Cortisol, Daily Hassles and Overweight Status in Adolescence
Open Access
- Author:
- Dockray, Samantha
- Graduate Program:
- Biobehavioral Health
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- October 13, 2006
- Committee Members:
- Elizabeth Susman, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Laura Klein, Committee Member
Sheila Grace West, Committee Member
David Manuel Almeida, Committee Member - Keywords:
- cortisol
daily hassles
obesity - Abstract:
- Obesity may be one of the most pervasive current challenges to the health of adolescents. Obesity has diverse etiologies, but there are critical periods of life at which time weight status may be affected by experiences, and the individuals responses to their experiences. This study examined the associations between stressors, in the form of daily hassles, response to stressors (specifically cortisol secretion) and body mass index in adolescents. A sample of male (n=36) and female adolescents (n=42) and a parent or care-giver of each adolescent participated in the study. The adolescent participants collected saliva for cortisol assay and completed daily experiences diaries for four consecutive days. Participants also completed a laboratory stress test, and completed measures of psychosocial function. Three hierarchical linear regression models were evaluated in which cortisol reactivity to a stressor, childhood vulnerabilities, specifically depression and high cortisol reactivity, exercise and daily hassles were hypothesized to predict adolescent body mass index. The stability of daily cortisol profiles from childhood to adolescence, and across consecutive days in adolescence were evaluated using trajectory analyses, and the associations between daily hassles, total daily cortisol secretion, and cortisol reactivity were evaluated using HLM procedures. The results indicated that daily hassles, cortisol reactivity and symptoms of depression in childhood were not associated with adolescent weight status after controlling for childhood weight status. Habitual exercise was associated with weight status in both male and female adolescents. Daily cortisol trajectories were stable across consecutive days in adolescence, but were not stable from childhood to adolescence. The results of the HLM analyses indicated that hours of sleep and daily hassles were associated with total daily cortisol secretion, but the strength of this association was not predicted by the magnitude of cortisol response to a laboratory stress challenge. These results demonstrate the impact of daily experiences in adolescence on levels of cortisol, and illustrate the change in daily cortisol secretion patterns with age and exposure to daily hassles. In summary, this study provides evidence that studying the associations between daily hassles and cortisol reactivity to a lab stressor in adolescence may have utility in expanding models of stress and weight status.