Cortisol reactivity and emotional cognitive processes in healthy youth presenting elevated vulnerability to anxiety

Abstract

Children diagnosed with anxiety disorders show altered reactive cortisol levels and emotional cognitive processes. To date, it remains unclear whether anxiety pathologies lead to these dysregulations or whether they are detectable in healthy children. If the latter is true, this may provide insight into their vulnerability to developing anxiety disorders. Various personality factors (anxiety sensitivity, intolerance of uncertainty, perseverative cognitions) have been found to increase one’s vulnerability to developing clinical anxiety. The purpose of this study was to examine whether vulnerability to anxiety was associated with cortisol reactivity, attentional biases towards threat, and perceptual information needed to identify emotional faces in healthy youth. In total, 114 children (8-12 y/o) were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test for Children while saliva samples were collected for later cortisol quantification. Children completed two cognitive tasks to assess attentional biases and visual perception of emotional information. Vulnerability to anxiety was assessed using a composite score of the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale for Children, and the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire. Results showed that higher vulnerability to anxiety was associated with enhanced cortisol reactivity for boys, as well as faster reaction times to anger-related stimuli and less perceptual information needed to identify angry faces for boys and girls. These results indicate that endocrine and cognitive patterns characterizing anxiety disorders are detectable in healthy children who exhibit a high level of self-reported vulnerability to anxiety. These results could aid in the early identification of children at risk of developing an anxiety disorder.