THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE AND DEPRESSION SEVERITY IN ADOLESCENT GIRLS (2023)

Undergraduate: Jenny Hong

Faculty Advisor: Elizabeth Andersen
Department: Psychiatry

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Beginning with the pubertal transition, adolescent females are at a greater risk for developing depression compared to their male counterparts. HPA axis reactivity is believed to play a role in this phenomenon, but the exact nature of this relationship remains uncertain. The present study examined the impact of HPA axis reactivity on depression severity in 42 adolescent girls aged 11 to 14. The girls completed mood ratings and collected four urinary hormone samples per day for four consecutive days to capture the cortisol awakening response. Area under the curve was calculated to determine the intensity of the cortisol awakening response for a given day. Blunted cortisol awakening response (HPA axis hyporeactivity) was found to predict greater depression severity, as well as the depression symptom domains of interpersonal difficulty and reduced positive affect. These findings may contribute to the understanding of the biological underpinnings of depression in adolescent girls.

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