Ageing, depression, anxiety, social support and the diurnal rhythm and awakening response of salivary cortisol

The present study compared the cortisol awakening response and diurnal rhythm in 24 young healthy students and 48 community-dwelling older adults. The associations with diurnal cortisol and depression, anxiety and social support were also examined in relation to age. Salivary cortisol was measured over the course of one day: immediately upon awakening, 30 min later, and then 3 h, 6 h, 9 h and 12 h post-awakening. Participants completed a questionnaire measuring symptoms of anxiety and depression and social support was assessed. Older adults exhibited a significantly reduced awakening response, overall cortisol levels, area under the curve (AUC) and diurnal slopes than younger adults, resulting in a flatter diurnal rhythm. Younger adults with higher depression scores had significantly higher overall cortisol and higher levels upon awakening and 30 min post-awakening. In the younger adults, anxiety and depression correlated positively with AUC and the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Older adults with lower social support had a reduced AUC where younger adults with lower social support displayed a larger AUC. These findings suggest that the diurnal rhythm and awakening response of salivary cortisol are significantly reduced in older adults and the associations between anxiety, depression and social support and diurnal cortisol vary with age.\ud \u

Colorful Awakening

Postcard from Mariah Hellebrandt, during the Linfield College Semester Abroad Program at the Galapagos Academic Institute for the Arts and Sciences in Ecuado

The First Great Awakening: Revival and the Birth of a Nation

The First Great Awakening left an indelible mark on the development of America. With roots stretching back to the Christian Reformation of the 1500’s, the Great Awakening swept the young colonies with the fires of evangelical fervor. The revival shook the very foundations of colonial society. Following in its wake was a rebirth of reformed philosophy and theology that planted the seeds of self-government and political autonomy in the fertile soil of the Americas. By 1776, that seed had blossomed into a vibrant revolutionary movement that questioned the very fabric of Old World society. This article explores the rich Christian heritage of our nation by looking at the movement the inspired the American Revolution; the First Great Awakening. It explores at its theological foundations and its philosophical and social repercussions on the birth of the nation. Furthermore, this article examines the distinctly reformed character of the Awakening and the influence this had on the Founding generation

Cortisol awakening response in infants during the first six postnatal months and its relation to birth outcome

Context: The rise of cortisol concentrations after awakening is well documented in adults and children and commonly used as easily accessible marker of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) reactivity. Objective: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the existence of a salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR) in infants, and to estimate its association with birth outcome. Setting: The study was conducted in the general community. Participants: Healthy infants up to six months age (N=64). Main outcome measures: Mothers were instructed to collect their infant’s saliva immediately and 30 min after awakening on two days within 45 days, irrespective of awakening time. Information on birth outcome was collected from medical records and questionnaires. Results: Linear mixed models analysis revealed a significant rise of infant salivary cortisol concentrations within 30 minutes after awakening (b=0.128, SE=0.024, t61=5.31, p<0.001), which was quite stable across the two sampling days (r=0.40, p=0.002). The infant CAR was predicted by length of gestation (t61=2.43, p=0.018). Conclusions: The current data demonstrate the existence of a CAR in infants as early as during the first six postnatal months; its relationship with length of gestation supports its usefulness for questions related to developmental neuroscience. Therefore, the infant CAR emerges as non-invasive biomarker of HPA axis dynamics at this early stage of life, with relevance for future research and potential clinical applications

The Masculine Sea and the Impossibility of Awakening in Chopin's the Awakening

Kate Chopin has a firm place in American women's writing. A persistent theme in her works is said to be women's emotional liberation. The Awakening (1899) as a feminist novel is no exception. In the novel, Edna's inner voice and desire for escape from a male-dominated society awaken in her. Edna's suicide has been interpreted as her victory over the society however, this study argues that the idea of female defeat has been ignored to a great extent the main reason for which is the ignorance or a misreading of sea imagery. The sea of the novel that dissolves Edna is a signifier of male society and language signifying Edna's failure to find a place within the male dialogue of the society. Extra-marital relationships with Alcee or Robert are not promising, for the climax of such relationships is no more than the old requirement of becoming the good wife and mother that the society prescribes to women. By her ultimate suicidal choice, Edna determines to find a voice and be seen but is totally perished instead to prove that women cannot speak. This study intends to argue and conclude that Chopin had this Kristevaesque belief that the male socio-cultural formation does not let women experience freedom. A new interpretation of the sea as a patriarchal element is offered which makes Edna's drowning a total defeat rather than victory as suggested by many critics

China: awakening giant

Economic indicators ; Economic conditions

Biases in the relationship between dream threats and level of anxiety upon awakening

Objectives:\ud Controlling report length in dream content analysis comprises a significant methodological problem. Individual differences occur in report length which can influence category coding and rating scales. Differences are also found in dream content by sex and age. The aim of this study is to determine the bias of certain variables in dream content analysis when using rating scales, coding systems and questionnaires. As such, an evaluation was performed of the bias of these variables on the relationship between anxiety upon awakening, social threats (ST) and terrifying threats (TT) established in a previous study.\ud Methods: The sample consisted of 215 dreams collected in dreamers' homes (63 belonged to men and 152 to women). The dreamer's level of anxiety upon awakening was assessed with the CEAD. The level of social and terrifying threats in the content of the dreams was also assessed. Other variables entered into the analysis were sex, age, dream length, number of hours before answering the questionnaire, number of hours' sleep and the frequency with which the dreamer suffers nightmares.\ud Results:\ud Use of the Mann Whitney U found significant differences by sex in the dreamer's nightmare frequency (z=-2.53 p=.011), in terrifying threats in the dream (z=-2.03 p= .042) and by dream time (z=-2.51 p=.012). The Spearman Rho correlation coefficient indicated a positive relationship between anxiety upon awakening and nightmare frequency (Rho=.26 p<.001). Social and terrifying threats were also positively correlated with word count and the number of dream characters (Rho=.37 p<.001, Rho=.17 p=.010). Both anxiety upon awakening and social and terrifying threats were negatively correlated with the age of the dreamer (RhoCEAD-AGE=-.20 p=.006, RhoST-AGE=-.30 p<.001, RhoTT-AGE=-.37 p<.001). Possible biases due to sex, age, word count and the number of characters were statistically controlled by means of partial correlation. Through the use of partial correlations, the significance between anxiety upon awakening, social threats and terrifying threats in the dream was observed to be maintained (rCEAD-TS=.17 p=.025, rCEAD-TT=.19 p=.011).\ud Conclusion:\ud The sex, age of the dreamer, the report word count and the number of dream characters must be controlled in research into dream content. In addition, after eliminating these biases, a significant relationship was confirmed between threats which appear in the dream and the dreamer's level of anxiety upon awakening