SynthesisBMJ open2017
Diurnal cortisol and mental well-being in middle and older age: evidence from four cohort studies.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 39 citations in OpenAlex.
- Healthy Lifestyle Changes Improve Cortisol Levels and Liver Steatosis in MASLD Patients: Results from a Randomized Clinical Trial.Nutrients · 2024Trial
- A Systematic Review of Literature on the Association Among Sleep, Cortisol Level and Cardiovascular Health Within the Healthcare Shift Worker Population.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Salivary cortisol in longitudinal associations between affective symptoms and midlife cognitive function: A British birth cohort study.Journal of psychiatric research · 2022Article
- Effects of Regular Low-Level Alcohol Consumption in Healthy Individuals: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Previous functional social and behavioral rhythms affect resilience to COVID-19-related stress among old adults.Journal of public health research · 2022Article
- Incorporating Baseline Outcome Data in Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis of Non-randomized Studies.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Article
- Use of a Guided Imagery Mobile App (See Me Serene) to Reduce COVID-19-Related Stress: Pilot Feasibility Study.JMIR formative research · 2021Article
- Blood and affective markers of stress in Elite Airmen during a preparatory training course: A pilot study.Neurobiology of stress · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesWe conducted an individual participant meta-analysis to test the hypothesis that cortisol patterns indicative of dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning would be prospectively associated with poorer well-being at follow-up.
settingFour large UK-based cohort studies.
participantsThose providing valid salivary or serum cortisol samples (n=7515 for morning cortisol; n=1612 for cortisol awakening response) at baseline (age 44-82) and well-being data on the Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale at follow-up (0-8 years) were included.
resultsWell-being was not associated with morning cortisol, diurnal slope or awakening response though a borderline association with evening cortisol was found. Adjusting for sex and follow-up time, each 1 SD increase in evening cortisol was associated with a -0.47 (95% CI -1.00 to 0.05) point lower well-being. This was attenuated by adjustment for body mass index, smoking and socioeconomic position. Between-study heterogeneity was low.
conclusionsThis study does not support the hypothesis that diurnal cortisol is prospectively associated with well-being up to 8 years later. However, replication in prospective studies with cortisol samples over multiple days is required.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.