Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Neuropsychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1433437
This article is part of the Research Topic Neuropsychology of Human Growth View all articles

NEUROACTIVE HORMONES AND PERSONAL GROWTH: ASSOCIATIONS IN CHILEAN ADOLESCENTS (AGES 12-25) WITH OVULATORY DYSFUNCTION

Provisionally accepted
Juan Pablo Del Río Juan Pablo Del Río 1,2,3Valeska Tapia Valeska Tapia 1Hugo Soto Hugo Soto 1Pilar Vigil Pilar Vigil 1*
  • 1 Reproductive Health Research Institute (RHRI), Santiago, Chile
  • 2 Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
  • 3 Millennium Nucleus to Improve the Mental Health of Adolescents and Youths, Millennium Science Initiative, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM), Chile

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Hormones produced by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-gonadal (HPAG) axis are crucial for modulating central nervous system (CNS) function and development throughout a person's life. Consequently, disruptions in HPAG function can also impact psychological development, which is particularly significant during adolescence—a period marked by psychological growth and the maturation of the HPAG axis. An early indicator of HPAG alterations is ovulatory dysfunction (OD), a common condition among adolescents. This study explored the associations between neuroactive hormones and personal growth in adolescents with OD. Female participants aged 12-25 years with OD were recruited, and assessments were conducted to profile their basic hormonal levels and various dimensions of individual development, including Self-Concept Clarity, Sense of Coherence, Self-Esteem, Perfectionism, Self-Control, and Mood States. The results showed that adolescents with OD (n=117) had lower self-concept clarity and self-esteem compared to reference data. A significant portion of the sample displayed elevated levels of tension (71.25%), confusion (62.5%), fatigue (58.22%), and depression (52.6%). Self-esteem scores were negatively correlated with DHEAS (r=-0.224; p=0.026) and glucose (r=-0.249; p=0.010). Higher levels of free testosterone were associated with increased depression scores (coef=0.2398; p=0.002), whereas higher estradiol levels were linked to lower aggressiveness scores (coef=-0.0648; p=0.001). These findings indicate that hormonal imbalances in adolescents with OD could affect personal growth, with further research needed to establish causal relationships between the variables considered.

    Keywords: personal growth, Neurosteroids, ovulatory dysfunction, adolescents, developmental psychology

    Received: 15 May 2024; Accepted: 01 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Del Río, Tapia, Soto and Vigil. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Pilar Vigil, Reproductive Health Research Institute (RHRI), Santiago, Chile

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.