Callous-unemotional traits, low cortisol reactivity and physical aggression in children: findings from the Wirral Child Health and Development Study (original) (raw)
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Cortisol, callous-unemotional traits, and pathways to antisocial behavior
Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 2009
Two decades of research has implicated the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the development of antisocial behavior in children. However, findings regarding the association between cortisol and antisocial behavior have been largely inconsistent, and the role of the HPA axis in relation to broader etiological processes remains unclear. We examine evidence that the role of the HPA axis in the development of antisocial behavior may differ across subgroups of children.
A study of cortisol level as a biological marker in disruptive aggressive behaviour in adolescence
Benha Medical Journal, 2023
Background: Adolescence is usually associated with the teenage years, but its physical, psychological or cultural expressions may begin earlier and end later. Aggression is a behavior whose primary or sole purpose or function is to injure physically or psychologically. Aim and objectives: To demonstrate that high cortisol level in relation with the comorbidity of substance abuse and the duration of abuse in the conduct group. Patients and methods: This study was conducted on 50 aggressive patients with disruptive aggressive behaviors, attending the adolescent outpatient clinic at Alabbassia Mental hospital, who in turn divided into two groups one of conduct disorder and the other of Oppositional Defiant disorder and 25 resembling the control group during the period from March 2019 to February 2020. Results: Patients with conduct disorder showed statistically significant difference between the cortisol level and the comorbidity of substance abuse and the duration of abuse (by years) (P<0.05). While in the ODD group, there was statistically significant difference between the cortisol level and the gender and the age of the adolescent (P<0.05). Conclusion: Cortisol level is higher in the disruptive aggressive adolescents than that of the control group participating in the current study, moreover it was higher in those with conduct than ODD groups. It was demonstrated that high cortisol level in relation with the comorbidity of substance abuse and the duration of abuse in the conduct group.
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.
Biological Psychology, 2013
Although several studies have associated antisocial behavior with decreased cortisol awakening responses (CAR), studies in adolescent samples yielded inconsistent results. In adolescence however, the CAR develops and antisocial behavior is heterogeneous in type and persistence. Therefore this longitudinal study compared persistent aggressive and rule-breaking adolescents to low aggressive and rule-breaking adolescents on the development of the CAR from ages 15 to 17 (N = 390). Persistently high aggressive adolescents showed decreased cortisol levels at awakening consistently over the years ( 2 (1) = 6.655, p = .01) as compared to low aggressive adolescents. No differences between adolescents showing persistent high rule-breaking and low rule-breaking were found. This longitudinal study is the first to show that persistent aggression, but not rule-breaking behavior, is related to neurobiological alterations. Moreover, despite development of the CAR over adolescence, the decrease in cortisol is consistent over time in persistent high aggressive adolescents, which is an important prerequisite for the prediction of persistent aggression.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2019
Background: Elevated maternal glucocorticoids during pregnancy may impact on fetal development in a sexdependent way, leading to increased amygdala activation and increased risk for internalising disorders in females. Based on evidence implicating reduced amygdala activation in callous-unemotional (CU) traits, we predicted that elevated maternal cortisol in pregnancy would be associated with lower CU traits and elevated anxious-depressed symptoms, only in girls. Methods: Participants were 225 members of a stratified subsample within an epidemiological longitudinal cohort (WCHADS). Salivary cortisol was measured over two days at 32 weeks gestation (on waking, 30-min postwaking and during the evening) and the log of the area under the curve (LogAUC) was calculated as an index of diurnal cortisol. Mothers reported on child CU traits and anxious-depressed symptoms at 2.5, 3.5 and 5.0 years of age. Results: As predicted there was a sex of child by cortisol interaction (p < .001) whereby elevated maternal cortisol was associated with lower child CU traits, explaining 25% of the variance, in girls, but not in boys. This effect remained when controlling for relevant confounders and anxious-depressed symptoms. By contrast, elevated maternal cortisol did not predict higher anxious-depressed symptoms in girls. Conclusions: The study adds to growing evidence for sex-dependent effects of elevated maternal cortisol during pregnancy on early child psychopathology, consistent with mediation by elevated amygdala activation. The conditions under which, in girls, this is associated with heightened responsiveness to others' distress characteristic of low CU traits, or with increased affective symptoms, require further study.
Developmental Psychology, 2008
The purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association between circadian rhythms of cortisol and physical and relational aggression. Morning arrival, pre-lunch, and afternoon predeparture salivary cortisol were assessed among 418 maltreated and nonmaltreated children (52% maltreated; 49% female) attending a summer day camp. Counselors and peers rated participants' involvement in physically and relationally aggressive behaviors. Results indicated that physical aggression was associated with heightened cortisol following morning arrival and relatively steep declines in cortisol over the day whereas relational aggression was associated with low cortisol following morning arrival and blunted diurnal change in cortisol. Moreover, maltreatment was a significant moderator of this relationship such that aggression was related to greater cortisol dysregulation among nonmaltreated than maltreated children. The findings suggest that physiological correlates of aggression may differ for physical and relational forms of aggression and among maltreated versus nonmaltreated populations. Keywords aggression; gender; cortisol; maltreatment Involvement in aggressive and antisocial behavior is associated with a host of problems for children and adolescents, including rejection by peers, internalizing symptoms, and academic difficulties (e.g.
This study examined relations among family environment, cortisol response, and behavior in the context of a randomized controlled trial with 92 children (M = 48 months) at risk for antisocial behavior. Previously, researchers reported an intervention effect on cortisol response in anticipation of a social challenge. The current study examined whether changes in cortisol response were related to later child aggression. Among lower warmth families, the intervention effect on aggression was largely mediated by the intervention effect on cortisol response. Although the intervention also resulted in significant benefits on child engaging behavior, cortisol response did not mediate this effect. These findings demonstrate meaningful associations between cortisol response and aggression among children at familial risk for antisocial behavior. would also like to acknowledge the substantial contributions that Drs. Rachel Klein, Eva Petkova, and Patrick Shrout have made to this research.
Testosterone and cortisol in relation to aggression in a non-clinical sample of boys and girls
Aggressive behavior, 2015
Testosterone and cortisol have been proposed to jointly regulate aggressive behavior. However, few empirical studies actually investigated this joint relation in humans, and reported inconsistent findings. Also, samples in these studies were small and/or specific, and consisted largely of males. Therefore, in the current study testosterone and cortisol in relation to aggression were investigated in a non-clinical sample of 259 boys and girls (mean age 16.98 years, SD = 0.42, 56% boys). A positive testosterone/cortisol ratio, that is, high testosterone relative to cortisol, was found to be associated with aggressive behavior, explaining 7% of the variance. The interaction between testosterone and cortisol was not related to aggressive behavior and gender differences were not found. The ratio may reflect an imbalance leaving the individual more prone to rewarding aspects, than fearful of negative implications of aggressive behavior. Current findings indicate that this relation can be ...