Shively CA, Laird KL, Anton RF. The behavior and physiology of social stress and depression in female cynomolgus monkeys. Biological Psychiatry 1997; 41: 871-82

Another look at the adrenocortical axis among captive monkeys in manipulated hierarchical situations, where subordinates displayed more behavioral depression than dominants. Such studies demonstrate the important health effects of hierarchy in populations. 

Abstract

The hypothesis that social subordination is stressful and results in a depressive response in some individuals, was examined in socially housed female cynomolgus monkeys. Social status was manipulated such that half of the previously subordinate females became dominant and half of the previously dominant females became subordinate. Current subordinates hypersecreted cortisol, were insensitive to negative feedback and had suppressed reproductive function. Current subordinates received more aggression, engaged in less affiliation, and spent more time alone than dominants. Furthermore, they spent more time fearfully scanning the social environment and displayed more behavioral depression than dominants. Current subordinates with a history of social subordination were preferentially susceptible to a behavioral depression response. The results of this experiment suggest that the stress of social subordination causes hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and ovarian dysfunction, and support the hypothesis that chronic, low-intensity social stress may result in depression in susceptible individuals.

Keywords

• behavioral factors
• cause specific mortality
• cortisol
• glucocorticoids
• hierarchy
• mental illness
• psychosocial factors
• relative deprivation
• risk factor
• social stratification
• stress