Salivary cortisol responses and the risk for substance abuse in prepubertal boys (original) (raw)

1995, Biological Psychiatry

Investigations of adults" with a psychoactive substance use disorder (PSUD) or antisocial behavior have reported diminished secretion of the adrenal "stress" hormone, cortisol. Consequently, we determined whether prepubertal sons of PSUD fathers, at high risk for later PSUD, differed from controls on salivary cortisol concentrations before, and after, an anticipated stressor. The roles of problematic behavioral disposition and state anxiety in the cortisol responses were also examined. A significant risk-group x time interaction for salivar) cortisol concentrations was found, with high-risk boys secreting less salivao, cortisol than controls when anticipating the task, High-risk boys also had significantly higher scores for aggressive delinquency and impulsivi O" that wholly accounted fi)r the risk-group x time effect on saliva O, cortisol. Thus, cortisol hyporesponsivi O, was associated with the dysregulated behaviors prevalent among high-risk boys. The results suggest that cortisol hyporesponsivi O, could be a "marker"for later antisocialitv and PSUD.

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