Sex Differences in Salivary Cortisol, Alpha‐Amylase, and Psychological Functioning Following Hurricane Katrina

Vigil, Jacob M.; Geary, David C.; Granger, Douglas A.; Flinn, Mark V.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01464.x

Cited by 79 publications

(72 citation statements)

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“…Both measurements were averaged to produce a mean value (mean levels of morning sAA activity or output). Therefore, from a circadian point of view, the finding shown here is more reliable than the result presented by Vigil et al (2010), as it avoids the possible effect of midday or evening differences in sAA levels (Veen et al, 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…In that study, higher sAA levels among youths (both control and relocated participants) were associated with lower scores of depression, albeit exclusively in male participants. Despite the novelty and potential usefulness of this finding (Vigil et al, 2010), such a relationship between depressive symptoms and sAA activity was obtained without strict control of circadian variations in this enzyme ). Indeed, Vigil et al (2010) obtained just two saliva samples (separated by an interval of 1.5 hours, during which time various psychological measures were obtained from participants) within a wide circadian interval of time (10:50-18:50).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Despite the novelty and potential usefulness of this finding (Vigil et al, 2010), such a relationship between depressive symptoms and sAA activity was obtained without strict control of circadian variations in this enzyme ). Indeed, Vigil et al (2010) obtained just two saliva samples (separated by an interval of 1.5 hours, during which time various psychological measures were obtained from participants) within a wide circadian interval of time (10:50-18:50). This discrepancy between our result and that of Vigil et al (related to the specific role of male gender as a moderator variable) is likely due to differences in the type of psychopathology studied (i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Interestingly, the only study on this issue to focus on a child and adolescent population showed an inverse relationship between baseline sAA activity and depressive symptoms in male adolescent survivors of Hurricane Katrina (Vigil, Geary, Granger, & Flinn, 2010). As in the previouslyreviewed studies that use C, the full meaning of Vigil et al's results will be made clear only by understanding the multiple interactions among genetic background, life stressors, and gender.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…Likewise, in line with the search for more sensitive biomarkers of depression risk, and according to principles of the interactive model of the function of the stress system, Bauer, Quas, & Boyce (2002) have suggested that the use of sAA/cortisol and/or cortisol/sAA ratios could be more sensitive biological measurements of anxious and depressive feelings associated with these internalizing disorders in comparison with a single measurement of any or both aspects of this biological response. (Ali & Pruessner, 2012;Bauer et al, 2002;Blair, Granger, & Razza, 2005;Vigil et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low levels of morning salivary α-amylase activity predict higher number of depressive symptoms in a community sample of children

et al. 2018

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Título: Bajos niveles de actividad alfa-amilasa salivar predicen un número más elevado de síntomas depresivos en una muestra infantil comunitaria. Resumen: Los modelos sobre la etiología de los trastornos depresivos sugieren que el inicio de un episodio depresivo es el resultado de un complejo fenómeno que se basa en la interacción entre la carga genética, factores ambientales críticos tales como eventos vitales estresantes y traumáticos, y el efecto de los cambios neuroendocrinos asociados con la respuesta de estrés. Numerosos estudios han resaltado la utilidad de los niveles matutinos de cortisol (C) como un potencial predictor de episodios depresivos. El objetivo del estudio fue comparar la efectividad del C, de la actividad/secreción de la alfa-amilasa salivar (AAs) y de su ratio para predecir la sintomatología depresiva en una muestra comunitaria de 99 niños con edades entre los 8-11 años. Dos muestras de saliva fueron obtenidas en la mañana en dos días escolares. Los profesores describieron el comportamiento de sus estudiantes usando la escala Teacher's Report Form (TRF). Nuestros resultados indican que, con independencia del género, el mejor predictor de las puntuaciones de depresión/aislamiento y del total de alteraciones internalizadas del TRF fue mostrar bajos niveles de actividad de AAs en la mañana. Por lo tanto, esta medida salivar podría ser usada como un marcador biológico del riesgo para el desarrollo de un primer episodio de depresivo infantil. Palabras clave: Alfa-amilasa; Cortisol; Síntomas Depresivos; Estudio Observacional Descriptivo.Abstract: Models of the etiology of depressive disorders suggest that the onset of a depressive episode is the result of a complex phenomenon based on the interaction between genetic background, critical environmental factors such as life stressors and traumatic events, and the effects of neuroendocrine changes associated with the stress response. Numerous studies have highlighted the usefulness of morning cortisol (C) as a potential predictor of depressive episodes. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of C, salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) activity/output, and the sAA/C ratio in predicting depressive symptoms in a community sample of 99 children aged 8-11 years old. Two saliva samples were obtained in the morning on two different school days. Teachers described their pupils' behavior by using the internalizing problems scales of the Teacher's Report Form (TRF) questionnaire. Our results indicate that, regardless of gender, the best predictor of depressive/withdrawal scores and overall internalizing scores on the TRF was lower mean morning levels of sAA activity. Hence, sAA could be proposed as a biological marker for the risk of developing a first episode of depressive illness in child samples.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Low levels of morning salivary α-amylase activity predict higher number of depressive symptoms in a community sample of children

