Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome
Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the potential relationship between sleep patterns, cortisol levels, and anxiety profiles in adolescents with Williams Syndrome (WS) compared to typically developing adolescents. Method: Thirteen adolescents with WS and thirteen TD adolescents (a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/3/220 |
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| author | Jessica Hayton Atiqah Azhari Gianluca Esposito Ray Iles Michaella Chadiarakos Giulio Gabrieli Dagmara Dimitriou Stephen Mangar |
| author_facet | Jessica Hayton Atiqah Azhari Gianluca Esposito Ray Iles Michaella Chadiarakos Giulio Gabrieli Dagmara Dimitriou Stephen Mangar |
| author_sort | Jessica Hayton |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: The aim of the current study was to examine the potential relationship between sleep patterns, cortisol levels, and anxiety profiles in adolescents with Williams Syndrome (WS) compared to typically developing adolescents. Method: Thirteen adolescents with WS and thirteen TD adolescents (age range 12–18 years) were recruited. Participants were provided with a “testing kit”, containing instructions for collecting data through a sleep diary, MotionWare actigraphy, the Childhood Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, and a salivary cortisol collection kit. Results: Adolescents in the WS group did not show diurnal variation in salivary cortisol. Significantly higher scores were reported for two CSHQ subsections, night wakings and parasomnias, in the WS group. Regarding the actigraphy, only significantly longer sleep latency was observed in the WS group. In comparison to the TD group, the WS group had significantly higher anxiety. As expected, the TD group showed typical diurnal variation in cortisol, whereas the WS group showed a flattened cortisol profile throughout the day. Conclusions: From the developmental perspective, this study provides new data supporting the conclusion that sleep problems are not transient but continue to persist into adolescence in WS. Future studies ought to consider examining the role of cortisol and its interplay with anxiety levels and sleep problems across the lifespan in individuals with WS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:55:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cb25d8be33ee475191eaa659a72201a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:55:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-cb25d8be33ee475191eaa659a72201a62023-11-17T09:37:44ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2023-03-0113322010.3390/bs13030220Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams SyndromeJessica Hayton0Atiqah Azhari1Gianluca Esposito2Ray Iles3Michaella Chadiarakos4Giulio Gabrieli5Dagmara Dimitriou6Stephen Mangar7Sleep Education and Research Laboratory, UCL Institute of Education, 25 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UKPsychology Programme, School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore 599494, SingaporeAffiliative Behaviour and Physiology Lab, Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, 38068 Rovereto, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UKSleep Education and Research Laboratory, UCL Institute of Education, 25 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UKNeuroscience and Behaviour Laboratory, Italian Institute of Technology, 00161 Roma, ItalySleep Education and Research Laboratory, UCL Institute of Education, 25 Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AA, UKDepartment of Clinical Oncology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Charing Cross Hospital, London W6 8RF, UKObjective: The aim of the current study was to examine the potential relationship between sleep patterns, cortisol levels, and anxiety profiles in adolescents with Williams Syndrome (WS) compared to typically developing adolescents. Method: Thirteen adolescents with WS and thirteen TD adolescents (age range 12–18 years) were recruited. Participants were provided with a “testing kit”, containing instructions for collecting data through a sleep diary, MotionWare actigraphy, the Childhood Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ), and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale, and a salivary cortisol collection kit. Results: Adolescents in the WS group did not show diurnal variation in salivary cortisol. Significantly higher scores were reported for two CSHQ subsections, night wakings and parasomnias, in the WS group. Regarding the actigraphy, only significantly longer sleep latency was observed in the WS group. In comparison to the TD group, the WS group had significantly higher anxiety. As expected, the TD group showed typical diurnal variation in cortisol, whereas the WS group showed a flattened cortisol profile throughout the day. Conclusions: From the developmental perspective, this study provides new data supporting the conclusion that sleep problems are not transient but continue to persist into adolescence in WS. Future studies ought to consider examining the role of cortisol and its interplay with anxiety levels and sleep problems across the lifespan in individuals with WS.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/3/220Williams Syndromecortisolanxietysleepadolescents |
| spellingShingle | Jessica Hayton Atiqah Azhari Gianluca Esposito Ray Iles Michaella Chadiarakos Giulio Gabrieli Dagmara Dimitriou Stephen Mangar Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome Behavioral Sciences Williams Syndrome cortisol anxiety sleep adolescents |
| title | Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome |
| title_full | Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome |
| title_fullStr | Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome |
| title_full_unstemmed | Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome |
| title_short | Short Report: Lack of Diurnal Variation in Salivary Cortisol Is Linked to Sleep Disturbances and Heightened Anxiety in Adolescents with Williams Syndrome |
| title_sort | short report lack of diurnal variation in salivary cortisol is linked to sleep disturbances and heightened anxiety in adolescents with williams syndrome |
| topic | Williams Syndrome cortisol anxiety sleep adolescents |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/3/220 |
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