High-risk pregnancies elevate maternal stress, impacting offspring neurodevelopment and behavior. This study, involving 112 participants, aimed to compare perceived stress, neurodevelopment, and behavior in high-risk and low-risk pregnancies. Two groups, high-risk and low-risk, were assessed during pregnancy for stress using hair cortisol and psychological analysis. At 24 months post-birth, their children’s neurodevelopment and behavior were evaluated. Results revealed higher perceived stress and pregnancy-related concerns in high-risk pregnancies, contrasting with low-risk pregnancies. Offspring from high-risk pregnancies displayed elevated internalizing behavior scores, while low-risk pregnancies showed higher externalizing behavior scores. Additionally, women in low-risk pregnancies exhibited increased cortisol concentrations 24 months post-delivery. These findings underscore the necessity for early stress detection and prevention programs during pregnancy, particularly in high-risk cases, to enhance maternal and infant health.

Dante Cicchetti’s remarkable contributions to the field of developmental psychopathology include the advancement of key principles such as the interplay of typical and atypical development, multifinality and equifinality, the dynamic processes of resilience, and the integration of multiple levels of analysis into developmental theories. In this paper we assert that person-centered data analytic methods are particularly well-suited to advancing these tenets of developmental psychopathology. We illustrate their utility with a brief novel empirical study focused on underlying patterns of childhood neuroendocrine regulation and prospective links with emerging adult functioning. Results indicate that a childhood neuroendocrine profile marked by high diurnal cortisol paired with low diurnal DHEA was uniquely associated with more adaptive functioning in emerging adulthood. We discuss these findings, and person-centered methods more broadly, within the future of developmental psychopathology.

Increasing age and puberty affect the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis maturation, which is likely associated with an increase in environmental demands (e.g., social) and vulnerability for the onset of psychiatric conditions (e.g., depression). There is limited research as to whether such patterns are consonant in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition marked by social challenges, dysregulation of the HPA axis, and higher rates of depression setting the stage for enhanced vulnerability during this developmental period.

The current study interrogated diurnal cortisol by examining (1) cortisol expression longitudinally over the pubertal transition between autistic and neurotypical youth, (2) the trajectory of diurnal cortisol and the unique contributions of age vs. puberty, and (3) potential sex differences. As hypothesized, results indicate autistic compared to typically developing youth demonstrate a shallower diurnal slope and elevated evening cortisol. These differences were in the context of higher cortisol and flatter rhythms based on age and pubertal development. Also, sex-based differences emerged such that females in both groups had higher cortisol, flatter slopes, and higher evening cortisol than males. The results show that despite the trait-like stability of diurnal cortisol, HPA maturation is impacted by age, puberty, sex, as well as an ASD diagnosis.

Childhood adversity has been associated with hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysregulation, which is associated with mental and physical health consequences. However, associations between childhood adversity and cortisol regulation in the current literature vary in magnitude and direction. This multilevel meta-analysis examines the association between childhood adversity and diurnal cortisol measures, as well as potential moderators of these effects (adversity timing and type, study or sample characteristics). A search was conducted in online databases PsycINFO and PubMed for papers written in English. After screening for exclusion criteria (papers examining animals, pregnant women, people receiving hormonal treatment, people with endocrine disorders, cortisol before age 2 months, or cortisol after an intervention), 303 papers were identified for inclusion. In total, 441 effect sizes were extracted from 156 manuscripts representing 104 studies. A significant overall effect was found between childhood adversity and bedtime cortisol, r = 0.047, 95% CI [0.005, 0.089], t = 2.231, p = 0.028. All other overall and moderation effects were not significant. The lack of overall effects may reflect the importance of the timing and nature of childhood adversity to adversity’s impact on cortisol regulation. Thus, we offer concrete recommendations for testing theoretical models linking early adversity and stress physiology.

