Academic Journal
Association of internet addiction symptoms with hair cortisol and hair testosterone concentrations.
| Title: | Association of internet addiction symptoms with hair cortisol and hair testosterone concentrations. |
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| Authors: | Tsumura H; Graduate School of Technology, Industrial and Social Sciences, Tokushima University, 1-1, Minamijosanjima-cho, Tokushima 770-8502, Japan. Electronic address: tsumura.hideki@tokushima-u.ac.jp., Izawa S; Occupational Stress and Health Management Research Group, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, 6-21-1, Nagao, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 214-8585, Japan. |
| Source: | Psychoneuroendocrinology [Psychoneuroendocrinology] 2026 Aug; Vol. 190, pp. 107899. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 21. |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Pergamon Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 7612148 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1873-3360 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 03064530 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Psychoneuroendocrinology Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Oxford, Elmsford, N. Y., Pergamon Press. |
| MeSH Terms: | Hydrocortisone*/analysis , Hydrocortisone*/metabolism , Hair*/chemistry , Testosterone*/analysis , Testosterone*/metabolism , Internet Addiction Disorder*/metabolism , Internet Addiction Disorder*/physiopathology , Behavior, Addictive*/metabolism, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/metabolism ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/metabolism ; Stress, Psychological/metabolism ; Humans ; Female ; Male ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Internet ; Japan ; Severity of Illness Index |
| Abstract: | Internet addiction (IA) has been consistently shown to be closely associated with stress; however, studies on physiological stress in IA have yielded mixed findings regarding the relationship between IA and cortisol. In addition, the role of testosterone-another hormone potentially relevant to addiction-has been scarcely examined in IA. The present study investigated associations between IA symptom severity and long-term basal secretion of cortisol and testosterone using hair-based hormone measures. A total of 155 Japanese undergraduate and graduate students (94 females, mean age = 21.1 years, standard deviation = 4.1 years) participated in the study. IA symptom severity was assessed using the Japanese version of the Internet Addiction Test (Osada, 2013; Young, 1998). Hair cortisol and hair testosterone concentrations, reflecting cumulative hormone secretion over the preceding three months, were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. A multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that hair cortisol concentrations were negatively associated with IAT scores, whereas hair testosterone concentrations were not. These results suggest that IA symptom severity may be linked to altered long-term activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. By jointly examining cortisol and testosterone, the present findings extend previous research that has largely focused on single hormonal systems. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Cortisol; Hair hormones; Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis; Hypothalamicpituitary-adrenal axis; Internet addiction symptoms; Testosterone |
| Substance Nomenclature: | WI4X0X7BPJ (Hydrocortisone) 3XMK78S47O (Testosterone) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260523 Date Completed: 20260613 Latest Revision: 20260613 |
| Update Code: | 20260615 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107899 |
| PMID: | 42176420 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1873-3360 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2026.107899 |