Adolescents’ hair cortisol concentrations during COVID-19: Evidence from two longitudinal studies in the Netherlands and the United States

Stefania V. Vacaru*, Anna M. Parenteau, Sydney Yi, Jennifer A. Silvers, Camelia E. Hostinar, Carolina de Weerth

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background: Prolonged stress exposure is associated with alterations in cortisol output. The COVID-19 pandemic represented a stressor for many, including children. However, a high-quality caregiving environment may protect against psychological problems and possibly against elevations in cortisol. We examined adolescents’ physiological stress responses to the pandemic and the role of attachment in two longitudinal samples from the Netherlands and the United States (https://aspredicted.org/HHY_8MK). Methods: Cortisol was assessed from hair samples before and during the pandemic, while attachment was self-reported prepandemic. Study 1 included a Dutch sample (N = 158; examined at ages 10 and later at 14 years old), whereas Study 2 included a US sample (N = 153; examined at ages 9–11 and again 2 years later) and an age-matched prepandemic sample (N = 29, 10–13 years old). Repeated-measures analyses of variance examined changes in cortisol from prepandemic to during the pandemic and the effect of attachment in each sample separately. Results: After accounting for age, both studies revealed nonsignificant changes in hair cortisol and a nonsignificant effect of attachment. A significant effect of sex emerged in Study 1, with Dutch girls showing a significant cortisol increase during the pandemic, which was not explained by puberty. Conclusion: These findings suggest differential associations of the pandemic with hair cortisol increases by sex and country.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere22438
Pages (from-to)1-19
Number of pages19
JournalDevelopmental Psychobiology
Volume65
Issue number8
Early online date30 Oct 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The BIBO study was supported by a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research VIDI grant (575‐25‐009, to C.d.W.) and a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research VICI grant (016.185.038, to C.d.W.). The current study was supported by a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research Van der Gaag Academy grant (KNAW WF/1627, to S.V.V.). The US study was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant Number 2036201 to A.P. and a seed grant from the UC Consortium for the Developmental Science of Adolescence. This collaboration was funded by a Young Scholars grant from the Jacobs Foundation (2019.1317.0). The funders had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, the decision to publish, or manuscript preparation. We thank the adolescents and parents who participated in our study, the PhD students, research assistants, and students for helping with data collection.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Developmental Psychobiology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.

Funding

The BIBO study was supported by a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research VIDI grant (575‐25‐009, to C.d.W.) and a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research VICI grant (016.185.038, to C.d.W.). The current study was supported by a Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research Van der Gaag Academy grant (KNAW WF/1627, to S.V.V.). The US study was supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under Grant Number 2036201 to A.P. and a seed grant from the UC Consortium for the Developmental Science of Adolescence. This collaboration was funded by a Young Scholars grant from the Jacobs Foundation (2019.1317.0). The funders had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, the decision to publish, or manuscript preparation. We thank the adolescents and parents who participated in our study, the PhD students, research assistants, and students for helping with data collection.

Keywords

  • adolescence
  • attachment security
  • COVID-19 pandemic
  • hair cortisol
  • HPA axis

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