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Cited by 163Stress Responses and CortisolChild Abuse and TraumaBirth, Development, and Health

Timing matters: long term effects of adversities from prenatal period up to adolescence on adolescents' cortisol stress response. The TRAILS study

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Bosch, Nienke M., Riese, Harriëtte, Reijneveld, Sijmen A., Bakker, Martin P., Verhulst, Frank C., Ormel, Johan, Oldehinkel, Albertine J.·2012·Psychoneuroendocrinology
DOI 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.01.013
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Altered cortisol response is a vulnerability marker for a variety of stress-related diseases and psychiatric disorders. Childhood adversity has been shown to modify this response, but evidence is inconsistent. Effects may differ depending on the timing of exposure, or due to the interplay between pre/postnatal adversity and later adversities. The present study examined the influence of adversity during different timeframes (pre/postnatal, ages 0-5, 6-11, 12-13, 14-15 years), and the interaction between pre/postnatal and later adversity on adolescents' cortisol stress response. METHOD: Four salivary cortisol samples were collected before and after a social stress test in 471 16-year-old adolescents from the longitudinal study TRAILS. Data on pre/postnatal exposure to adversities were obtained from Preventive Child Healthcare records and parental reports, subsequent adversities from parental and self-reports. RESULTS: Pre/postnatal adversity was associated with increased cortisol reactivity. Adversities during ages 0-5 were not associated with cortisol outcomes. Adversities during ages 6-11 were associated with a high cortisol level, especially in those exposed to pre/postnatal adversity, while adversities during ages 12-13 and 14-15 were associated with a low cortisol level. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight the importance to take the timing of stress exposure into account. In addition to programming effects, pre/postnatal adversity interacts with childhood adversity in producing deviant cortisol levels. Puberty may be marked by a transition in how adversities affect the HPA-axis, with cortisol hypersecretion before age 11 and hyposecretion after age 11.

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  • ELS/CT in the first year of life, but not late childhood or adolescence, is related to higher cortisol reactivity in adult life.

    “Bosch et al. (125) confirmed this hypothesis showing a relation between ELS/CT in the first year of life, but not late childhood or adolescence, and higher cortisol reactivity in adult life.”

    From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [125]

    The Discussion and Figure 1 report higher cortisol reactivity after pre/postnatal adversity, but the response was measured in adolescents aged 16, not in adult life. The Discussion also reports no effect of childhood or adolescent adversity on cortisol reactivity. The exposure measure includes prenatal events and events shortly after birth, so it does not isolate adversity in the first year of life. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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  • ELS/CT during childhood is associated with higher adult cortisol levels, while ELS/CT during adolescence is associated with lower cortisol output.

    “They could also show higher adult cortisol levels after ELS/CT experience during childhood, but lower cortisol output after experience of ELS/CT in adolescence.”

    From Developmental Trajectories of Early Life Stress and Trauma: A Narrative Review on Neurobiological Aspects Beyond Stress System Dysregulation (2019) · cites this paper as [125]

    The Results (section 3.2) report higher overall cortisol after adversity at ages 6–11 and lower overall cortisol after adversity at ages 12–13 or chronic stress at ages 14–15. But cortisol was measured in 16-year-old adolescents, not adults, and the paper found no cortisol association for adversity at ages 0–5. The claim therefore overextends the findings to adult cortisol levels and childhood generally. (LLM, conf=0.89)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Alterations to the HPA axis functioning have been observed in humans exposed to childhood adversity, although variation in the timing, duration and type of adversity have led to differences in strength and direction of response.

    “Alterations to the HPA axis functioning have also been observed in humans exposed to childhood adversity, although variation in the timing, duration and type of adversity have led to differences in strength and direction of response (Nemeroff 2004; Bosch et al. 2012; McCrory et al. 2012).”

    From Childhood adversity, adult stress, and the risk of major depression or generalized anxiety disorder in US soldiers: a test of the stress sensitization hypothesis (2017) · cites this paper as Bosch et al. 2012

    The Introduction (section 1; page unavailable) reports altered HPA-axis reactivity after early-life stress, with variability in its degree and direction. The Results (section 3.2; page unavailable) link adversity at different ages, including chronic stress in middle adolescence, to different cortisol patterns. The passages support timing and address duration, but do not establish that differences in the type of adversity account for the variation claimed. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Authors
Bosch, N. M., Riese, H., Reijneveld, S. A., Bakker, M. P., Verhulst, F. C., Ormel, J., & Oldehinkel, A. J.
Affiliations
  • University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
  • Erasmus MC (NL)
Corresponding author
Bosch, Nienke M.
ORCID
Venue
Psychoneuroendocrinology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-09
Volume
37
Issue
9
Pages
1439-1447
ISSN
0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.psyneuen.2012.01.013
OpenAlex
W2047498990
Semantic Scholar
dafb72d7beeb4f50c7c268f4827ba1fdd7880cdc
Cited by
163
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 5
FWCI
6.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (publishedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion)
  • University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Birth, Development, and Health
Keywords
cortisol stress response, childhood adversity, prenatal adversity, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, adolescents, puberty, cortisol response, salivary cortisol, TRAILS study, developmental programming
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Life Change Events, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects, Saliva, Stress, Psychological

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