The Effect of Family Training on Salivary Cortisol in Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorder (original) (raw)
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European Psychiatry, 2009
Aims:Since adulthood antisocial, aggressive and delinquent behaviors often have their onset early in life, investigating the association between biological factors and disruptive behaviors in children and adolescents are important and are emphasized on in the recent years. Baseline cortisol level seems to be a valuable biological marker of individuals with Disruptive Behavior Disorder (DBD). This study examined the effect of parent training on salivary cortisol levels of children with DBD.Methods:Saliva samples were assayed to determine cortisol levels in nineteen clinic-referred children with DBD (aged 8 through 13 years) before and after an eight-session parent training program. Children's disruptive behaviors were assessed by Child Behavior Check List before and after the intervention.Results:Children's salivary cortisol increased significantly after parent training sessions. Children with DBD who had lower basal cortisol levels had more severe disruptive behaviors and a ...
Low basal salivary cortisol is associated with teacher-reported symptoms of conduct disorder
Psychiatry Research, 2005
Cortisol has been implicated in psychobiological explanations of antisocial behavior. This study measured basal salivary cortisol in a sample of 25 children (age range 6 to 12 years) selected to vary in levels of antisocial behavior. Regression analyses were used to predict cortisol concentrations from parent-and teacher-reported symptoms. Parent-reported symptoms did not predict basal cortisol. Teacher-reported conduct disorder (CD) symptoms explained 38% of the variance in the cortisol concentrations, with high symptom severity associated with low cortisol. When a distinction was made between aggressive and non-aggressive CD symptoms, aggressive CD symptoms were more clearly related to low cortisol than non-aggressive CD symptoms. In contrast to previous research, no evidence was found for a mediating role of anxiety symptoms in the relationship between CD and cortisol. The results support biologically based models of antisocial behavior in children that involve reduced autonomic activity. D
Salivary cortisol levels and challenging behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 2015
Challenging behavior is behavior ''of such intensity, frequency or duration that the physical safety of the person or others is likely to be placed in serious jeopardy, or behavior which is likely to seriously limit use of, or result in the person being denied access to, ordinary community facilities'' (Emerson et al., 2001, p. 3). The prevalence of challenging behavior has been reported to be high among those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); Murphy, Healy and Leader found that among a sample of 157 children with ASD, 82% of participants engaged in at least one form of challenging behavior while 32.5% of the sample engaged in self-injurious behavior (SIB), stereotypy, and aggression. Similarly, Jang, Dixon, Tarbox, and Granpeesheh found that among 84 children with ASD, 94% engaged in at least one form of challenging behavior including such forms as stereotypy, SIB, aggression, and property destruction. Predictors of challenging behavior include autism severity, cognitive functioning, language ability, level of adaptive functioning, and hyperactivity (Gabriels,
Biological Psychiatry, 1998
Background: Arousal-regulating mechanisms are important in explaining individual differences in antisocial behavior. Methods: Alterations in saliva~' cortisol concentration and cardiovascular activity were studied in 21 boys with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and 31 normal controis (NC) during a 2-hour stressful procedure involving frustration and prow~cation. Results: Baseline levels of heart rate (HR) were significantly lower in the ODD group, but their HR levels were higher during provocation and frustration. Cortisol levels in the ODD group were overall lower than those of the NC group, and the effect of stress seemed to be minimal and similar for both groups; however, individual differences were large. Since anxiet)' plays an important mediating role in cortisol response, subjects' were divided into one of four groups based on the intensity of their externalizing behavior and anxiousness. Cortisol increase due to stress exposure was strongest in highly externalizing and highly anxious subjects; cortisol decrease was strongest in those subjects who were high in externalizing behavior and low in anxiousness. Conclusions: The results of the study support an important role for hypothalamic-pituimry-adrenal axis sympathetic autonomic functioning in persistent antisocial behavior in young boys.
European child & adolescent psychiatry, 2017
To improve outcome for children with antisocial and aggressive behavior, it is important to know which individual characteristics contribute to reductions in problem behavior. The predictive value of a parent training (Parent Management Training Oregon; PMTO), parenting practices (monitoring, discipline, and punishment), and child neurobiological function (heart rate, cortisol) on the course of aggression was investigated. 64 boys with oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder (8-12 years) participated; parents of 22 boys took part in PMTO. All data were collected before the start of the PMTO, and aggression ratings were collected three times, before PMTO, and at 6 and 12 month follow-up. Parent training predicted a decline in aggression at 6 and 12 months. Child neurobiological variables, i.e., higher cortisol stress reactivity and better cortisol recovery, also predicted a decline in aggression at 6 and 12 months. Heart rate and parenting practices were not related to the ...
Psychiatry Research, 2011
There is a body of literature demonstrating an association between altered hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity and aggressive behavior. Aggressive and disruptive behavior also is highly prevalent in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Findings on HPA-axis reactivity in ADHD, however, are rather inconsistent. Specific temperamental risk factors previously were associated with a specific subtype of severe disruptive behavior. These traits might also be characterized by a distinct neurobiological profile across ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders. In this study we focus on psychopathic traits, notably callous unemotional (CU) traits. The main objective of the present study was to investigate whether two groups of ADHD patients with high or low CU traits differed in cortisol reactivity. Subjects were 36 boys with ADHD and disruptive behavior symptoms aged 8 to 14 years. Salivary cortisol probes were taken before and repeatedly after an experimental standardized stress test. Patients scoring high on CU traits showed a blunted HPA axis reactivity to the experimentally induced stress. Results underscore the need to consider specific personality traits in investigating neurobiological correlates in ADHD with disruptive behavior problems.
Influence of Treatment for Disruptive Behavior Disorders on Adrenal and Gonadal Hormones in Youth
Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 2011
The study examined whether psychosocial intervention for children diagnosed with a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD; n = 84) changed concentrations of cortisol and testosterone across a three-year follow-up when compared to a matched, non-clinical, healthy comparison (HC; n = 69) group,. Boys and girls (6 to 11 years) with a DBD were randomly assigned to one of two arms of a multi-method intervention. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that children undergoing psychosocial intervention for a DBD experienced a significant decline in diurnal cortisol change over time (p < .05) when compared to the HC condition. However, boys with a DBD diagnosis had significantly lower mean cortisol concentrations prior to treatment (p < .05) and showed a significantly steeper increase in mean cortisol over time (p < .05) when compared to HC boys. Treatment effects for diurnal cortisol change were replicated in the boys-only analysis. No treatment effects were noted for testosterone in either analysis.
Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
Middle East Current Psychiatry, 2021
Background Study of cortisol levels in patients with ADHD in correlation with aggressive behaviors associated with ADHD has received limited research attention. This factor is essential for comprehending the psychopathophysiology of ADHD and its comorbidities. The present study aimed to investigate the cortisol level in ADHD children and its relation to severity of symptoms and associated aggressive behavior in those children. The sample consisted of 129 patients and 80 healthy controls evaluated by administering the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children, The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Conners’ parent rating scale, problem scale of C.B.C.L., and Socioeconomic Status Scale. Salivary cortisol was measured using radio-immune assay. Results Salivary cortisol level in our ADHD subjects was significantly lower (11.826 ng/ml) than in the control group (19.619 ng/ml with P-value 0.001). Our results failed to find any correlation between ADHD symptoms seve...
Biological Psychology, 2009
Hormone differences by psychopathology group and gender may have implications for understanding disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) and complexities of treatment outcomes. Current theoretical models emphasize contextual differences as moderators of hormone-behavior relations. This report examined: a) hormone differences in youth with and without DBD, and b) contextual factors as moderators of behavior problems and hormones. 180 children and adolescents were enrolled (141 boys, mean 9.0 ± 1.7 years). DBD participants met criteria for conduct disorder (CD) and/or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) (n = 111); 69 were recruited as healthy comparisons (HC). Saliva was collected for testosterone, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione. DBD youth had significantly higher androstenedione than the HC group. There was a group by gender interaction for basal cortisol mean with DBD boys and HC girls having lower cortisol. Moderating effects of contextual variables (e.g., family functioning, delinquent peers) were noted for cortisol and adrenal androgens. Findings argue for considering hormones as an influence on DBD beyond simple direct one-to one associations.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2010
Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been observed in association with internalizing symptoms and is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of depression and some anxiety disorders. This study examined basal and stress-induced cortisol concentrations in relation to internalizing and externalizing symptoms in a racially mixed community sample of 102 8-11 year-old boys. Afternoon basal cortisol concentrations were positively correlated with measures of internalizing behavior problems, social problems, and emotionality. Greater change in cortisol across a home-visit challenge task was also significantly associated with internalizing behaviors and social problems, as well as attention and thought problems. The implications of these findings and how they may relate to the pathogenesis of emotional and behavioral problems are discussed.