A study of cortisol reactivity and recovery among young adolescents: Heterogeneity and longitudinal stability and change

• Published in: Developmental psychobiology 2016-04, Vol.58 (3), p.283-302
• Main Authors: Ji, Juye, Negriff, Sonya, Kim, Hansung, Susman, Elizabeth J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Development - physiology; Child; cortisol recovery; Female; heterogeneity; Humans; Hydrocortisone - secretion; latent class analysis; Longitudinal Studies; Male; piece-wise growth curve; Saliva - chemistry; Sex Characteristics; Stress, Psychological - metabolism
• ISSN: 0012-1630; 1098-2302
• DOI: 10.1002/dev.21369

ABSTRACT The dominance of reactivity‐based theories of the cortisol response and lack of attention to cortisol recovery makes it difficult to compile an integrated theory of the stress response. This report examined a reactivity and recovery model of the cortisol response using variable‐centered and person‐centered approaches. Age and sex differences and heterogeneity in the pattern of cortisol response were examined. Participants were 135 healthy young adolescents participating in a three‐wave longitudinal study of puberty and psychological development. At each wave, five saliva‐cortisol samples were collected prior to and following a modified Trier Social Stressor Test for Children. Linear, quadratic, and piece‐wise models of latent growth curve analyses and latent class analyses were conducted. Age differences in cortisol reactivity and recovery were found at wave 1 and sex differences in cortisol reactivity emerged at wave 3. Meaningful heterogeneity in the pattern of cortisol response was found cross‐sectionally and longitudinally. The implications of heterogeneity in the cortisol response during early adolescence for developmental science are discussed. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 58: 283–302, 2016.