Social Network Cultivation and Diurnal Cortisol Profiles in Healthy Chinese Elders

Abstract

Objective:Psychobiological research on aging in humans is confounded by individual differences that remain to be characterized more precisely. The present study was designed to address this issue by examining the impact of Network Cultivation, a behavioral tendency to strengthen one's social ties on diurnal cortisol profiles in healthy Chinese elders in Hong Kong. Methods:Authors performed secondary analysis of data reported by Lai [1] using multilevel modelling. Seventy-eight healthy seniors provided saliva samples over two consecutive days at immediately, 3, 6, 9, and 12 hours after waking. Cortisol levels were assayed by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit (ELISA) developed for use in saliva. Social network cultivation was measured with the Cultivation subscale of the Support Network Scale (SNS) that had been validated in prior studies with Chinese participants. The relationship between network cultivation and diurnal cortisol rhythms was examined using a mixed effect model. Results:Cortisol levels declined significantly from waking to 12 hours thereafter and the rate of decline decreased significantly over time. In comparison to socially proactive participants, those having lower scores in Network Cultivation exhibited a higher diurnal cortisol level and a less efficient or flatter decline. The effect of Network Cultivation remained significant after controlling the influences of gender, age, waking time, and socioeconomic status. Conclusions:An attenuated behavioural tendency in cultivating social ties in the elders is associated with a higher cortisol level and a flatter diurnal decline, which may increase susceptibility to agerelated diseases. Further research is warranted to uncover the psychophysiological mechanisms translating social network cultivation into altered functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenocortical axis.

Biomarking Trait Resilience With Salivary Cortisol in Chinese Undergraduates

“…The CAR can be considered to indicate the effectiveness of cortisol activation, whereas the DS can be regarded as the effectiveness of deactivation: the decline of cortisol from waking to late evening. A stronger CAR and a steeper DS (Lai et al, 2012), and a lower diurnal level (Lai et al, 2017) have been observed in better adjusted Chinese seniors by the first author and associates in separate studies. suggested that this pattern could be a central neuroendocrine feature of better health in elders.…”

“…An accentuated AUC G has been observed in many pathological conditions such as chronic burnout (Melamed et al, 1999), depression (Belanoff et al, 2002), and chronic stress (Bauer et al, 2000). In healthy populations, a lower AUC G is associated with lower loneliness in college students (e.g., Lai et al, 2019) and better adjustment (Chin et al, 2017;Lai et al, 2017). A recent study in healthy participants has demonstrated that a lower AUC G is associated with a lower risk of experimentally induced upper respiratory infection (Janicki-Deverts et al, 2016).…”

COVID-19 Pandemic and Positive Ageing

“…In a controlled study of the diurnal rhythm of salivary cortisol among healthy older adults, participants who have previously spent more time and effort in network cultivation tended to exhibit cortisol profiles with a greater CAR (cortisol awakening response) and a more pronounced diurnal decline than their counterparts who have spent less time and effort (Lai et al, 2012). This diurnal profile is stronger among healthy elders (Lai et al, 2017) and, interestingly, more like that exhibited in younger people, implying that cultivation of social ties may serve to ‘rejuvenate’ the diurnal cortisol profile in older adults and hence physiologically prepare them to adapt to social stress (Lai & Lee, 2019).…”