Longitudinal trajectories of psychopathology in previously institutionalized (PI) youth were identified and biobehavioral emotion regulation processes were examined as developmental mechanisms that predict these trajectories. Mental health data were collected from PI (N = 132) and nonadopted (NA; N = 175) youth across four time points (participant age ranged from 7- to 21-year-old). Using semiparametric group-based methods, the probability that each individual belonged to a distinct group that followed a specific pattern of behavior across time was estimated. We then tested whether unique aspects of emotion regulation (global, observed, and biological) were differentially associated with membership in externalizing and internalizing trajectory groups using multinomial logistic regression models. Four externalizing trajectories were identified for the PI and NA groups. For PI youth, global, observed, and biological emotion regulation processes were uniquely predictive of more adaptive externalizing trajectories. For NA youth, only parent-reported global emotion regulation was predictive of externalizing patterns. Three internalizing trajectories were identified for PI and NA youth. Generally, only parent-reported global emotion regulation predicted internalizing group membership for both PI and NA youth. Results suggest that biobehavioral emotion regulation processes may be particularly important predictors and potential points of intervention when targeting trajectories of externalizing behaviors in PI children.

The stress-vulnerability model has been repeatedly highlighted in relation to the risk, onset and course of psychosis, and has been independently studied in clinical high-risk (CHR) and first-episode psychosis (FEP) populations. Notable in this literature, however, is that there are few studies directly comparing markers of stress response across progressive stages of illness. Here we examined the psychobiological response to the Trier Social Stress Test in 28 CHR (mean age 19.1) and 61 FEP (age 23.0) patients, in order to understand the stage(s) or trajectories in which differences in subjective stress or physiological response occur. The overall clinical sample had greater perceived stress and blunted cortisol (FEP + CHR, n = 89, age 21.7) compared with healthy controls (n = 45, age 22.9). Additional analyses demonstrated elevated heart rate and systolic blood pressure in FEP compared with CHR, but there were no further differences in physiological parameters (cortisol, heart rate, or blood pressure) between stage- or trajectory-based groups. Together, this suggests that individual stress response markers may differentially emerge at particular stages en route to psychosis – and demonstrates how stage-based analyses can shed light on the emergence and evolution of neurobiological changes in mental illness.

The transition to college is a time of increased opportunity and stress spanning multiple domains. Adolescents who encounter significant stress during this transition may be vulnerable to adverse outcomes due to a “wear and tear” of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Latino/a students may be particularly at-risk for heightened stress exposure due to experiences of both minority-specific and general life stress. Despite this, little is known regarding the cumulative impact of multiple stressors on Latino/a students’ HPA axis functioning. The present study employed a “multi-risk model” approach to examine additive, common, and cumulative effects of multiple stress forms (general, academic, social, financial, bicultural, ethnic/racial discrimination) on diurnal cortisol in a sample of first-year Latino/a college students (N = 196; 64.4% female; Mage = 18.95). Results indicated that no stress forms were additively associated with the cortisol awakening response (CAR), but general stress was associated with a flatter diurnal cortisol slope (DCS) and bicultural stress was linked with a steeper DCS. A college stress latent factor was associated with a lower CAR, whereas a latent factor of discrimination was not associated with diurnal cortisol. Cumulative risk was linked with a lower CAR. Findings highlight the physiological correlates of various stressors experienced by Latino/a college students.

Aggressive reactions to peer victimization may be tempered by hormone levels. Grounded on the dualhormone hypothesis (DHH), which proposes that testosterone (T) is associated with aggressive behavior only when cortisol (C) is low, this study assessed whether the combination of T and C moderated adolescents’ aggressive responses to peer victimization. The study involved 577 adolescents (50.4% girls, aged 12–17 years), who completed measures of online and offline victimization and perpetration of aggressive behavior in three waves over the course of one year. Moreover, they provided salivary samples to measure T and C levels. Multilevel analyses showed a three-way interaction between T, C, and victimization levels for both online and offline aggressive behaviors. In both cases, the adolescents with high T and high C or low T and low C responded with more aggressive behaviors when victimized or provoked by peers. The T/C ratio was only associated with aggressive behavior in the girls’ sample. The results are opposite to those predicted by the DHH, but they are consistent with the findings of other studies that examined aggressive behaviors as reactions to provocations. These results suggest that some combinations of T and C predict higher aggressive reactions to peer victimization.

