Maldonado Enrique F, Fernandez Francisco J, Trianes M Victoria, Wesnes Keith, Petrini Orlando, Zangara Andrea, Enguix Alfredo, Ambrosetti Lara
Department of Psychobiology and Methodology of the Behavioral Sciences, Universidad de Málaga, Spain.
Span J Psychol. 2008 May;11(1):3-15. doi: 10.1017/s1138741600004066.
The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of daily stress perception on cognitive performance and morning basal salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase levels in healthy children aged 9-12. Participants were classified by whether they had low daily perceived stress (LPS, n = 27) or a high daily perceived stress (HPS, n = 26) using the Children Daily Stress Inventory (CDSI). Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase were measured at awakening and 30 minutes later. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Cognitive Drug Research assessment system. The HPS group exhibited significantly poorer scores on speed of memory (p < .05) and continuity of attention (p < .05) relative to the LPS group. The HPS group also showed significantly lower morning cortisol levels at awakening and at +30 minutes measures in comparison with the LPS group (p < .05), and mean morning cortisol levels were negatively correlated with speed of memory (p < .05) in the 53 participants. No significant differences were observed between both groups in alpha-amylase levels. These findings suggest that daily perceived stress in children may impoverish cognitive performance via its modulating effects on the HPA axis activity.
本研究的目的是评估日常压力感知对9至12岁健康儿童认知表现、早晨基础唾液皮质醇和α-淀粉酶水平的影响。使用儿童日常压力量表（CDSI），根据儿童日常压力感知程度的高低，将参与者分为两组，即低日常压力感知组（LPS，n = 27）和高日常压力感知组（HPS，n = 26）。在儿童醒来时及30分钟后测量唾液皮质醇和α-淀粉酶水平。使用认知药物研究评估系统评估认知表现。与LPS组相比，HPS组在记忆速度（p < .05）和注意力持续性（p < .05）方面的得分显著更低。与LPS组相比，HPS组在醒来时及+30分钟测量时的早晨皮质醇水平也显著更低（p < .05），且在53名参与者中，早晨皮质醇平均水平与记忆速度呈负相关（p < .05）。两组间α-淀粉酶水平未观察到显著差异。这些发现表明，儿童的日常压力感知可能通过调节下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴活动来损害认知表现。
