Psychoneuroendocrinology最新文献

{"title":"Intersectional stigma, health behaviors, and allostatic load among sexual and gender diverse people","authors":"Nevena Chuntova ,&nbsp;Inès Ait Abdelmalek ,&nbsp;Karine Lavallée-Rodrigue ,&nbsp;Emma-Rose Thériault ,&nbsp;Ryan Hogan ,&nbsp;Ziad Guenoun ,&nbsp;Jasmine Boulette ,&nbsp;Ahmed Jérome Romain ,&nbsp;L. Zachary DuBois ,&nbsp;Robert-Paul Juster","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107708","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107708","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sexual and gender diverse (SGD) people face significant health disparities linked to chronic stigma exposure. Yet, the biological mechanisms underlying these inequities remain unexplored. This project examines how lifetime intersectional discrimination influences allostatic load (AL) —the cumulative biological 'wear and tear' of chronic stress—and explores the role of health behaviors (smoking, alcohol use, drug use, sleep quality and physical activity) as potential mediators in this pathway. Our team recruited 357 adults separated into 7 subgroups stratified by gender identity and sexual orientation. Blood samples and biometrics were collected from each participant and analysed to create a composite AL index incorporating 16 biomarkers across multiple physiological systems. Psychosocial variables including intersectional discrimination experiences and health behaviors were derived from validated questionnaires. Results show that intersectional discrimination experiences were positively associated with AL after controlling for age, indicating that both major discriminatory events and cumulative daily experiences independently contribute to physiological dysregulation through enacted stigma and discrimination exposure. Additionally, both gender identity and sexual orientation relate to differential AL patterns, with masculine-spectrum people (cisgender and transgender men) and sexual minority men (bisexual and gay men) showing the highest AL levels. Contrary to our hypothesis, health behaviors did not mediate the relationship between discrimination and AL, suggesting that discrimination may exert direct biological effects through stress response systems without requiring negative behavioral pathways. These findings provide further support for recognition of the impacts of structural and social determinants of health among SGD communities and the need for policy changes that protect against structural inequities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107708"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145669623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Neuroendocrine profiles in relation to female callous-unemotional traits and distress facilitation","authors":"Victoria Auricht ,&nbsp;Natalie Goulter ,&nbsp;Eva R. Kimonis","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107710","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107710","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Emerging evidence supports that primary and secondary callous-unemotional (CU) variants show distinct physiological correlates, though prior research has exclusively distinguished CU variants based on psychosocial measures, rather than physiological indices, and focused on male samples. This study aimed to determine whether identified neuroendocrine (i.e., cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA], and testosterone) profiles mapped onto theoretically relevant psychosocial constructs consistent with CU variants, and whether profiles differed in emotional processing. Salivary samples from undergraduate women (<em>M</em>_<em>age</em> = 19.02 years; <em>SD</em> = 1.50) oversampled for high psychopathic/CU traits (<em>N</em> = 101) were assayed for basal cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone. Participants completed self-report measures of CU traits, maltreatment history, anxiety, and depression, and a dot-probe task assessing facilitation to emotional distress. Latent profile analysis revealed a ‘hypoactive’ profile with low cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone, and a ‘hyperactive’ profile with high cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone. Profiles partially aligned with psychosocial measures used to validate theoretical conceptualizations of CU variants, and the hyperactive profile showed greater facilitation to emotional distress relative to the hypoactive profile. Findings add to a limited literature on female CU traits in relation to neuroendocrine functioning and emotional processing. Our findings also provide preliminary evidence of possible congruency between physiological and psychosocial measures underlying the identification of CU variants.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107710"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145668466","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exogenous estradiol modulates entorhinal cortex contributions to episodic encoding of conditioned threat in women","authors":"Katelyn I. Oliver ,&nbsp;Kristina Dahlgren ,&nbsp;Alyssa R. Roeckner ,&nbsp;Cecilia A. Hinojosa ,&nbsp;Justin L.C. Santos ,&nbsp;Linzie S. Taylor ,&nbsp;Helena Zeleke ,&nbsp;Amy Murphy ,&nbsp;Colin Johnson II ,&nbsp;Dasani DelRosario ,&nbsp;Timothy D. Ely ,&nbsp;Rebecca Hinrichs ,&nbsp;Natalie A. Merrill ,&nbsp;Marisa R. Young ,&nbsp;Andrea Braden ,&nbsp;Abigail Powers ,&nbsp;Sanne J.H. van Rooij ,&nbsp;Vasiliki Michopoulos ,&nbsp;Jennifer S. Stevens","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107709","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107709","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Estradiol (E2) positively influences memory facilitation effects in older women and rodent models by targeting key memory-related brain regions. However, the impacts of E2 on emotional memory processes in younger women are less clear. As women are twice as likely as men to develop trauma related disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is important to understand how hormones like E2 might impact threat memory mechanisms. Using a randomized, double-blinded, cross-over design, we administered transdermal E2 or placebo to 45 naturally-cycling, Black women (18–35 years) with a range of trauma-related symptoms during the early luteal (low endogenous E2) phase of their cycles. The following