Relation between basal cortisol and reactivity cortisol with externalizing problems: A systematic review✰
Section snippets
Method
The literature search was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines [41], which aim to ensure clarity and transparency in systematic reviews, reducing the risk of failures and bias [41]. Given the evidence that conclusions are often misinformed in systematic reviews, the use of a method that helps to overcome this problem brings a number of advantages [33]: PRISMA guidelines foster the quality of the reviews, ensure that the reviews are presented with a defined structure and format, common
Characteristics of included studies and salivary cortisol collection
Details regarding salivary cortisol collection protocols in individual studies are presented in Table 2. The studies included in this systematic review were published from 1991 to 2020, and about 40% of the studies were published in the last decade. Most studies used clinical samples (n = 15, 60%), between four and 18 years of age. A variety of psychometric instruments were used for behavior assessment, as described in Table 2. The most used instrument was the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; [1]
Discussion
Researchers have shown a growing interest in factors associated with the development of behavioral problems in children, including biopsychological factors. This review aimed to investigate whether there is an association between cortisol levels and externalizing problems, in order to answer the following research question: are basal cortisol and cortisol reactivity associated with behavioral problems, such as CD and ODD? A total of 25 studies examining possible relationships between cortisol
References (72)
- et al.
Cortisol in the morning and dimensions of anxiety, depression, and aggression in children from a general population and clinic-referred cohort: an integrated analysis. The TRAILS study
Psychoneuroendocrinology
(2013) - et al.
Exploration of the awakening cortisol response in relation to diurnal cortisol secretory activity
Life Sci.
(2001) - et al.
Cortisol diurnal rhythm and stress reactivity in male adolescents with early-onset or adolescence-onset conduct disorder
Biol. Psychiatry
(2008) - et al.
Twenty four-hour cortisol secretion patterns in prepubertal children with anxiety or depressive disorders
Biol. Psychiatry
(2004) - et al.
Salivary cortisol and psychopathy dimensions in detained antisocial adolescents
Psychoneuroendocrinology
(2013) - et al.
The cortisol awakening response (CAR): facts and future directions
Int. J. Psychophysiol.
(2009) Salivary cortisol: a tool for biobehavioral research in children
J. Pediatr. Nurs.
(2012)- et al.
Salivary cortisol in depressed patients versus control persons: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Psychoneuroendocrinology
(2010) - et al.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation in depressed children and adolescents: a meta-analysis
Psychoneuroendocrinology
(2009) - et al.
Mood and hormone responses to psychological challenge in adolescent males with conduct problems
Biol. Psychiatry
(2005)
Low basal salivary cortisol is associated with teacher-reported symptoms of conduct disorder
Psychiatry Res.
The longitudinal impact of exposure to violence on cortisol reactivity in adolescents
J. Adolesc. Health
Longitudinal associations in adolescence between cortisol and persistent aggressive or rule-breaking behavior
Biol. Psychol.
Hypothalamus pituitary adrenal axis and autonomic activity during stress in delinquent male adolescents and controls
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Digit Ratio (2D:4D) Moderates the relationship between cortisol reactivity and self- reported externalizing behavior in young adolescent males
Biol. Psychol.
Disentangling psychobiological mechanisms underlying internalizing and externalizing behaviors in youth: longitudinal and concurrent associations with cortisol
Horm. Behav.
Examining the concurrent and longitudinal relationship between diurnal cortisol rhythms and conduct problems during childhood
Psychoneuroendocrinology
The role of anxiety in cortisol stress response and cortisol recovery in boys with oppositional defiant disorder/conduct disorder
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Black sheep get the blues: a psychobiological model of social rejection and depression
Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev.
Salivary cortisol, personality, and aggressive behavior in adolescent boys: a 5-year longitudinal study
J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry
Serotonergic functioning in children with oppositional defiant disorder: a sumatriptan challenge study
Biol. Psychiatry
Psychobiology of persistent antisocial behavior: stress, early vulnerabilities and the attenuation hypothesis
Neurosci. Biobehav. Rev.
