The relationship between psychological resilience and hair cortisol in adolescents: The influence of family and school environments

Psychological resilience plays a crucial role in protecting individuals from mental health issues in the face of adverse life events. However, the neurobiological mechanisms through which resilience functions as a protective factor against mental disorders remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the neuroendocrinological mechanisms underlying psychological resilience by examining the relationship between endogenous cortisol and resilience in Chinese adolescents. Additionally, the study explores whether this relationship is moderated by parenting style, family cohesion and adaptability, school climate, and life events. A total of 270 adolescent students (mean age: 12.83 ± 0.60 years; 112 boys, 158 girls) were randomly recruited from a middle school in Jiangsu Province, China. Hair cortisol, a biomarker of chronic endogenous cortisol, was measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Resilience was assessed using a scale validated for Chinese adolescent populations, while family and school environmental factors were evaluated using questionnaires. The results showed significant negative correlations between hair cortisol levels and resilience, individual power, goal planning, family support, and positive thinking. However, no significant correlations were found between hair cortisol levels and parenting style, family cohesion and adaptability, school climate, or life events. Importantly, the associations between hair cortisol levels and resilience were stable and not significantly influenced by family or school environmental factors. In conclusion, adolescents with higher psychological resilience, greater individual power, better goal planning, stronger family support, and more positive thinking exhibited lower chronic hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. These associations remained stable and were not significantly affected by family or school environments.