Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder and the impact of the family environment: A pilot study of the Reducing Unwanted Stress in the Home (RUSH) prevention program.

Background: The home environment of offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (OBD) has been characterized by high levels of stress and disorganization, which may impact development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and their subsequent risk for affective disorders. The present study examined the effects of a family-based preventative intervention on the OBD's HPA axis functioning and whether intervention-related changes in the home environment might have driven change in the HPA axis.

Methods: Fifty-five children (6-11 years) were recruited from families having a parent with bipolar disorder (n=26) or families having two parents with no current mental disorders (n=29).

Changes in Purpose in Life and Low-Grade Chronic Inflammation Across Older Adulthood.

Older adults often experience an increase in low-grade chronic inflammation. Purpose in life could act as a protective factor as it is associated with beneficial health outcomes. Purpose in life may exert part of its adaptive function by promoting persistence in goal pursuit.

Self-compassion as predictor of daily physical symptoms and chronic illness across older adulthood.

This study examined whether self-compassion could benefit daily physical symptoms and chronic illness in early and advanced old age. The hypotheses were evaluated in a 4-year longitudinal study of 264 older adults. Results showed that self-compassion predicted lower levels of daily physical symptoms across the study period in advanced, but not early, old age ( = -1.

Stress-Related Trajectories of Diurnal Cortisol in Older Adulthood Over 12 Years.

Objective: Although evidence shows that stress experiences can predict both hyper- and hypo-cortisol regulation, there is a lack of research examining these associations longitudinally. Our study assessed whether levels and increases in psychological stress experiences predicted 12-year changes in circadian cortisol levels (area under the curve; AUC) and cortisol slopes in a sample of community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: In 2004, 190 community dwelling older adults (57 to 94 years) started providing three days of diurnal cortisol and stress experience data every two years for a total of seven waves of data.

Self-compassion, chronic age-related stressors, and diurnal cortisol secretion in older adulthood.

Many older adults experience chronic age-related stressors (e.g., life regrets or health problems) that are difficult to control and can disturb cortisol regulation.

Intra-individual cortisol variability and low-grade inflammation over 10 years in older adults.

Objective: This study examined the associations between intra-individual variability in, and inter-individual levels of, diurnal cortisol secretion with a marker of low-grade inflammation (i.e., C-Reactive Protein; CRP).