Transactions among adolescent trait and state emotion and diurnal and momentary cortisol activity in naturalistic settings

Emma K. Adam*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

276 Scopus citations

Abstract

In a community sample of 52 adolescents, multilevel growth curve modeling was utilized to examine whether within-person changes in momentary mood states, and individual differences in trait emotional functioning, were related to adolescent cortisol levels in naturalistic settings. Salivary cortisol levels were measured seven times a day on two typical weekdays in conjunction with diary reports of adolescent mood states. Questionnaire reports of trait emotional functioning (depression, anxiety, and anger) were obtained, as were reports of demographic, developmental, and health control variables. After accounting for the effects of time of day and a wide range of control variables, within-person increases in state negative mood (worry/stress and anger/frustration) were significantly associated with within-person increases in cortisol. When examining trait emotional functioning, adolescents with higher levels of depressive symptoms had slightly lower basal cortisol levels, and adolescents with higher levels of trait anger had a significantly stronger cortisol response to awakening. Several developmental effects were found-adolescents at higher stages of pubertal development had daytime basal cortisol curves that were more elevated, had a steeper diurnal decline, and showed a lesser cortisol awakening response, and cortisol responses to worry/stress increased with age. Cortisol levels were also higher at moments adolescents were alone rather than with others, an effect that declined significantly with age. Cortisol levels were also higher at moments adolescents were alone rather than with others, an effect that declined significantly with age. Results suggest that ongoing transactions occur between adolescents' everyday emotional experiences and their cortisol levels, and that adolescent cortisol activity is modified by age/pubertal stage and by trait emotional functioning.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)664-679
Number of pages16
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume31
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2006

Funding

The author would like to thank the Alfred P. Sloan Center on Parents, Children and Work at the University of Chicago, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Spencer Foundation, the National Academy of Education, and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH RO3 MH61357) for their support of this research. I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, and Dr Megan Gunnar for her feedback on an earlier version of this manuscript. Finally, I am deeply indebted to the parents and adolescents who participated in this project, and to the undergraduate and graduate personnel and staff at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University who assisted me with this research.

Keywords

  • Adolescence
  • Cortisol
  • Emotion
  • HPA axis
  • Multilevel modeling
  • Naturalistic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
  • Biological Psychiatry
  • Endocrinology
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

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