Hippotherapy has been used for decades and its benefits to human patients have largely been proven, whether being applied to those with physical or mental disabilities. There have been a plethora of animal welfare studies recently, pertaining especially to ridden horses. This study aimed to investigate stress markers in horses during hippotherapy sessions to address the ethical considerations raised by using horses for therapy. A ridden stress ethogram was established and validated specifically for this study via subjective observation and video recording of a ridden session involving intermediate-level riders. The experiment entailed eight healthy horses undergoing two ridden sessions on separate days, one with disabled riders and one with beginners. Several parameters associated with physiological responses to stress were evaluated at rest, such as heart rate, plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone [ACTH], serum and salivary cortisol. These parameters as well as the behavioural stress score from the ethogram scale were measured during both sessions. No significant differences were found between heart rate, plasma ACTH, and stress scores. Serum and salivary cortisol were significantly lower during the hippotherapy session than during the session with beginners. The current study found no evidence of compromised welfare when horses were used as a therapeutic aid during hippotherapy sessions compared to their usual ridden activity. Although these results indicate that hippotherapy may be ethically justified as it benefits humans without causing harm to the horses, the present study was small, and the results should be interpreted with caution.

Male African cichlids (Oreochromis mossambicus) establish territories on the substrate upon which spawning pits are dug, thus attracting females. The substrate, therefore, plays a very significant role in its lifecycle. The effects of substrate access on behaviour and physiology in captivity were assessed. Mixed-sex, all-male and all-female groups were observed for five days, with and without substrate. Social patterns, behaviour directed towards the substrate, locomotor activity and spatial behaviour were recorded, and haematocrit, plasma cortisol and glucose levels were measured. Substrate inclusion saw a significant increase in behavioural diversity, sexual behaviour of dominant males in mixed groups, pit digging and territoriality whereas a lack of substrate was characterised by increased chafing and inactivity. Vacuum-pit digging was also observed. Frequency of aggression did not differ significantly and female behaviour was not affected by the presence of substrate. For both sexes, no differences in cortisol and glucose levels were found between the two treatments, but haematocrit increased with substrate. The key role played by substrate in territorial males is consistent with the behavioural and physiological data reported. In the absence of substrate, decreased territorial behaviour is contrasted with similar levels of aggression, cortisol and glucose; all of which are suggestive of a stress-related context. Moreover, the exhibition of vacuum activities is a signal that behavioural needs are not being met and may be some form of coping mechanism. These findings, taken in conjunction with the variations in behavioural diversity and inactivity, suggest that the welfare of male cichlids may be adversely affected by the absence of substrate.

The effects of food and/or water deprivation at different ambient temperatures (7 or 35 °C) on stress hormone release in sheep (n = 8), were studied to provide background data for research into the effects of road transport. Blood samples were taken from catheterized animals at the start and, at 6h intervals, during 48h tests in an environmental chamber. Cortisol release was unaffected by temperature or deprivation state but was stimulated by introduction to the chamber. Prolactin secretion showed a similar tendency and levels of this hormone were generally higher in the first test, whichever chamber was used. Heat exposure also had a prolonged stimulatory effect on prolactin release, especially in the first test. Growth hormone concentrations were rather variable but tended to be greatest when the animals were deprived of food. Measurements of plasma osmolality indicated that sheep remained in water balance, even when water was withheld for 48h, unless they had access to food. The results suggest that under laboratory conditions, and over a wide thermal range, withholding food and water for 48h does not induce Cortisol or prolactin release in sheep. However, exposure to novel situations seems to have a stimulatory effect.

The aim of this study was to assess optimal temperature ranges for fattening pigs of different weights kept in pens with partially slatted floors. We examined the behavioural and adrenocortical responses of pigs of different weights (25–35 kg, 50–70 kg, and >85 kg) to a wide range of ambient temperatures (2–29°C). On three days of each experimental period, we took saliva samples for the analysis of cortisol concentration, and recorded lying behaviour from 0800–0600h. Behavioural and cortisol parameters were analysed using linear mixed effects models. Optimal temperature ranges for the three weight-classes were calculated using logistic regression. Pigs chose different areas for resting depending on ambient temperature. With increasing temperature, pigs used the dung area more often and lay more often without contact with pen mates. Compared to lighter pigs, heavier pigs lay without contact with pen mates at lower temperatures. In general, lying without contact occurred at temperatures 5–7°C lower than lying in the dung area. Huddling increased with decreasing temperature, and, with increasing weight, pigs showed huddling at lower temperatures. There was a significant increase in cortisol levels at high ambient temperatures in pigs >85 kg. In pens with partially slatted floors, the results indicate temperature ranges within the thermal tolerance of pigs to be 19–21°C for pigs weighing 25–35 kg (lying area of 0.46 m2/pig), 10–17°C for pigs between 50–70 kg and 5–17°C for pigs >85 kg (both weights: lying area of 0.67 m2/pig).