Professor Tarani Chandola’s new paper “Are anxious Mondays associated with HPA-axis dysregulation? A longitudinal study of older adults in England” has been published in the Journal of Affective Disorders. The study investigates whether the association between perceived anxiety and HPA-axis dysregulation is greater on Mondays than on other days of the week. Analyzing data from 3511 adults aged 50 years and older living in England from 2012 to 2013 participating at wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing; this study found strong evidence for an association between reporting anxiety on Mondays and HPA-axis dysregulation and has identified a striking biological phenomenon: older adults who feel anxious on Mondays exhibit significantly higher long-term stress hormone levels, up to two months later. “Monday blues” can become biologically embedded, with chronic stress hormone dysregulation posing long-term cardiovascular risks.

HKU Press Releases: HKU research reveals “Anxious Monday” effect: chronic stress hormone surge linked to start of week in older adults