Changes in Basal Salivary Cortisol Level in Preterm Versus Full-Term Babies in the First Year of Life. Possible Links to Self-Regulation

Abstract

Background and Aims: Grunau and colleagues (2007) describe the phenomenon of altered basal salivary cortisol levels in the case of the tiniest preterm babies in the first 18 months of life which may suggest a disregulation of the HPA-axis and early programming of stress response. This in turn may have important implications for child's behavioral development and self-regulation. The study was aimed at evaluating early trajectories of cortisol levels in preterm infants as compared with full-term ones and looking for possible links to child's behavioral strategies of self-regulation.