TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - Hair and salivary testosterone, hair cortisol, and externalizing behaviors in adolescents JO - Psychological science A1 - Grotzinger, Andrew D. A1 - Mann, Frank D. A1 - Patterson, Megan W. A1 - Tackett, Jennifer L. A1 - Tucker-Drob, Elliot M. A1 - Harden, K. Paige SP - 688 EP - 699 VL - 29 IS - 5 N2 - Although testosterone is associated with aggression in the popular imagination, previous research on the links between testosterone and human aggression has been inconsistent. This inconsistency might be because testosterone's effects on aggression depend on other moderators. In a large adolescent sample ( N = 984, of whom 460 provided hair samples), we examined associations between aggression and salivary testosterone, hair testosterone, and hair cortisol. Callous-unemotional traits, parental monitoring, and peer environment were examined as potential moderators of hormone-behavior associations. Salivary testosterone was not associated with aggression. Hair testosterone significantly predicted increased aggression, particularly at low levels of hair cortisol (i.e., Testosterone × Cortisol interaction). This study is the first to examine the relationship between hair hormones and externalizing behaviors and adds to the growing literature that indicates that androgenic effects on human behavior are contingent on aspects of the broader endocrine environment-in particular, levels of cortisol.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0956-7976 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0956797617742981 ID - ref1 ER -