Behavioral adjustment in a community sample of boys: Links with basal and stress-induced salivary cortisol concentrations

Tyrka, Audrey R.; Kelly, Megan M.; Graber, Julia A.; DeRose, Laura; Lee, Janet K.; Warren, Michelle P.; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.02.002

« Previous Next »Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume 35, Issue 8 , Pages 1167-1177, September 2010

Behavioral adjustment in a community sample of boys: Links with basal and stress-induced salivary cortisol concentrations

Audrey R. Tyrka
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
- Corresponding author at: Butler Hospital, 345 Blackstone Blvd., Providence, RI 02906, United States. Tel.: +1 401 455 6520; fax: +1 401 455 6534.
Megan M. Kelly
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
Julia A. Graber
- Department of Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
Laura DeRose
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY, United States
Janet K. Lee
- Mood Disorders Research Program and Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, United States
Michelle P. Warren
- College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
Jeanne Brooks-Gunn
- College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
- National Center for Children and Families, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States

Received 4 December 2008; received in revised form 20 November 2009; accepted 2 February 2010.

Summary

Dysregulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis has been observed in association with internalizing symptoms and is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of depression and some anxiety disorders. This study examined basal and stress-induced cortisol concentrations in relation to internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a racially mixed community sample of 102 8–11-year-old boys. Afternoon basal cortisol concentrations were positively correlated with measures of internalizing behavior problems, social problems, and emotionality. Greater change in cortisol across a home-visit challenge task was also significantly associated with internalizing behaviors and social problems, as well as attention and thought problems. The implications of these findings and how they may relate to the pathogenesis of emotional and behavioral problems are discussed.

Keywords: Children, Depression, Anxiety, Internalizing, HPA axis, Stress reactivity