Testing It Up

Working mothers have become commonplace in today’s generation. In fact, many of them have successfully scored respectable positions in different industries which used to be dominated by men. But while this seems to be a good boost for the female population, the opposite could be true for their health.

A new study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that working women have higher levels of cortisol, also known as stress hormone, on weekday mornings than on weekends. The researchers measured the morning cortisol levels of 56 working mothers with children between the ages of two and four. They found that among the contributing factors observed in women with higher stress levels include high parenting stress and high job strain.

“Workday mornings create a “collision” of two worlds, as mothers of young children are charged with caring for, and attending to, their children while also mentally and physically preparing themselves for the workday ahead,” wrote the study’s authors, Leah Hibel, Evelyn Mercado, and Jill Trumbell from Purdue University.

The authors suggested that the high cortisol levels experienced by working moms may result from the challenge of balancing both work and family demands.

Cortisol is one of the very important hormone in the body. It is produced by the adrenal glands and plays a crucial role in circulatory system, immune system, glucose metabolism, inflammatory response, and stress response. Women with chronically high and more prolonged cortisol levels are at risk of experiencing various health problems including exhaustion, suppressed thyroid function, decreased bone density, decreased in muscle tissue, cardiovascular problems, and other mental or physical health problems.

A feature on Time.com shared the results of a study conducted by a group of scientists led by Dr. Kerry Ressler of Emory University. The study sought to understand the differences in the ability of people to recover from the trauma associated with violent attack, or violence witnessed in combat zones; those who are unable to recover from these experiences suffer from flashbacks, depression, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Ressler and his team conducted a study of 64 traumatized civilian patients at the Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. The focus of their research was a hormone-like molecule called pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide, or PACAP. The molecule is known to have an effect on the response to stress at the cellular level.

The scientists determined that PACAP was present at higher levels among patients who suffered from PTSD, when compared against those who did not. In addition, they were also able to determine that as blood levels of PACAP increase, so does the severity of PTSD symptoms.

After the scientists split the data by gender, however, they observed that the link between PACAP and PTSD was only significant among women. This prompted the design of a follow-up study at the same hospital, this time consisting only of traumatized female patients. ABC News reported: “Again, PACAP levels correlated with PTSD symptoms — especially those considered essential for a diagnosis of PTSD: intrusive flashbacks, avoidance of trauma reminders and increased startle response.”

Dr. Ressler and his colleagues wrote the following: “These data may begin to explain sex-specific differences in PTSD diagnosis, symptoms and fear physiology.”