Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 1, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Adolescent personality: associations with Basal, awakening, and stress-induced cortisol responses
Odilia M Laceulle1, Esther Nederhof, Marcel A G van Aken
1University of Groningen-University Medical Center Groningen.
Abstract:
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the associations between personality facets and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. Previous studies have mainly focussed on stress-induced HPA-axis activation. We hypothesized that other characteristics of HPA-axis functioning would have a stronger association with personality based on the neuroendocrine literature. Data (n = 343) were used from the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a large prospective cohort study of Dutch adolescents. We studied the association between facets of Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness and basal cortisol, the cortisol awakening response (CAR), and four measures of stress-induced HPA-axis activity. Basal cortisol levels were related to facets of all three personality traits. The CAR and stress-induced cortisol were not related to personality. Possibly due to its more trait-like nature, basal cortisol seems more informative than stress-induced cortisol when investigating trait-like characteristics such as personality facets.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Introduction to Stress and Lifestyle
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Psychological Responses to Stress
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques II
Type A Personality: Driven and Easily Stressed
Individuals with Type A personalities are often highly competitive and ambitious and operate with a strong sense of urgency. Commonly labeled as...
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology

