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Published on: July 10, 2017
High self-esteem, hardiness and affective stability are associated with higher basal pituitary-adrenal hormone levels
E P Zorrilla1, R J DeRubeis, E Redei
1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA. zorrilla@cattell.psych.upenn.edu
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 psychosocial stress on depressive reactions and health--to circulating levels of cortisol and beta-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 beta-endorphin. The present findings suggest that individual differences in basal HPA-function are associated with individual differences in psychological functioning following stress.
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