Andrea D. Clements

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SALIVARY CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS IN FROZEN VERSUS MAILED SAMPLES

Saliva, popular for the measurement of cortisol concentrations, can be easily and painlessly obtained, so that study participants or medical patients may collect their own samples. This raises the question of whether cortisol concentrations are stable if samples are mailed unfrozen. Seventeen adult subjects (five males, 12 females, mean age = 27.82, SD = 7.55) participated in this study. One saliva sample from each subject was split. Half were frozen within 1 h. The other was exposed to conditions that would mimic a postal trip, including wide variations in temperature and movement over 5 days. A statistically significant positive correlation between cortisol concentration in the frozen and nonfrozen saliva samples was found (R2 = 0.92, p < .001). A paired t-test revealed no significant difference between samples (t(16) = 1.56, n.s.). This indicates that cortisol concentrations are stable during extended periods without freezing when exposed to widely varying temperatures and movement.

Salivary cortisol measurement in developmental research: where do we go from here?

Salivary cortisol has been measured extensively in developmental research over the last three decades. The purpose of this article is to summarize the contributions to and limitations of salivary cortisol measurement in developmental research and propose future directions for research that includes salivary cortisol measurement. The properties of cortisol, the history of its burgeoning popularity, and the utility and limitations of (a) cortisol as a biological indicator, (b) saliva as a source of cortisol, and (c) various saliva collection methodologies are described. The current state of understanding about what is and is not reliably predictable from cortisol is summarized and the value of salivary cortisol measurement in developmental research is discussed, addressing whether methodology could be driving research design. Recommendations are made for streamlining study design and reporting within developmental research.

The Relationship between Temperament and Anxiety Phase I in the Development of a Risk Screening Model to Predict Stress-related Health Problems

This study of 509 (340 female) undergraduate university students in southern Appalachia who completed the Adult Temperament Questionnaire (ATQ) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), is the first phase in the development of a model to predict risk for stress-related health problems. Results indicate that high negative affect strongly predicted individuals with above average anxiety (OR = 3.7, 95% CI 2.43, 5.64), while high positive affect, effortful control, and sociability predicted that individuals would be low in reported anxiety (OR = .33 [95% CI .25, .44], .29 [95% CI .19, .45], and .69 [95% CI .56, .86], respectively).

Advancing our understanding of religion and spirituality in the context of behavioral medicine

Recognizing and understanding the potentially powerful roles that religiousness and spirituality (RS) may serve in the prevention and amelioration of disease, as well as symptom management and health related quality of life, significantly enhances research and clinical efforts across many areas of behavioral medicine. This article examines the knowledge established to date and suggests advances that remain to be made. We begin with a brief summary of the current knowledge regarding RS as related to three exemplary health conditions: (a) cardiovascular disease; (b) cancer; and, (c) substance abuse. We then focus on particular concerns for future investigations, emphasizing conceptual issues, possible mediators and moderators of relationships or effects, and methodology. Our discussion is framed by a conceptual model that may serve to guide and organize future investigations. This model highlights a number of important issues regarding the study of links between RS and health: (a) RS comprise many diverse constructs, (b) the mechanisms through which RS may influence health outcomes are quite diverse, and (c) a range of different types of health and health relevant outcomes may be influenced by RS. The multidimensional nature of RS and the complexity of related associations with different types of health relevant outcomes present formidable challenges to empirical study in behavioral medicine. These issues are referred to throughout our review and we suggest several solutions to the presented challenges in our summary. We end with a presentation of barriers to be overcome, along with strategies for doing so, and concluding thoughts.

Social support, religious commitment, and depressive symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women

Abstract Objective: Social support and religious commitment were examined in relation to antenatal and postpartum depressive symptoms in a prospective, longitudinal study to determine whether religious commitment explained variance in depression scores beyond that accounted for by social support. Background: Social support and religiosity are positively related to good mental/physical health, and depression is related to poor health outcomes in pregnancy and postpartum. It was hypothesised that social support and religious commitment would be inversely related to depressive symptoms, and that religious commitment would predict variance in depression scores over and above social support. Methods: In 106 mostly low SES Appalachian pregnant women, social support and religious commitment were measured during the first trimester. First and third trimester (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale – 10 item version), and 6 weeks and 6 months postpartum (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) depression symptoms were measured. Hierarchical regression examined relative contributions of social support (Prenatal Psychosocial Profile) and religious commitment (Religious Surrender and Attendance Scale – 3 Item Version) to depressive symptoms at each time point while controlling for education and marital status. Results: Regression results indicated that social support and religious commitment explained 10–18% and 0–3% of the variability in depression scores, respectively. Conclusion: Both social support (all time points) and religious commitment (only at 6 months postpartum) were inversely related to depression. Pregnant women low in social support and postpartum women low in social support or religious commitment may be at increased risk for depression.

The Relationship Between Religiosity and Health-Promoting Behaviors in Pregnant Women.

Pender’s health promotion model guided this descriptive/correlational study exploring the relationship between religiosity and health-promoting behaviors of pregnant women at Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs). A consecutive sample included women who knew they were pregnant at least 2 months, could read/write English, and visited PRCs in eastern Pennsylvania. Participants completed self-report surveys that examined religiosity, demographics, pregnancy-related variables, services received at PRCs, and health-promoting behaviors. Women reported they “sometimes” or “often” engaged in health-promoting behaviors, Hispanic women reported fewer health-promoting behaviors than non-Hispanic women, and women who attended classes at the centers reported more frequent health-promoting behaviors than those who did not attend classes. In separate multiple linear regressions, organized, non-organized, and intrinsic religiosity and satisfaction with surrender to God explained additional variance in health-promoting behaviors above and beyond what Hispanic ethnicity and attending classes at the PRCs explained in pregnant women at PRCs.