- 1Departments of Clinical Chemistry and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Sex
steroids affect human behavior. The aim of the present study was to
determine the associations, if any, between the circulating levels of
gonadal and adrenal sex steroids in the mid luteal phase (21st day of a
normal menstrual cycle, MC) of young professional women and psychometric
parameters as assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory (MMPI).
RESULTS:
Our
results are as follows: (a) The metabolic product of activated adrenal
and gonadal androgens, 3alpha-diolG, was modestly but significantly
associated with the social introversion scale (10-SI) (r=0.36,
p<0.05), independently accounting for 13% of its variation across
participants (R²=0.13, F(1,45)=6.58, p=0.014). (b) Total testosterone
was significantly associated with the paranoia scale (6-Pa) (r=0.27,
p<0.05). Multiple regression analyses indicated that 10% of the
variability in paranoia scores could be independently explained by total
testosterone levels (R²=0.10, F(1,57)=6.23, p=0.016). We were unable to
find any association between the circulating androgens and scores on
the masculinity-femininity
scale (Mf). We were also unable to document any association between the
weak adrenal androgens DHEA and DHEA-S and depression in contrast to
several published reports. (c) Our data suggest a marginally significant
association between progesterone and scores on the 7-Pt
(obsessive/compulsive/psychasthenia) scale (r=0.27, p<0.05). However,
only 7% of the 7-Pt variance was explained by progesterone (R²=0.071,
F(1,50)=3.81, p=0.057).
CONCLUSIONS:
We
have found that total testosterone was associated with the paranoia
score, the metabolic product of activated androgens, 3alpha-diolG, to
social introversion and, finally, progesterone to obsessive-compulsive
behavior.
