Cortisol secretion in children with symptoms of reactive attachment disorder.
Maltreated children with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) have severe problems with social relationships and affect regulation. An association between early maltreatment and changes in the daily rhythm of cortisol secretion has already been reported for maltreated toddlers. We sought to find out whether such changes were apparent in school-age children with symptoms of RAD, who had experienced early maltreatment but were currently adopted in well-functioning families. We recruited 66 children: 34 adopted children, aged 5-12 years, with an early history of maltreatment and with social difficulties such as indiscriminate friendliness; and 32 age- and sex-matched comparison children with no history of maltreatment or social difficulties. Daily rhythms of cortisol production were determined from saliva samples collected over 2 days. The adopted group had significantly lower absolute levels of cortisol compared to the control group, but a typical profile of cortisol secretion. There was no association between cortisol secretion and symptom scores for psychopathology.
Institute of Health and Wellbeing, College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Caledonia House, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Yorkhill, Glasgow G3 8SJ, UK.
Eva
E
Kočovská
Philip
P
Wilson
David
D
Young
Alan Michael
AM
Wallace
Charlotta
C
Gorski
Michael
M
Follan
Maureen
M
Smillie
Christine
C
Puckering
James
J
Barnes
Christopher
C
Gillberg
Helen
H
Minnis
D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D019962:Reactive Attachment Disorder / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D006854:Hydrocortisone
Adoption; Indiscriminate friendliness; Maltreatment; Reactive attachment disorder