Abstract
The aim of our study was to examine whether there are sex-based differences in the relationship between personality traits and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis measures. A total of 106 healthy volunteers (56.6% women; age: 48.0 ± 15.8 years) were studied. The revised temperament and character inventory (TCI-R) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered. HPA axis function was assessed using three dynamic measures: the cortisol awakening response (CAR), the diurnal cortisol slope, and the cortisol suppression ratio with 0.25 mg of dexamethasone (DSTR). Female sex was associated with an increased CAR and a more flattened diurnal cortisol slope, although a negative significant interaction between harm avoidance and female sex was found. Regarding the DSTR, perseverance was associated with increased cortisol suppression after dexamethasone; sex did not affect this association. Our study suggests that the relationship between specific personality traits (harm avoidance) and HPA axis measures (CAR, diurnal slope) differs according to sex.
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Acknowledgements
The authors express their gratitude to all of the study participants, as well as to the staff of the Department of Psychiatry at Bellvitge University Hospital who contributed to recruiting the sample. We are also very grateful to Anna Ferrer and Maria Badia from the Pharmacy Department at Bellvitge University Hospital for providing the 0.25 mg dexamethasone capsules, the staff of Biopsychology at the Department of Psychology of the Technische Universität Dresden for analyzing salivary cortisol samples, and the technicians from the Biobank IISPV and the Biobank HUB-ICO-IDIBELL.
Funding
This study was supported in part by grants from the Carlos III Health Institute through the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities (PI10/01753, PI19/01040, INT21/00055), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “A way to build Europe,” CIBERSAM, and the Catalan Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR 2017 SGR 1247 and 2017 SGR 632). Samples from subjects included in this study were processed and preserved by the Biobank IISPV and the Biobank HUB-ICO-IDIBELL, integrated into the Spanish National Biobanks Network (PT17/0015/0024), and Xarxa Banc de Tumors. We also thank CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya for institutional support.
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Monreal, J.A., Salvat-Pujol, N., González-Rodríguez, A. et al. The relationship between sex, personality traits, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. Arch Womens Ment Health 25, 693–703 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01241-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-022-01241-9