Daily Life Events Influence the Results of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test in Healthy Women

Abstract

Although the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) plays an important role in psychosomatic research, confounding factors limit the sensitivity and specificity of the DST. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the intensity of daily life stressors and DST results in healthy participants after controlling the confounding factors. The subjects of this study consisted of 75 healthy volunteers. The intensity of daily life events was assessed using the Taiwanese version of the Recent Life Change Questionnaire (RLCQ). Neuroticism was assessed using the Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI). The Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) was also performed. The regression model showed that daily life events (RLCQ score) were correlated significantly with cortisol level on day 1 and D% only in women. This finding implies that daily life events should be considered as an independent variable in women in further studies when the DST is applied.

Keywords:

• gender
• neuroticism
• plasma cortisol
• life events

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the National Science Council of Taiwan (NSC 93-2314-B-006-107, 97-2314-B-006-006-MY3) and the administrative support of Misses Tsai-Hua Chang, Yi Wen Chen, Yun-Hsuan Chang, and Mr. Chien Ting Lin. All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. The funding institutions of this study had no further role in the study design; the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; the writing of the report; or the decision to submit the paper for publication.