Associations between hair and salivary cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase, and temperament dimensions among 3-6-year-olds

Katri Sääksjärvi; Elviira Lehto; Reetta Lehto; Eira Suhonen; Marja Leppänen; Nathalie Michels; Mari Saha; Carola Ray; Henna Vepsäläinen; Riikka Pajulahti; Anu Heiman-Lindh; Taina Sainio; Maijaliisa Erkkola; Eva Roos; Nina Sajaniemi

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105042

Associations between hair and salivary cortisol, salivary alpha-amylase, and temperament dimensions among 3-6-year-olds

Horm Behav. 2021 Sep:135:105042. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105042. Epub 2021 Aug 19.

Authors

Katri Sääksjärvi¹, Elviira Lehto², Reetta Lehto³, Eira Suhonen⁴, Marja Leppänen⁵, Nathalie Michels⁶, Mari Saha⁷, Carola Ray⁸, Henna Vepsäläinen⁹, Riikka Pajulahti¹⁰, Anu Heiman-Lindh¹¹, Taina Sainio¹², Maijaliisa Erkkola¹³, Eva Roos¹⁴, Nina Sajaniemi¹⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Teacher Education, P. O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: katri.saaksjarvi@helsinki.fi.
² Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Teacher Education, P. O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: elviira.lehto@helsinki.fi.
³ Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Teacher Education, P. O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, 00250 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: reetta.lehto@helsinki.fi.
⁴ Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Teacher Education, P. O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: eira.suhonen@helsinki.fi.
⁵ Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, 00250 Helsinki, Finland; Faculty of Medicine, P. O. Box 63, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: marja.leppanen@folkhalsan.fi.
⁶ Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Corneel Heymanslaan 10, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: Nathalie.Michels@UGent.be.
⁷ Faculty of Education and Culture, P. O. Box 700, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland. Electronic address: mari.saha@tuni.fi.
⁸ Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, 00250 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Food and Nutrition, P. O. Box 66, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: carola.ray@folkhalsan.fi.
⁹ Department of Food and Nutrition, P. O. Box 66, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: henna.vepsalainen@helsinki.fi.
¹⁰ Department of Food and Nutrition, P. O. Box 66, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: riikka.pajulahti@helsinki.fi.
¹¹ Department of Food and Nutrition, P. O. Box 66, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: anu.heiman-lindh@helsinki.fi.
¹² Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Teacher Education, P. O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: taina.sainio@helsinki.fi.
¹³ Department of Food and Nutrition, P. O. Box 66, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: maijaliisa.erkkola@helsinki.fi.
¹⁴ Folkhälsan Research Center, Topeliuksenkatu 20, 00250 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Food and Nutrition, P. O. Box 66, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Public Health, P. O. Box 20, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland. Electronic address: eva.roos@folkhalsan.fi.
¹⁵ Faculty of Educational Sciences, Department of Teacher Education, P. O. Box 9, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Philosophical Faculty, School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education, University of Eastern Finland, P. O. Box 111, 80101 Joensuu, Finland. Electronic address: nina.sajaniemi@helsinki.fi.

PMID: 34418581
DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105042

Abstract

Associations between hair cortisol concentration (HCC), diurnal salivary cortisol (sCort) and alpha-amylase (sAA), and temperament dimensions were examined among 3-6-year-old Finnish children (n = 833). Children's hair samples were collected at preschool, while parents collected five saliva samples from children during one weekend day and completed a questionnaire assessing child's temperament dimensions i.e. surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control (HCC, n = 677; AUCg of sAA, n = 380; AUCg of sCort, n = 302; temperament dimensions, n = 751). In linear regression analysis, diurnal sCort associated positively with HCC, the association persisting after adjustments (β 0.31, 95% CI 0.20-0.42). In logistic regression analysis, increasing scores in effortful control associated with higher likelihood of having high HCC (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.07-2.03), the association slightly attenuating to non-significant after adjustments. Otherwise, no clear indication for associations between temperament and stress-related biomarkers were found.

Keywords: Children; Hair cortisol; Salivary alpha-amylase; Salivary cortisol; Stress; Temperament.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Child
Child, Preschool
Hair
Humans
Hydrocortisone
Saliva
Salivary alpha-Amylases*
Temperament

Substances

Salivary alpha-Amylases
Hydrocortisone