Social strain and cortisol regulation in midlife in the US
Open accessAbstract
Chronic stress has been implicated in a variety of adverse health outcomes, from compromised immunity to cardiovascular disease to cognitive decline. The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis has been postulated to play the primary biological role in translating chronic stress into ill health. Stressful stimuli activate the HPA-axis and cause an increase in circulating levels of cortisol. Frequent and long-lasting activation of the HPA-axis, as occurs in recurrently stressful environments, can in the long run compromise HPA-axis functioning and ultimately affect health. Negative social interactions with family and friends may be a significant source of stress in daily life, constituting the type of recurrently stressful environment that could lead to compromised HPA functioning and altered diurnal cortisol rhythms. We use data from two waves (1995 and 2004-2005) of the Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS) study and from the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE) and piecewise growth curve models to investigate relationships between histories of social strain and patterns of diurnal cortisol rhythms. We find that reported levels of social strain were significantly associated with their diurnal cortisol rhythm. These effects were more pronounced for individuals with a history of greater reported strain across a ten-year period.
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There can be either low or high basal cortisol, as found in depression, trauma exposure, or chronically high social strain.
“There can be either low or high basal cortisol, as found in depression, trauma exposure, or chronically high social strain (Friedman et al., 2012; Bernard et al., 2017; McEwen, 1998).”
From More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science (2018) · cites this paper as Friedman et al., 2012
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More than a feeling: A unified view of stress measurement for population science
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“There can be either low or high basal cortisol, as found in depression, trauma exposure, or chronically high social strain (Friedman et al., 2012; Bernard et al., 2017; McEwen, 1998).”
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- Authors
- Friedman, E. M., Karlamangla, A. S., Almeida, D. M., & Seeman, T. E.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Friedman, Esther M.
- Venue
- Social Science & Medicine
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2012-02
- Volume
- 74
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 607-615
- ISSN
- 0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3605735
- OpenAlex
- W2120581229
- Cited by
- 71
- References
- 64
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (P01-AG020166, R01-AG19239, and R01-AG019239)
- UCLA Older Americans Independence Center (P30-AG028748)
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
- Keywords
- social strain, cortisol, diurnal cortisol rhythm, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, chronic stress, midlife, social stress, family and friend relationships, stress history, Midlife in the United States study
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Conflict, Psychological, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Saliva, Social Environment, Stress, Psychological, United States, Linear Models, Family Conflict
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