Original Articles: PDF Only

Urinary Cortisol Excretion Rates and Anxiety in Normal 1-Year-Old Infants

Tennes, Katherine MA; Downey, Karen MA; Vernadakis, Antonia PhD

From the Departments of Psychiatry and Pharmacology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, Colorado 80262.

Address reprint requests to: Katherine Tennes, University of Colorado Medical Center, 4200 East Ninth Avenue, #C264, Denver, Colorado 80262.

Received for publication August 16, 1976; revision received October 26, 1976.

Psychosomatic Medicine 39(3):p 178-187, May 1977.

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Abstract

Urinary cortisol excretion rates were determined for each voiding during 8 hours on 3 days for 20 infants. The first day served as the control. On the second day stress was imposed by having the mother leave the infant for an hour. On a third day the child was stimulated by novel toys and socialization for an hour in the mother's presence.

There was no significant difference between mean cortisol excretion rates on control and stress days. Variability in cortisol levels was significantly greater on the day of stress than on the other 2 days.

Ratings of separation anxiety and levels of cortisol excreted 40 to 160 min after the imposed stress were positively correlated (r = 0.46, P < 0.01). Cortisol levels also differentiated between anxious infants who were agitated from those who were withdrawn. No altered levels of cortisol were associated with excitement.