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Updated: May 13, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Cortisol response to the Trier Social Stress test among Chinese adolescents
Jiling Fu1, Tingting Weng, Fangbiao Tao
1Department of Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health, School of Public health, Anhui Medical University, 230032 Hefei, China.
Objective:
To compare obese and non-obese adolescents in terms of their salivary cortisol response to the Trier Socia l Stress Test ( TSST).
Methods:
This is a cross - sectional study involving 41 healthy adolescents aged 12-14 years in the city of Shenyang, China. The TSST response was determined using salivary cortisol measurements, and measurements were repeated after the test period. Repeated-measures ANOVA was performed to compare salivary cortisol levels between groups.
Results:
The male group comprised of 16 individuals (10 obese and 6 non-obese), and the female group comprised 25 individuals ( 13 obese and 12 non-obese). ANOVA with repeated measures demonstrated that weight status (obese or non-obese) had a significant main effect on the measures of salivary cortisol levels during the TSST among females but not males.
Conclusions:
The finding suggested that weight status is associated with cortisol response to psychological stress among Chinese adolescent girls.
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