Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol

Abstract Background Study of cortisol levels in patients with ADHD in correlation with aggressive behaviors associated with ADHD has received limited research attention. This factor is essential for comprehending the psychopathophysiology of ADHD and its comorbidities. The present study aimed to inv...

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Main Authors: Reem H. El Ghamry, Mona M. Mohamed, Hanan M. Azzam, Mahmoud M. Elhabiby, Haytham M. Hasan, Adel F. Hashish, Mohammed M. Elhamshary, Doaa M. H. Barakat
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SpringerOpen 2021-05-01
Series:Middle East Current Psychiatry
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00104-w
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author Reem H. El Ghamry
Mona M. Mohamed
Hanan M. Azzam
Mahmoud M. Elhabiby
Haytham M. Hasan
Adel F. Hashish
Mohammed M. Elhamshary
Doaa M. H. Barakat
author_facet Reem H. El Ghamry
Mona M. Mohamed
Hanan M. Azzam
Mahmoud M. Elhabiby
Haytham M. Hasan
Adel F. Hashish
Mohammed M. Elhamshary
Doaa M. H. Barakat
author_sort Reem H. El Ghamry
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Study of cortisol levels in patients with ADHD in correlation with aggressive behaviors associated with ADHD has received limited research attention. This factor is essential for comprehending the psychopathophysiology of ADHD and its comorbidities. The present study aimed to investigate the cortisol level in ADHD children and its relation to severity of symptoms and associated aggressive behavior in those children. The sample consisted of 129 patients and 80 healthy controls evaluated by administering the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children, The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Conners’ parent rating scale, problem scale of C.B.C.L., and Socioeconomic Status Scale. Salivary cortisol was measured using radio-immune assay. Results Salivary cortisol level in our ADHD subjects was significantly lower (11.826 ng/ml) than in the control group (19.619 ng/ml with P-value 0.001). Our results failed to find any correlation between ADHD symptoms severity and salivary cortisol levels. Severity of delinquent, aggressive, and externalizing behaviors of ADHD children positively correlated with cortisol salivary levels. Conclusion Salivary cortisol levels are lower in children with ADHD relative to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. In addition, there is no obvious correlation between severity of ADHD symptoms and basal salivary cortisol levels. We also concluded that there is positive correlation between delinquent, aggressive, and externalizing behaviors in children with ADHD and their basal salivary cortisol levels.
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spelling doaj.art-c9ee9546d31c4666ab98187bf9f847892022-12-21T18:49:55ZengSpringerOpenMiddle East Current Psychiatry2090-54162021-05-012811810.1186/s43045-021-00104-wAggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisolReem H. El Ghamry0Mona M. Mohamed1Hanan M. Azzam2Mahmoud M. Elhabiby3Haytham M. Hasan4Adel F. Hashish5Mohammed M. Elhamshary6Doaa M. H. Barakat7Okasha Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams UniversityOkasha Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams UniversityOkasha Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams UniversityOkasha Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams UniversityFaculty of Medicine, Helwan UniversityCentre of Excellence of Medical Research, Medical Division, National Research CentreNorthumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust: Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation TrustOkasha Institute of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams UniversityAbstract Background Study of cortisol levels in patients with ADHD in correlation with aggressive behaviors associated with ADHD has received limited research attention. This factor is essential for comprehending the psychopathophysiology of ADHD and its comorbidities. The present study aimed to investigate the cortisol level in ADHD children and its relation to severity of symptoms and associated aggressive behavior in those children. The sample consisted of 129 patients and 80 healthy controls evaluated by administering the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children, The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Conners’ parent rating scale, problem scale of C.B.C.L., and Socioeconomic Status Scale. Salivary cortisol was measured using radio-immune assay. Results Salivary cortisol level in our ADHD subjects was significantly lower (11.826 ng/ml) than in the control group (19.619 ng/ml with P-value 0.001). Our results failed to find any correlation between ADHD symptoms severity and salivary cortisol levels. Severity of delinquent, aggressive, and externalizing behaviors of ADHD children positively correlated with cortisol salivary levels. Conclusion Salivary cortisol levels are lower in children with ADHD relative to age- and sex-matched healthy controls. In addition, there is no obvious correlation between severity of ADHD symptoms and basal salivary cortisol levels. We also concluded that there is positive correlation between delinquent, aggressive, and externalizing behaviors in children with ADHD and their basal salivary cortisol levels.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00104-wADHDAggressionSalivary cortisolAttention deficitHyperactivity
spellingShingle Reem H. El Ghamry
Mona M. Mohamed
Hanan M. Azzam
Mahmoud M. Elhabiby
Haytham M. Hasan
Adel F. Hashish
Mohammed M. Elhamshary
Doaa M. H. Barakat
Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
Middle East Current Psychiatry
ADHD
Aggression
Salivary cortisol
Attention deficit
Hyperactivity
title Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
title_full Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
title_fullStr Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
title_full_unstemmed Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
title_short Aggression in ADHD: relation to salivary cortisol
title_sort aggression in adhd relation to salivary cortisol
topic ADHD
Aggression
Salivary cortisol
Attention deficit
Hyperactivity
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s43045-021-00104-w
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AT adelfhashish aggressioninadhdrelationtosalivarycortisol
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