Self-esteem and stress as associated with diurnal profiles of salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol in mid-adolescents

• Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase (sAA) that reflect hypothalamopituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis) activity and sympathetic activity within the autonomic nervous system (ANS) respectively, are biomarkers with pronounced diurnal rhythms. While research on salivary cortisol is increasing, little is known about the diurnal rhythm of salivary alphaamylase, particularly in adolescents. Also, the linkages between individual factors and self-reports of stress as related to HPA-axis activity and autonomic/sympathetic functioning remain to be investigated. This study set out to investigate diurnal rhythms of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase in 14-16 year-old girls and boys. Moreover, the study investigated whether stress and self-esteem are related to aggregate salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase measures. Besides self-reports in questionnaires, self-administered salivary samples were collected from 47 girls and 23 boys during a school day. Results showed girls had higher levels of morning cortisol than did boys, while there were no differences in morning or diurnal sAA. Additionally, self-esteem and self-reported stress were associated with different measures of cortisol and sAA but for girls only. Taken together, the findings suggest that both self-reported stress and self-esteem are linked to various aspects of sympathetic ANS activity and HPA-axis activity, particularly among mid-adolescent girls.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Keyword

s-cortisol

s-amylase

self-ratings

Psychology

psykologi

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

art (subject category)