Estradiol and cortisol interactions in youth externalizing psychopathology
Abstract
Growing evidence has indicated that gonadal and stress hormones interact to shape socially dominant behavior and externalizing psychopathology; however, such work to date has focused exclusively on the testosterone-cortisol interaction, despite expectations that estradiol should be associated with similar behavioral outcomes to testosterone. Here, we present the first empirical test of the hypothesis that adolescent males and females (N=105, ages 13-18) with high estradiol and low cortisol concentrations are at highest risk for externalizing problems, but - replicating previous work - only among adolescents high on pathological personality traits. Parents reported on youth psychopathology and personality, and hormone concentrations were measured via passive drool. Results confirmed the hypothesis: high estradiol was associated with more externalizing behaviors, but only when cortisol was low and personality traits of disagreeableness and emotional instability were high. Further, these associations held when controlling for testosterone concentrations. These findings provide the first empirical evidence of a hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA)×hypothalamic pituitary gonadal (HPG) axis interaction that extends the "dual hormone" hypothesis beyond testosterone.
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Both estradiol and progesterone play important roles in sexual, social, and risk-taking behavior.
“Both estradiol and progesterone have been found to play important roles in sexual, social, and risk-taking behavior”
From Becoming a sexual being: The “elephant in the room” of adolescent brain development (2017) · cites this paper as Tackett et al., 2015
Increases in estradiol and progesterone contribute to remodeling and activation of neural circuitry for both males and females during puberty.
“In addition to testosterone, increases in estradiol and progesterone contribute to remodeling and activation of neural circuitry for both males and females during puberty.”
From Becoming a sexual being: The “elephant in the room” of adolescent brain development (2017) · cites this paper as Tackett et al., 2015
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Becoming a sexual being: The “elephant in the room” of adolescent brain development
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Tackett, J. L., Reardon, K. W., Herzhoff, K., Page-Gould, E., Harden, K. P., & Josephs, R. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Houston (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tackett, Jennifer L.
- Venue
- Psychoneuroendocrinology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2015-05
- Volume
- 55
- Pages
- 146-153
- ISSN
- 0306-4530 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2004040871
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 2.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychoneuroendocrinology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Connaught Fund
- Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- estradiol, cortisol, externalizing psychopathology, dual-hormone hypothesis, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, adolescent girls, adolescent boys, pathological personality traits, neuroticism, testosterone, social dominance
- MeSH terms
- Self-Control, Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Aggression, Estradiol, Female, Gonads, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Male, Personality, Personality Disorders, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Saliva, Social Dominance
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