day, participants underwent a categorical threat conditioning paradigm during fMRI recording and completed a post-scan recognition test of images seen during the scanning session. The next month, participants repeated experimental procedures under the opposite patch condition. Blood samples taken day of scan showed a mean 80 pg/mL increase in serum E2 levels under E2 supplementation. While all participants showed an enhancement of threat on memory, such that threat-associated (CS+) images were later recognized better than neutral (CS-) pictures, neither E2 patch nor PTSD symptom severity predicted recognition performance. However, under placebo, greater bilateral entorhinal cortex (ERC) response during threat vs safety learning (CS+&gt;CS-) was associated with greater post-scan recognition for CS+ compared to the CS- category, indicating greater ERC facilitation of episodic encoding and threat bias in the low E2 condition. We also found that the combination of high E2 and progesterone (P4) was associated with reduced ERC CS+ &gt;CS- activity, potentially explaining why E2 supplementation did not facilitate CS+ &gt;CS- recognition and suggesting an antagonistic role for P4 with E2 in memory facilitation. E2 produced an increase in ERC functional connectivity to the superior temporal gyrus during CS- encoding, which may suggest a shift in ERC engagement away from episodic encoding. These findings indicate that the post-ovulation drop in E2 and potential interactions with P4 facilitate the episodic encoding of safety and threat cues in women, given that exogenous E2 blocked these effects. This study provides novel causal evidence on the role of cyclical fluctuation in E2 in determining episodic components of memory for learned threat and safety.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107709"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145621438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to “U.S. men’s testosterone (T), partnering, and residence with children: Evidence from a nationally-representative cohort (NHANES) and relevance to clinically low T” [Psychoneuroendocrinology 182 (2025) 107658]","authors":"Lee T. Gettler ,&nbsp;Sarah Hoegler Dennis","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107707","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107707","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107707"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145621507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional polygenic risk score of glucocorticoid-dependent regulatory element activity and its relation to clinical and stress-related phenotypes","authors":"F. Linsen ,&nbsp;P.C. Habets ,&nbsp;Y. Milaneschi ,&nbsp;S. Penner-Goeke ,&nbsp;B. Mishuris ,&nbsp;D. Czamara ,&nbsp;B.W.J.H. Penninx ,&nbsp;E.B. Binder ,&nbsp;O.C. Meijer ,&nbsp;C.H. Vinkers","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107703","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107703","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Background&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;Chronic stress and adverse life events are major contributors to depression and anxiety disorders. Genetic variants that influence glucocorticoid (GC) hormone responses may moderate the impact of stress on psychiatric outcomes. Here, we use a functional polygenic risk score (fPRS) based on GC-responsive gene regulatory elements (GREs) following dexamethasone (DEX) exposure (DEX-fPRS) and examined its association with clinical and biological stress-related phenotypes.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Methods&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;We analyzed data from 2286 participants in the Dutch NESDA cohort, with baseline, 2-year, and 6-year follow-up visits, including 1115 with baseline depression/anxiety diagnoses. Univariable and multivariable regression models, adjusted for age, sex, batch, and ancestry principal components, were used to test associations between DEX-fPRS and lifetime diagnosis, cumulative symptom severity, and clinical features among cases (e.g. symptom severity, recurrence). Subgroup comparisons (e.g. single vs. recurrent episodes) and biological outcomes (salivary cortisol, immune markers) were also assessed. A vehicle-treated fPRS control (VEH-fPRS) was additionally tested, capturing genetic variants associated with baseline, non-GR-stimulated enhancer activity. Gene-environment interactions were tested and replication in the MARS cohort (N = 1160).&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Results&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;In the full sample, DEX-fPRS showed no significant associations with lifetime diagnosis, symptom severity, or biological measures after Bonferroni correction (all &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;&gt;0.05), although a nominally significant negative association was observed for morning cortisol (AUCg) in the univariable model (B=-0.05, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.03, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.19). Among cases, evening cortisol showed nominally significant negative associations in both models (univariable: B=-0.05, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.09; multivariable: B=-0.04, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.14). A significant positive association was found for recurrent vs. single episodes in both models (univariable: β=1.24, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.01, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.03; multivariable B=1.21, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.01, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.04). VEH-fPRS showed similar nominal associations for recurrent episodes (univariable: B=1.13, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.03, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.11; multivariable B=1.21, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.08) and a negative association for single episodes versus controls in the multivariable model (B=-1.52, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;nominal&lt;/sub&gt;=0.02, &lt;em&gt;p&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sub&gt;bonf&lt;/sub&gt;=0.07). No gene-environment interactions were detected, and none of the NESDA findings were replicated in the MARS cohort.