Sex-specific associations between loneliness and hair cortisol among older African American adults

Abstract

Loneliness has been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, which disproportionately affects African American adults. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, as measured by long-term accumulation of cortisol in hair, may be one pathway through which loneliness increases cardiovascular disease risk. However, the relationship between loneliness and hair cortisol levels among African American adults has not yet been explored. Further, both loneliness and cortisol activity differ across age and sex. To better understand the association between loneliness and HPA axis activity among middle-aged and older African American adults, the present study examined the degree to which age and sex interacted with loneliness to predict hair cortisol concentrations. Data were obtained from 340 African American adults (M_age = 66.06, SD = 5.46, range = 55–75; 87.1 % female), who provided hair samples and reported their loneliness level as a part of The Heart of Detroit Study. Results showed that sex significantly moderated the association between loneliness and hair cortisol. Loneliness was positively associated with hair cortisol concentrations in male, but not female, participants. These findings suggest that sex-specific associations may exist between loneliness and hair cortisol.