Clinical assessment of allostatic overload in adolescent and young women with hyperandrogenic states

Introduction: The psychosocial correlates of hyperandrogenism in adolescent and young women are getting increasing attention. The aim of this study was to assess allostatic overload (AO), based on specific clinimetric criteria, and related psychological distress in a population of adolescent and young females with hyperandrogenic states. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving high school female students, aged 16-19 years. For the specific purposes of this investigation, we focused on the subsample of students whose clinical state was assessed by medical examination (n= 835). Psychological evaluation included three self-report questionnaires (Symptom Questionnaire-SQ, the Psychosocial Index-PSI, and the Psychological Well-Being scales-PWB). The presence of AO was determined according to clinimetric criteria. Results: One hundred eighty-four participants (22.5%) were classified as having AO. They showed significantly higher levels of psychological distress (on the SQ) and impaired well-being (on the PWB) compared to those who did not present with AO. A significant association was found between the presence of AO and hyperandrogenic states. Conclusions: These findings lend support to the clinical utility of the clinimetric criteria for the assessment of AO in medical settings and highlight the importance of psychosocial aspects of hyperandrogenism among adolescent and young women.