences in psychological functioning following stress.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 591-601 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Psychoneuroendocrinology |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1995 |
Funding
Acknowledgements: This work was supported in part by an NSF Predoctoral Fellowship (to E.P. Zorrilla), a University Research Foundation grant (to R.J. DeRubeis and E.P. Zorrilla) and the Public Health Services Research Grant MOl-RR00040 from NIH. The authors express their sincere thanks to Fernando Suarez-Rivas and Dr. Shiv Kapoor for technical assistance, Lisa Eyler Zorrilla and two anonymous reviewers for comments on previous drafts, and Dr. Gerald Metalsky for providing vital materials.
Keywords
- Cortisol
- Depression
- Hardiness
- Hypomania
- Self-esteem
- β-endorphin
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Biological Psychiatry
- Endocrinology
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism