Citation

Evans BE, Greaves-Lord K, Euser AS, Franken IH, Huizink AC. Addiction 2012; 107(2): 312-322.

Affiliation

Dept of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center/ Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Dept of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Behavioral Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Research Institute for Addiction (IVO), Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1360-0443.2011.03568.x

PMID

21752143

Abstract

Aims HPA axis activity may prove a viable biomarker for identifying those susceptible to alcohol use disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of the age at which adolescents begin drinking with diurnal and stress cortisol. Design Adolescents' diurnal cortisol levels on a normal day and cortisol levels during a stress procedure were examined in relation to the age of onset of alcohol use. Setting and participants All adolescents (14 to 20 years old) were part of a general population study in the Netherlands. Measurements Ten assessments of salivary cortisol taken on a normal day (diurnal cortisol), as well as during a social stress procedure (stress cortisol) were used as indicators of HPA axis activity. Findings The age at which the first alcoholic drink was consumed varied as a function of cortisol levels at the onset of as well as during the stress procedure. Those who began drinking at an earlier age showed lower cortisol levels at the onset of the stressful tasks (R(2) = .14, p < .001) and during the stressful tasks (R(2) = .10, p < .05) though not after the tasks (cortisol recovery). Effects were strongest for anticipatory pre-task cortisol levels. Differences in diurnal cortisol levels did not explain variance in the age at which adolescents had begun drinking. Conclusions Lessened activity of the HPA axis at the onset of and during a stress procedure is present in adolescents who begin drinking at an early age.

Language: en