Impact of maltreatment on depressive symptoms in young male adults: The mediating and moderating role of cortisol stress response and coping strategies.
Adaptation, Psychological
/ physiology
Adolescent
Adult
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Child Abuse
/ psychology
Depression
/ etiology
Depressive Disorder
/ etiology
Emotions
Humans
Hydrocortisone
/ metabolism
Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System
/ metabolism
Male
Pituitary-Adrenal System
/ metabolism
Risk Factors
Saliva
/ chemistry
Self Report
Stress, Psychological
/ complications
Surveys and Questionnaires
Young Adult
Coping
Cortisol
Depression
HPA axis
Maltreatment
TSST
Journal
Psychoneuroendocrinology
ISSN: 1873-3360
Titre abrégé: Psychoneuroendocrinology
Pays: England
ID NLM: 7612148
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
05 2019
05 2019
Historique:
received:
02
08
2018
revised:
21
12
2018
accepted:
22
12
2018
pubmed:
15
1
2019
medline:
24
4
2020
entrez:
15
1
2019
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Converging evidence suggests that maltreated children suffer from depression at an early age and experience recurrent episodes of depression that persist over longer periods of time. However, the stress-related mechanisms hypothesized to be implicated in these associations remain to be specified. The present study tested the mediating and moderating roles of acute cortisol response to stress and coping strategies in the association between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms in early adulthood. Data from 156 men aged 18 to 35 years (n = 56 maltreated) were collected using self-reported questionnaires assessing child maltreatment, depressive symptomatology and coping strategies. Cortisol was measured in response to the "Trier Social Stress Test" (TSST). Although acute cortisol response to stress did not mediate the maltreatment-depressive symptoms association, a moderation effect was found. Child maltreatment was associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms among participants with a higher cortisol response to stress, but not for those with moderate-to-lower cortisol responses. Additionally, maltreated participants reported more depressive symptoms, an association that was partly explained by their higher use of emotion-oriented coping (mediation). Finally, maltreated individuals who reported using less task-oriented coping had greater depressive symptomatology than those who adopted this coping strategy more frequently (moderation). These findings extend prior work examining the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the etiology of depression. The results draw attention to coping strategies, in addition to acute cortisol response to stress, as potential targets for mitigating the onset of depressive symptoms in adults maltreated as children.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
Converging evidence suggests that maltreated children suffer from depression at an early age and experience recurrent episodes of depression that persist over longer periods of time. However, the stress-related mechanisms hypothesized to be implicated in these associations remain to be specified. The present study tested the mediating and moderating roles of acute cortisol response to stress and coping strategies in the association between child maltreatment and depressive symptoms in early adulthood.
METHODS
Data from 156 men aged 18 to 35 years (n = 56 maltreated) were collected using self-reported questionnaires assessing child maltreatment, depressive symptomatology and coping strategies. Cortisol was measured in response to the "Trier Social Stress Test" (TSST).
RESULTS
Although acute cortisol response to stress did not mediate the maltreatment-depressive symptoms association, a moderation effect was found. Child maltreatment was associated with higher risk of depressive symptoms among participants with a higher cortisol response to stress, but not for those with moderate-to-lower cortisol responses. Additionally, maltreated participants reported more depressive symptoms, an association that was partly explained by their higher use of emotion-oriented coping (mediation). Finally, maltreated individuals who reported using less task-oriented coping had greater depressive symptomatology than those who adopted this coping strategy more frequently (moderation).
CONCLUSION
These findings extend prior work examining the role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the etiology of depression. The results draw attention to coping strategies, in addition to acute cortisol response to stress, as potential targets for mitigating the onset of depressive symptoms in adults maltreated as children.
Identifiants
pubmed: 30640036
pii: S0306-4530(18)30790-X
doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.12.235
pii:
doi:
Substances chimiques
Hydrocortisone
WI4X0X7BPJ
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
41-48Subventions
Organisme : CIHR
Pays : Canada
Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.