Depressive symptoms are associated with blunted cortisol stress responses in very low-income women

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between depressive symptoms and salivary cortisol responses to stress in a high-risk population of very poor Mexican women.

Methods: Adult women (N = 1109) between the ages of 18 and 44 years (mean age, 29) were identified in a house-to-house survey in low-income areas (income <20th percentile nationally) of urban Mexico. An interview containing the Spanish version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies--Depression Scale (CES-D) was administered to all women. The naturalistic stressor was defined as the unexpected arrival of a team of researchers at the participants' homes followed by an in-depth interview and physical assessment, with saliva samples taken at time of arrival (baseline), 25 minutes, and 50 minutes after arrival.

Results: The mean CES-D score was 19.42 (range, 0-53). Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed no effect of depressive symptoms on baseline salivary cortisol levels. However, a significant depressive symptom by time interaction revealed that women with elevations in depressive symptoms (CES-D scores = 35) failed to exhibit a cortisol response to the stressor. In contrast, in women with lower CES-D scores, cortisol levels significantly increased in response to the stressor.

Conclusion: Consistent with research on individuals with major depressive disorder, results of this study demonstrate that women with very high levels of depressive symptoms exhibit blunted cortisol responses to a naturalistic psychological stressor. Results also contribute to previous research by generalizing findings to a high risk, underserved population of women.