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;h3&gt;Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;&lt;div&gt;While the DEX-fPRS was not associated with lifetime diagnosi","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107703"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145649214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Plasma biomarkers in drug-naïve schizophrenia with severe cognitive impairment via targeted metabolomics","authors":"Yeqing Dong ,&nbsp;Shuo Wang ,&nbsp;Yuying Qiu ,&nbsp;Qiao Su,&nbsp;Xiaoxiao Sun,&nbsp;Meijuan Li,&nbsp;Jie Li","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107711","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107711","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Cognitive impairment is the core symptom of schizophrenia (SZ). Early recognition of cognitive dysfunction is of great significance. Here, we used a metabolome-targeted approach to explore potential biomarkers associated with severe cognitive impairment in drug-naïve SZ patients.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Plasma metabolites from 108 SZ patients and 55 healthy controls (HC) were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Participants were split into discovery (n = 88) and validation (n = 75) sets. The cognitive function was assessed using MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Batter (MCCB), with cognitive deficit score ≥ 3 defined as \"severe cognitive impairment\" (SCI) and others as \"non-severe cognitive impairment\"(non-SCI).</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>We found 21 candidate differential metabolites only present in SCI patients, and they were mainly involved in sphingolipid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism. Furthermore, SM C20:2 and PC ae C36:2 were associated with social cognition and neurocognitive subdimensions of MCCB in SCI patients, while no similar results were found in non-SCI patients. The combination of SM C20:2 and PC ae C36:2 could modestly discriminated SCI subjects from non-SCI patients with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.685 in discovery set and 0.720 in validation set. Moreover, these 2 candidate differential metabolites enabled distinguishing SZ patients from HC with an AUC of 0.717 in discovery set and 0.786 in validation set.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our study initially identified 21 candidate differential metabolites and 2 potentially important metabolic pathways related to SCI in drug-naïve SZ patients. SM C20:2 and PC ae C36:2 may serve as biomarkers for cognitive severity assessment in SZ patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107711"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145621440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Increased social reward behavior in adolescent male and female rats exposed prenatally to alcohol is associated with altered dopamine receptor expression","authors":"Andrew C. Sheehan,&nbsp;Amanda M. Leonetti,&nbsp;Shealin H. Murray,&nbsp;Roopan Dhaliwal,&nbsp;Molly A. Stamp,&nbsp;Parker J. Holman,&nbsp;Cheryl M. McCormick,&nbsp;Charlis Raineki","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107705","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107705","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) has detrimental consequences on cognitive, physiological, and social development. Adolescence, characterized by increased exploration, risk-taking, and social interaction, is a critical developmental stage that may amplify social deficits caused by PAE. This study examined how PAE affects social motivation in males and females across adolescent development using a social reward task to measure preferences for social and non-social stimuli at postnatal day (P)30, P40, P50, and P70. Our results demonstrated that PAE rats exhibited higher social motivation than controls during training and progressive ratio sessions. Extinction testing showed PAE males persisted in responding to the previously social side, resisting the typical shift to a non-social preference observed in controls. Dopamine receptor analysis revealed sex- and age-specific effects. Both PAE males and females showed increased D2 receptor expression in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) at P30 and P50. In contrast, D3 receptor expression was decreased in the NAcc of P30 PAE males. In the medial amygdala, PAE females exhibited reduced D3 expression at P40 and P70, while PAE males showed similar reductions at P30 and P50. These findings suggest that PAE disrupts development of social motivation and dopamine receptor expression, with distinct effects based on sex and developmental stage. The observed increases in D2 expression, coupled with decreases in the inhibitory D3 receptor, may contribute to the heightened social motivation in PAE rats by shifting the balance of dopamine signaling toward increased reward sensitivity and reduced behavioral inhibition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107705"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145577670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aging anxiety and epigenetic aging in a national sample of adult women in the United States","authors":"Mariana Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Jemar R. Bather ,&nbsp;Adolfo G. Cuevas","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107704","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107704","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Aging anxiety is a multidimensional psychosocial stressor with potential implications for women’s long-term health, yet its biological embedding remains poorly understood. This study examined whether domain-specific aging anxieties are associated with accelerated epigenetic aging, using second-generation methylation-based biomarkers.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data were drawn from 726 women participating in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Aging anxiety was assessed across three domains: declining attractiveness, declining health, and reproductive aging. Epigenetic aging was measured using two complementary second-generation clocks: GrimAge2, which estimates cumulative biological damage and predicts mortality risk, and DunedinPACE, which captures the current pace of biological aging. Multivariable linear regression models tested associations between aging anxiety and epigenetic age acceleration, adjusting sequentially for sociodemographic factors, chronic health conditions, and health behaviors.