Increased cortisol awakening response and afternoon/evening cortisol output in healthy young adults with low early life parental care

Abstract

Rationale: Growing evidence from animal and human studies suggests a profound and long-lasting influence of early life experiences--ranging from variations in parenting behavior to severe adversity--on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function.

Objectives: The aim of the current investigation was to examine the association between naturally occurring variations in early life parental care and the cortisol awakening response (CAR), afternoon/evening cortisol output and key psychological variables in a sample of healthy young adults.

Methods: Fifty-eight (19 male and 39 female) participants between 18 and 30 years of age completed psychological questionnaires and collected saliva at awakening, 30 min thereafter and at 3 p.m., 6 p.m., and 9 p.m. on three non-consecutive weekdays.

Results: Participants with low (compared to high) parental care experiences exhibited an increased CAR, increased afternoon/evening cortisol output, decreased self-esteem, and increased depressive symptomatology and anxiety.

Conclusions: We suggest that the elevated CAR and afternoon/evening cortisol levels might reflect a biological correlate of adversity-induced vulnerability for psychopathology. This study is first to show an association between the retrospective perception of early life parental care and cortisol circadian rhythms in healthy young adults.