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Associations between circadian and stress response cortisol in children

Sterre S H Simons1, Antonius H N Cillessen1, Carolina de Weerth1

  • 1a Developmental Psychology , Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.

Stress (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
|December 29, 2016
PubMed

Insights

The study found that children with higher overall daily cortisol and a smaller cortisol dip throughout the day had a greater cortisol stress response. This suggests a link between daily cortisol patterns and stress reactivity in children.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Child Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis regulates cortisol production, influenced by circadian rhythms and stress.
  • Cortisol stress responses are linked to mental and physical health outcomes.
  • The relationship between basal cortisol circadian rhythm and cortisol stress response in children is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between the cortisol circadian rhythm and cortisol stress responses in 6-year-old children.
  • To determine if daily cortisol patterns predict reactivity to acute stress.

Main Methods:

  • 149 typically developing 6-year-olds participated in a social evaluative stress test.
  • Cortisol levels were measured via saliva samples (6 for stress response, 8 for circadian rhythm).
  • Indices calculated included total stress cortisol, cortisol stress reactivity, total diurnal cortisol, and diurnal cortisol decline.

Main Results:

  • Higher total diurnal cortisol was uniquely associated with higher total stress cortisol.
  • A smaller diurnal cortisol decline was uniquely associated with higher total stress cortisol.
  • No associations were found between cortisol circadian rhythm indices and cortisol stress reactivity.

Conclusions:

  • The diurnal cortisol pattern, specifically total daily cortisol and diurnal decline, is associated with the magnitude of the cortisol stress response in children.
  • These findings may relate to children's self-regulatory abilities and parenting quality.
  • Further research is needed to explore these connections in greater detail.

Keywords:
6-year-oldsCortisol circadian rhythmHPA-axis functioningcortisol stress responsesdiurnal cortisolstress cortisol

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