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Greater declining health anxiety was significantly associated with higher DunedinPACE z-scores (0.07 SD increase, 95 % CI: 0.01, 0.13). This association attenuated to non-significance after adjusting for health behaviors (0.02 SD increase, 95 % CI: −0.04, 0.08), which could be potential mediators on the exposure-outcome association pathway. Higher cumulative aging anxiety was significantly associated with a 0.07 SD increase (95 % CI: 0.01, 0.14) in DunedinPACE, but this association attenuated to non-significance after adjusting for chronic health conditions (0.06 SD increase, 95 % CI: −0.01, 0.13) and health behaviors (0.03 SD increase, 95 % CI: −0.03, 0.08).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Findings indicate that specific domains of aging anxiety, particularly fears about declining health, may manifest biologically and contribute to accelerated aging processes. These results support a biopsychosocial model in which subjective experiences of aging contribute to physiological decline. Future longitudinal studies are needed to clarify whether aging-related anxiety influences epigenetic aging trajectories among women.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107704"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145621439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The mediating role of loneliness between psychosocial and physiological well-being in older adults","authors":"Rainbow Tin Hung Ho ,&nbsp;Temmy Lee Ting Lo ,&nbsp;Ted Chun Tat Fong ,&nbsp;Da Jiang ,&nbsp;Jojo Yan Yan Kwok ,&nbsp;Dannii Yuen-lan Yeung ,&nbsp;Namkee G. Choi ,&nbsp;Lisa M. Warner ,&nbsp;Kee Lee Chou","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107706","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107706","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Loneliness is a risk factor for mental but also physical health concerns in older adults. This study aimed to examine the temporal associations among social relationships, mindfulness, and physiological functioning and the potential mediating role of loneliness.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>The present study recruited 141 older adults experiencing loneliness (M_age = 64.1 years, 76 % female) during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed loneliness, social network, perceived social support, and mindfulness, and provided six saliva samples for cortisol and C-reactive protein (CRP) over two days at baseline (T0) and 6-month follow-up (T1). Path analysis was conducted to examine the associations of changes in psychosocial and physiological variables via change in loneliness.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>The participants showed small to moderate increases in perceived social support and mindfulness and small to moderate decreases in loneliness and pre-lunch cortisol. Greater improvements in social relationships were significantly associated with changes toward steeper diurnal cortisol slopes, indicating a healthier cortisol pattern. Greater improvements in mindfulness and social relationships were indirectly associated with greater reductions in CRP via a decrease in loneliness.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The present findings provided empirical support for temporal associations between social relationships, mindfulness, and physiological markers, with loneliness acting as a mediator, in older adults. The results suggest that interventions targeting loneliness, while promoting social engagement and mindfulness, could improve both psychosocial and physiological well-being in this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107706"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145577723","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Superwoman schema, motherhood status, and subclinical atherosclerosis among African American women","authors":"Lori S. Hoggard ,&nbsp;Te-ojah J. Dennison-Morgan ,&nbsp;Jordan Parker ,&nbsp;Raphiel J. Murden ,&nbsp;Zachary T. Martin ,&nbsp;Jelaina Shipman-Lacewell ,&nbsp;Christy L. Erving ,&nbsp;Nicole D. Fields ,&nbsp;Shivika Udaipuria ,&nbsp;Reneé H. Moore ,&nbsp;Viola Vaccarino ,&nbsp;Arshed A. Quyyumi ,&nbsp;Mindy L. Coccari ,&nbsp;Tené T. Lewis","doi":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psyneuen.2025.107696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among women in the United States, with African American women facing markedly higher rates of CVD-related morbidity and mortality than women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. African American women’s heightened risk for CVD has been linked to their disproportionate exposure to social stressors. In the present study, we examine how Superwoman Schema (SWS) is related to carotid intima media thickness (IMT) among African American women, as well as the moderating role of motherhood status.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Data are from the Mechanisms Underlying the Impact of Stress and Emotions (MUSE) on African American Women’s Health Study, a cohort of 422 African American women residing in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. The women completed demographic questions (e.g., motherhood status) and psychosocial assessments, including the 35-item SWS scale. IMT scans were also performed during the visit.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>After adjustment for sociodemographic (e.g., age) and CVD risk (e.g., systolic blood pressure) factors, the results revealed that Resistance to Vulnerability was associated with lower IMT among non-mothers.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>The results indicate that African American women’s culturally rooted tendency to embody strength, independence, self-reliance, ambition, and care for others may serve as a compensatory mechanism influencing CVD risk, with the associations varying by motherhood status.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20836,"journal":{"name":"Psychoneuroendocrinology","volume":"184 ","pages":"Article 107696"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145678382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}