Cortisol changes in healthy children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic
Madison H. Fung, Brittany K. Taylor, Christine M. Embury, Rachel K. Spooner, Hallie J. Johnson, Madelyn P. Willett, Michaela R. Frenzel, Amy S. Badura-Brack, Stuart F. White, Tony W. Wilson
Abstract
= 49). Longitudinal changes in HCC were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models. Perceived levels of pandemic-related stress were measured and compared to the physiological changes in HCC. In children and adolescents, cortisol levels significantly increased across the course of the pandemic. These youth reported a multitude of stressors during this time, although changes in HCC were not associated with self-reported levels of COVID-19-related distress. We provide evidence that youth are experiencing significant physiological changes in cortisol activity across the COVID-19 pandemic, yet these biological responses are not associated with perceived stress levels. Youth may be especially vulnerable to the deleterious impacts of chronic cortisol exposure due to their current status in the sensitive periods for development, and the incongruency between biological and psychological stress responses may further complicate these developmental problems.