title: Family conflict and lower morning cortisol in adolescents and adults: modulation of puberty.
abstract: We aimed to explore the association between family conflict and HPA axis activity, especially with respect to the potential modulating effect of puberty. A total of 205 adolescents and 244 adult parents were recruited. Family conflict was assessed by the family conflict subscale of the Family Environmental Scale and serial salivary cortisol was measured in all participants. A marginally lower AUCg at 30 minutes after wake up in the morning and a significant lower AUCg at 60 minutes and 90 minutes in adult parents with high family conflict was found when compared to those with low family conflict. In adolescents, there were significant interaction effects between pubertal status and family conflict on AUCg (interaction p values <0.05). Among the adolescents with low family conflict, those at late/post pubertal status had higher AUCg than their pre/early pubertal counterparts but this difference was not observed in the adolescents with high family conflict. Adverse family environment is associated with HPA axis dysfunction in adults and late/post pubertal adolescents and pubertal maturation plays a critical role in modulating the association between family environment and HPA axis function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Jihui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Siu-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Alice P S
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Ronald C W
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Shirley Xin
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Joey W Y
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Mandy W M
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Junying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Michael H M
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Chung-Shun
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Albert M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Sleep Medicine Center, Mental Health Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Xiangdong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.|Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Yun-Kwok
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Wing
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone