Pediatric Public Health Psychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montréal, QC H4B 1R6, Canada.
Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2012 Dec;37(12):1981-9. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.04.014. Epub 2012 Jun 1.
The diurnal cortisol profile has been implicated in multiple physical and mental health conditions in children and adolescents; however, current knowledge regarding the stability of the diurnal cortisol profile is largely based on adults. Developmental changes throughout childhood and adolescence warrant examination of the stability of the diurnal cortisol profile during this stage in the lifecourse. The aim of the present study was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the diurnal cortisol profile in children and adolescents. Participants (N=233; M=12.40, SD=1.83; 44.2% girls) in the Healthy Heart Project collected saliva samples, completed demographic questionnaires, and recorded bed and waking time. Intra-class correlations were calculated to evaluate the stability of aggregate and single sample measures of the diurnal cortisol profile. Total cortisol concentration (AUC(TG), AUC(AG)) and maximum sample were the most stable cortisol measures (ICC(avg)=0.54). Dynamic measures (AUC(I), slope; ICC(avg)=0.22) and other single sample measures (awake, lunch, dinner, bedtime, morning random, day random; ICC(avg)=0.28) were less stable. Of the developmentally relevant covariates tested, sleep duration, adrenarche, and time of awakening were most associated with cortisol values. Altogether, the diurnal cortisol profile yielded moderate to high stability in children and adolescents. These findings can inform methodological decisions regarding cortisol sampling protocols for children and adolescents.
昼夜皮质醇谱与儿童和青少年的多种身心健康状况有关；然而，目前关于昼夜皮质醇谱稳定性的知识主要基于成年人。儿童和青少年在整个童年和青春期的发育变化需要在生命过程的这个阶段检查昼夜皮质醇谱的稳定性。本研究的目的是全面评估儿童和青少年的昼夜皮质醇谱。健康心脏项目的参与者（N=233；M=12.40，SD=1.83；44.2%的女孩）采集唾液样本，完成人口统计学问卷，并记录床和醒来时间。计算组内相关系数以评估昼夜皮质醇谱的综合和单个样本测量的稳定性。总皮质醇浓度（AUC(TG)，AUC(AG)）和最大样本是最稳定的皮质醇测量值（ICC(avg)=0.54）。动态测量值（AUC(I)，斜率；ICC(avg)=0.22）和其他单个样本测量值（清醒、午餐、晚餐、就寝、早晨随机、日间随机；ICC(avg)=0.28）的稳定性较低。在所测试的与发育相关的协变量中，睡眠时间、肾上腺功能初现和觉醒时间与皮质醇值最相关。总的来说，儿童和青少年的昼夜皮质醇谱具有中等至高的稳定性。这些发现可以为儿童和青少年的皮质醇采样方案提供方法学决策。
