Associations between Autonomic and Endocrine Reactivity to Stress in Adolescence: Related to the Development of Anxiety?

Abstract

Internalizing disorders in adolescence have been associated with disturbances in autonomic and endocrine functioning. Because the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system play a central role in regulating both the autonomic and the endocrine systems, their joint functioning is hypothesized to provide information about the potential development of internalizing symptoms throughout adolescence, notably in the preclinical stage. This hypothesis was tested in a sample of 198 adolescents from the general population. Heart rate variability (HRV) and skin conductance levels (SCLs) were measured before, during, and after a public speaking task. These autonomic parameters were associated with cortisol response to the task in the complete sample as well as in low- and high-anxiety adolescents separately. Self-reported social anxiety, low HRV, and high SCL recovery values were predictive of cortisol response. Importantly, in low-anxiety adolescents, only HRV during the task predicted the cortisol response, whereas, in their highly anxious peers, both HRV and SCL were strongly associated with this response. In the latter finding, age was a prominent factor. Additional analyses supported the idea that the interaction of autonomic and endocrine reactivity is subject to natural development. These findings provide evidence that adolescence might be a period of highly interactive emotional–neurobiological development, particularly with respect to the development of stress management skills.