Title
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and the stress response
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Psychiatry
Publication Date
1998-07-01
Document Type
Article
Subjects
Aggression; Attention Deficit Disorder with; Hyperactivity; Child; Child, Preschool; Comorbidity; Conduct Disorder; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Hydrocortisone; Male; Psychological Tests; Saliva; Stress, Psychological
Disciplines
Psychiatry
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder whose three main symptoms are impulsiveness, inattention, and hyperactivity. Researchers have proposed that the central deficit in ADHD is one of poor response inhibition. The present studies were designed to look at the functioning of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in response to mental stress in aggressive ADHD subjects participating in a longitudinal study of various psychosocial treatments.
METHODS: Pretest and posttest morning salivary samples for cortisol determination were collected from subjects given a battery of tests.
RESULTS: The study shows that ADHD subjects who maintained their diagnosis over the first year of the study had a blunted response to the stressor in comparison to those ADHD subjects who no longer retained the disorder 1 year later.
CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that an impaired response to stress may be a marker for the more developmentally persistent form of the disorder.
Source
Biol Psychiatry. 1998 Jul 1;44(1):72-4.
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Biological psychiatry
Related Resources
PubMed ID
9646887
Repository Citation
King JA, Barkley RA, Barrett SV. (1998). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and the stress response. Psychiatry Publications. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/psych_pp/337