SALIVARY CORTISOL RESPONSES AND THE RISK FOR SUBSTANCE-ABUSE IN PREPUBERTAL BOYS

Investigations of adults with a psychoactive substance use disorder (P SUD) or antisocial behavior have reported diminished secretion of the adrenal ''stress'' hormone, cortisol. Consequently, we determined whet her prepubertal sons of PSUD fathers, at high risk for later PSUD, dif fered from controls on salivary cortisol concentrations before, and af ter, an anticipated stressor. The roles of problematic behavioral disp osition and state anxiety in the cortisol responses were also examined . A significant risk-group x time interaction for salivary cortisol co ncentrations was found, with high-risk boys secreting less salivary co rtisol than controls when anticipating the task. High-risk boys also h ad significantly higher scores for aggressive delinquency and impulsiv ity that wholly accounted for the risk-group x time effect on salivary cortisol. Thus, cortisol hyporesponsivity was associated with the dys regulated behaviors prevalent among high-risk boys. The results sugges t that cortisol hyporesponsivity could be a ''marker'' for later antis ociality and PSUD.