et al. 2018

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Psychoneuroendocrinology of Stress

Gunnar

Doom

Esposito

2015

Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science

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Developmental psychology is rapidly becoming a neuropsychobiological field concerned with understanding how the genes we are born with, the experiences we have that modify gene expression, and the physiological responses in our brains and bodies all come together to write the story of our lives. Nowhere is the importance of a multilevel, multidisciplinary, genes‐to‐society perspective more apparent than in the study of stress and its role in development. This chapter focuses on a key stress‐mediating system, the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenocortical ( HPA ) axis, its development and regulatory processes, its effects on brain systems involved in emotion and cognition, and its interactions with other stress‐mediating systems. The normative development of the HPA axis is described, along with the role of temperament as a moderator of stress responding and stress effects. The majority of the chapter summarizes evidence that the HPA axis plays a role in the biological embedding of experience during development, including questions about developmental plasticity and developmental programming in relation to poverty, prenatal stress, parental loss, risky family environments, and maltreatment. The role of the HPA axis in developmental psychopathology is also discussed. Future directions and fruitful areas of research are considered with each topic.

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Children in War and Disaster

Masten

Narayan

Silverman

et al. 2015

Handbook of Child Psychology and Developmental Science

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Every year, millions of young people are exposed to the dangers and trauma of disasters, war, terror, and political conflict. This chapter highlights findings from research on children and youth who endure these experiences, examined from a risk and resilience framework and grounded in relational developmental systems theory. Findings from the 21st century are emphasized, although historically important studies are also considered. Variations in response to these mass‐trauma experiences are discussed in relation to dose‐response gradients, developmental cascades and pathways, and moderators of risk at the individual, family, and sociocultural levels. New directions of research are examined, including efforts to integrate knowledge on neurobiological, behavioral, and cultural processes. Implications are delineated for future research as well as efforts to promote resilience through intervention and preparedness. Given the scope of the threats to global child development posed by war and disaster, there is remarkably little empirical research on the interventions that protect children or promote their recovery. Research is needed to elucidate the processes of risk and resilience in the context of mass trauma. In the meantime, general guidelines are provided for policy and practice, gleaned from the extant literature. Experiences of war and disaster test the limits of human capacity for change and recovery, and they may illuminate processes of adaptation that enrich and challenge developmental theory.

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Sex Differences in Salivary Cortisol, Alpha‐Amylase, and Psychological Functioning Following Hurricane Katrina

Cited by 79 publications

References 78 publications

Low levels of morning salivary α-amylase activity predict higher number of depressive symptoms in a community sample of children

Low levels of morning salivary α-amylase activity predict higher number of depressive symptoms in a community sample of children

Psychoneuroendocrinology of Stress

Children in War and Disaster

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