Within-adolescent coupled changes in cortisol with DHEA and testosterone in response to three stressors during adolescence.
It is hypothesized that hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axes function together to maintain adaptive functioning during stressful situations differently in adolescence than the characteristic inverse relations found in adulthood. We examined within-person correlated changes (coupling) in cortisol, DHEA and testosterone in response to parent-adolescent conflict discussion, social performance, and venipuncture paradigms. Data are derived from two samples of boys and girls from the Northeastern US (213 adolescents aged 11-16, M=13.7, SD=1.5 years; 108 adolescents aged 9-14, M=11.99, SD=1.55) using different biological sampling vehicles (saliva and blood). Results consistently show that across samples, vehicles, and contexts, cortisol and DHEA and cortisol and testosterone are positively coupled in response to environmental stimuli. Findings underscore the importance of considering the effects of multiple hormones together in order to further our understanding of the biological underpinnings of behavior, especially during adolescence, as adolescence is a developmental transition period that may be qualitatively different from adulthood in terms of hormone functioning.
The Pennsylvania State University, United States; Division of Behavior Genetics, Rhode Island Hospital Department of Psychiatry, United States; Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, United States. Electronic address: Kristine_Marceau@Brown.edu.
Kristine
K
Marceau
University of New Orleans, United States.
Elizabeth A
EA
Shirtcliff
University of California-Davis, United States.
Paul D
PD
Hastings
University of Minnesota, United States.
Bonnie
B
Klimes-Dougan
University of Wisconsin, United States.
Carolyn
C
Zahn-Waxler
The Pennsylvania State University, United States.
Lorah D
LD
Dorn
The Pennsylvania State University, United States.
Elizabeth J
EJ
Susman
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000523:psychology; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000523:psychology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
D013739:Testosterone; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D006854:Hydrocortisone
Adolescence; Cortisol; DHEA; Social stress; Testosterone; Venipuncture; Within-person coupling