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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access originally published online on March 13, 2009
Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2009 34(9):1030-1039; doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsp010
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Exploring Psychophysiological Markers of Vulnerability to Somatic Illnesses in Females

Alison E Hipwell, Phd, ClinPsyD1, Kate Keenan, Phd2 and Anna Marsland, Phd, Rn3

1Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 2Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago and 3Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr Alison E. Hipwell, Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, 3811 O’Hara St, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. E-mail: hipwellae{at}upmc.edu


  Abstract

Objective To examine the association between biological stress regulation and somatic complaints in young girls prior to the onset of clear psychopathology such as somatization disorder. Methods Salivary cortisol, heart rate variability (HRV), and negative mood were assessed in 48 12-year-old girls in response to the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). Parent and child report on the Children's Somatization Inventory was used to identify girls with high and low somatic complaints. Results Girls with high levels of somatic complaints had significantly higher initial levels of cortisol, which decreased over time, and showed a trend for a more limited HRV in response to the TSST-C than girls with low levels of somatic complaints. Conclusions High levels of cortisol and possibly low HRV among girls with somatic complaints may interfere with flexibility in responding to typical psychosocial stressors, which may increase vulnerability to the onset of somatic illnesses in females.

Key words: girls; preadolescence; somatic complaints; stress reactivity..

Received June 10, 2008; revision received January 22, 2009; accepted January 27, 2009


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