TY - JOUR
T1 - Asymmetry between salivary cortisol and α-amylase reactivity to stress
T2 - Relation to aggressive behavior in adolescents
AU - Gordis, Elana B.
AU - Granger, Douglas A.
AU - Susman, Elizabeth J.
AU - Trickett, Penelope K.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported in part by the Behavioral Endocrinology Laboratory and the Child Youth and Families Consortium at the Pennsylvania State University, by NIH grants K23 HD41428 and R01 HD039129, and by the University of Southern California Urban Initiative. Thanks are due to Becky Hamilton and Mary Curran for biotechnical support with immunoassays.
PY - 2006/9
Y1 - 2006/9
N2 - This study used a multiple physiological systems measurement approach to test the hypothesis that asymmetry between the major components of the psychobiology of stress is associated with atypical behavior in youth [Bauer, A.M., Quas, J.A., Boyce, W.T., 2002. Associations between physiological reactivity and children's behavior: advantages of a multisystem approach. J. Dev. Behav. Pediatr. 23, 102-113]. Adolescents (N=67; ages 10-14; 52% male) provided 2 saliva samples before, and 4 samples after, a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K., Hellhammer, D.H., 1993. The "Trier Social Stress Test": a tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology 28, 76-81). Samples were assayed for cortisol (C) and α-amylase (A-A), a surrogate marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Parents/guardians and adolescents reported on adolescents' aggressive behavior. Both salivary A-A and C increased in response to the TSST, with a peak response for A-A immediately post-TSST and for C 10 min post-TSST. A-A and C stress reactivity were estimated using area under the curve (AUC). Asymmetrical C and A-A reactivity accounted for 7% of the variance in parent-reported adolescent aggression. At lower levels of A-A reactivity, lower C reactivity corresponded to higher aggression ratings, but at high A-A reactivity levels, C reactivity was not related to aggression. These results support the hypothesis of Bauer et al. and underscore the importance of a multiple systems measurement approach in biosocial models of adolescent aggression.
AB - This study used a multiple physiological systems measurement approach to test the hypothesis that asymmetry between the major components of the psychobiology of stress is associated with atypical behavior in youth [Bauer, A.M., Quas, J.A., Boyce, W.T., 2002. Associations between physiological reactivity and children's behavior: advantages of a multisystem approach. J. Dev. Behav. Pediatr. 23, 102-113]. Adolescents (N=67; ages 10-14; 52% male) provided 2 saliva samples before, and 4 samples after, a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST; Kirschbaum, C., Pirke, K., Hellhammer, D.H., 1993. The "Trier Social Stress Test": a tool for investigating psychobiological stress responses in a laboratory setting. Neuropsychobiology 28, 76-81). Samples were assayed for cortisol (C) and α-amylase (A-A), a surrogate marker of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Parents/guardians and adolescents reported on adolescents' aggressive behavior. Both salivary A-A and C increased in response to the TSST, with a peak response for A-A immediately post-TSST and for C 10 min post-TSST. A-A and C stress reactivity were estimated using area under the curve (AUC). Asymmetrical C and A-A reactivity accounted for 7% of the variance in parent-reported adolescent aggression. At lower levels of A-A reactivity, lower C reactivity corresponded to higher aggression ratings, but at high A-A reactivity levels, C reactivity was not related to aggression. These results support the hypothesis of Bauer et al. and underscore the importance of a multiple systems measurement approach in biosocial models of adolescent aggression.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Aggression
KW - Cortisol
KW - HPA axis
KW - Salivary α-amylase
KW - Sympathetic nervous system
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33746648689&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33746648689&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.05.010
DO - 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2006.05.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 16879926
AN - SCOPUS:33746648689
SN - 0306-4530
VL - 31
SP - 976
EP - 987
JO - Psychoneuroendocrinology
JF - Psychoneuroendocrinology
IS - 8
ER -