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Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms and Stress Levels in Healthy Young Men: Associations With the Cortisol Response to Awakening

From Douglas Hospital Research Center (M.P., J.C.P., S.J.L.), McGill University, and McConnell Brain Imaging Centre (M.P., J.C.P.), Montréal Neurological Hospital, McGill University, Montréal, Canada; and the Center for Psychobiological and Psychosomatic Research (M.P., D.H.H.), University of Trier, Trier, Germany.

View larger version (8K): [in a new window]   Fig. 1. Mean cortisol levels 0, 30, and 60 minutes after awakening on the 4 sampling days (1 day each for 4 consecutive weeks, N = 39).

View larger version (8K): [in a new window]   Fig. 2. Scattergram of cortisol response to awakening (area under the curve, median for 4 sampling days) plotted against the total score on the Hamilton Depression Inventory. Pearson correlation: r = 0.34, p = .05, N = 33.

View larger version (10K): [in a new window]   Fig. 3. Cortisol response during the first hour after awakening (median for 4 weeks) in subjects with high (>7.5) and low (7.5) scores on the Hamilton Depression Inventory (HDI). a, Total group. Main effect, p < .01; interaction effect, p = .06. b, Nonclinical group (all subjects in the clinical and subclinical range of depression excluded). Main effect, p = .01; interaction effect, p < .007. Difference according to Newman Keuls post hoc analysis: *p < .01; **p < .001.

View larger version (11K): [in a new window]   Fig. 4. Cortisol response during the first hour after awakening (median for 4 weeks). a, Subjects with high and low total scores on the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress (TICS). Interaction effect of group by time, p < .03. b, Subjects with high and low scores on the subscale work overload. Interaction effect, p = .002. Difference according to Newman Keuls post hoc analysis: *p < .05; **p < .01.

View larger version (12K): [in a new window]   Fig. 5. Scattergram of the cortisol response after awakening (area under the curve, median for 4 sampling days) plotted against the acute stress rating. Spearman correlation: R = 0.46, p < .004.