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Increased waking salivary cortisol and depression risk in preschoolers: the role of maternal history of melancholic depression and early child temperament
Author(s) -
Dougherty Lea R.,
Klein Daniel N.,
Olino Thomas M.,
Dyson Margaret,
Rose Suzanne
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2009.02116.x
Subject(s) - psychology , temperament , depression (economics) , morning , hostility , evening , anhedonia , cortisol awakening response , clinical psychology , risk factor , history of depression , developmental psychology , psychiatry , personality , hydrocortisone , anxiety , medicine , social psychology , physics , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , astronomy , economics , macroeconomics
Background: Elevated morning cortisol is a prospective predictor of major depression and may serve as a vulnerability marker. We examined the relation between morning cortisol and two prominent risk factors for depression in preschool‐aged children: maternal depression and child temperament. We also explored whether maternal depression during the child’s life, parental hostility and life stress explained these associations. Methods: Ninety‐four children provided a morning salivary cortisol sample, and 92 children provided an evening sample. Child temperament and parenting were assessed using observational measures, and maternal depression and life stress were assessed with clinical interviews. Results: Maternal history of melancholic depression and child temperamental low positive emotionality were significantly associated with higher morning cortisol. These relations persisted after controlling for children’s negative emotionality and concurrent depressive symptoms, parental hostility, and life stress. Conclusions: Our findings support the hypothesis that elevated morning cortisol may serve as an early‐emerging vulnerability factor for depression, and highlight the importance of anhedonia in risk for depression.