The association between cortisol-AA coordination in response to stress, negative urgency, and antisocial behavior in an urban adult sample

Abstract

Cross-system coordination allows direct assessment of the degree of co-changing between systems within a person over a time course. Cross-system coordination of the HPA axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in response to stress has implications for behavior problems. One previous study has identified that greater HPA axis-ANS coordination is linked to more behavior problems in youth. This study aims to extend the findings to adults and a new context, disadvantageous urban neighborhoods. Further, this study examined whether HPA axis-ANS coordination (indexed by cortisol and alpha amylase [AA], respectively) is associated with antisocial behavior and a conceptually relevant trait, negative urgency. A heterogeneous sample adults (n=124; college students, active offenders, and demographically matched controls) was recruited from a southern city. Self-report instruments assessed negative urgency and antisocial behavior. Participants completed a modified Trier Social Stress Test (mTSST), and provided four saliva samples before and after the mTSST to index cortisol and AA. Cortisol-AA stress coordination was stronger among offenders than other groups. Cortisol-AA stress coordination was positively associated with antisocial behavior and negative urgency. Findings support the interpretation that cortisol-AA stress coordination may indicate an overshooting ANS response at high emotional distress, highlight the importance of the multisystem approach in gaining new insights in behavior research, and extend prior work to a new context, disadvantageous urban neighborhoods. Future work is needed to understand whether early prolonged exposure to stressors in this context may alter individuals’ cross-system stress coordination and confer risk for antisocial behavior.