Cortisol and alpha amylase reactivity and timing of puberty: vulnerabilities for antisocial behaviour in young adolescents
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Cortisol and treatment effect in children with disruptive behavior disorders: a preliminary study
J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry
Salivary Cortisol and Cardiovascular Activity Stress in Oppositional-Defiant Disorder Boys Normal Controls
Biological Psychiatry
Manual for the ASEBA Schoolage Forms and Profiles
Cortisol and externalizing behavior in children and adolescents: mixed meta-analytic evidence for the inverse relation of basal cortisol and cortisol reactivity with externalizing behavior
Dev. Psychobiol.
Early externalizing behavior problems: toddlers and preschoolers at risk for later maladjustment
Dev. Psychopathol.
Salivary testosterone and cortisol among late adolescent male offenders
J. Abnorm. Child Psychol.
Signaling pathways in brain involved in predisposition and pathogenesis of stress-related disease: genetic and kinetic factors affecting the MR/GR balance
Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci.
The relations of regulation and emotionality to children's externalizing and internalizing problem behavior
Child Dev.
The twelfth Jack Tizard memorial lecture: the development of offending and antisocial behaviour from childhood: key findings from the Cambridge study in delinquent development
J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry
Research review: the importance of callous-unemotional traits for developmental models of aggressive and antisocial behavior
J. Child Psychol. Psychiatry
Elucidation of neurobiology of anxiety disorders in children through pharmacological challenge tests and cortisol measurements: a systematic review
J. Psychopharmacol.
Asymmetry between salivary cortisol and a-amylase reactivity to stress: relation to aggressive behavior in adolescents
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Cited by (12)
Childhood violence exposure and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review of the role of physiological biomarkers
2022, PsychoneuroendocrinologyCitation Excerpt :This may imply that childhood violence exposure is more likely to contribute to dysregulation in HPA-axis responsivity within the context of stress, which in turn leads to more externalizing behavior (Hartman et al., 2013). However, a stronger association between cortisol reactivity (vs. basal cortisol) and externalizing behaviors has not been consistently found across studies (Alink et al., 2008; Figueiredo et al., 2020). Moreover, only one study assessed multi-system biomarkers as potential mediators (Shenk et al., 2010), with significant mediation by asymmetrical HPA-axis and PNS reactivity in adolescence.
The role of inflammatory markers and cortisol in the association between early social cognition abilities and later internalising or externalising problems: Evidence from a UK birth cohort
2022, Brain, Behavior, and ImmunityCitation Excerpt :The finding of the longitudinal association between lower morning cortisol and externalising problems is consistent with the existing literature on hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problems (Angeli et al., 2018; Ibrahim et al., 2016; Salis et al., 2016). For example, systematic reviews suggested that youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or conduct disorder have lower basal cortisol levels (Chang et al., 2021; Figueiredo et al., 2020). Importantly, Salis et al (2016) found that a flattened cortisol rhythm could predict a greater increase of conduct and aggressive behaviours over three years in young school-age children.
The neurobiology of antisocial behavior in adolescence; current knowledge and relevance for youth forensic clinical practice
2022, Current Opinion in PsychologyCitation Excerpt :Furthermore, dorsal striatum activity as part of the mesolimbic system, known to be sensitive to environmental adversity, seems to play a role in externalization-specific cortisol stress responses [59,61∗,62]. However, a recent review on the association of basal and reactivity cortisol levels with the development of delinquent behavior did show inconsistent results [63∗]. Finally, sex hormones, specifically testosterone in males, have been related to aggressive behavior and CD [56,61∗].
How is mental health associated with adolescent alpha-amylase and cortisol reactivity and coordination?
2024, International Journal of Behavioral Development
Author Note: Patrícia Figueiredo, Eduarda Ramião, Andreia Azeredo, and Fernando Barbosa, Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto (Portugal). Diana Moreira, Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto and Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Maia University Institute (Portugal). Ricardo Barroso, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (Portugal).
The authors do not have any interests that might be interpreted as influencing the research. The study was conducted according to APA ethical standards.
- 1
Shared First Authorship
- 2
Patrícia Figueiredo, Eduarda Ramião, Andreia Azeredo, and Diana Moreira were supported by doctoral grants (SFRH/BD/133694/2017 – Patrícia Figueiredo, SFRH/BD/137494/2018 - Eduarda Ramião, SFRH/BD/136565/2018 – Andreia Azeredo, SFRH/BD/108216/2015 – Diana Moreira), funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the POCH/FSE Program.