title: Estradiol and cortisol interactions in youth externalizing psychopathology.
abstract: Growing evidence has indicated that gonadal and stress hormones interact to shape socially dominant behavior and externalizing psychopathology; however, such work to date has focused exclusively on the testosterone-cortisol interaction, despite expectations that estradiol should be associated with similar behavioral outcomes to testosterone. Here, we present the first empirical test of the hypothesis that adolescent males and females (N=105, ages 13-18) with high estradiol and low cortisol concentrations are at highest risk for externalizing problems, but - replicating previous work - only among adolescents high on pathological personality traits. Parents reported on youth psychopathology and personality, and hormone concentrations were measured via passive drool. Results confirmed the hypothesis: high estradiol was associated with more externalizing behaviors, but only when cortisol was low and personality traits of disagreeableness and emotional instability were high. Further, these associations held when controlling for testosterone concentrations. These findings provide the first empirical evidence of a hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)×hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis interaction that extends the "dual hormone" hypothesis beyond testosterone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: jltackett@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Tackett
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: kwreardon@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Kathleen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Reardon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Houston, 126 Heyne Building, Houston, TX 77204, United States. Electronic address: kherzhoff@uh.edu.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Herzhoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada. Electronic address: liz@psych.utoronto.ca.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Page-Gould
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-1043, United States. Electronic address: harden@psy.utexas.edu.
authors.forename: K Paige
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Harden
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX 78712-1043, United States. Electronic address: bob.josephs@utexas.edu.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Josephs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006066:Gonads / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D000068356:Self-Control / Q000523:psychology*; D012930:Social Dominance
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Adolescents; Cortisol; Dual-hormone hypothesis; Estradiol; Externalizing behavior; Personality pathology