In pre-school children, cortisol secretion remains stable over 12 months and is related to psychological functioning and gender.

Objectives: Cross-sectional studies provide evidence that cortisol secretion as a marker of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activity (HPA AA) is related to psychological functioning and behavior. However, there are no studies of the stability of the HPA AA in pre-schoolers over the longer term. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate cortisol secretion in pre-schoolers longitudinally, and to predict psychological functioning 12 months later.

Pre-schoolers suffering from psychiatric disorders show increased cortisol secretion and poor sleep compared to healthy controls.

Background: Various studies of child cortisol secretion and sleep show a close association between poor sleep, deterioration of the HPA axis and unfavorable psychological functioning. However, there is little evidence as to whether these associations are clearly present in pre-school children suffering from psychiatric disorders.

Method: A total of 30 pre-schoolers suffering from psychiatric disorders (anxiety, adjustment disorders, emotional and attachment disorder; hyperactivity or oppositional disorder) and 35 healthy controls took part in the study.