Stress increased with age in both healthy adolescents and those at clinically high risk for psychosis in a longitudinal study involving 491 individuals.

Investigators obtained stress levels using Daily Stress Inventory (DSI), Tanner stage (TS), and salivary cortisol in 93 controls and 348 at risk participants from the North American Prodrome Longitudinal Study.

Analysis of covariates revealed:

• Increased DSI scores as both groups aged, which were higher in the at risk group compared with controls.

• Larger differences among females.

• Controls had greater TS and DSI increases when controlling for age.

• Cortisol did not interact significantly, though there was a trend toward higher cortisol in the at risk group.

• Correlations of cortisol with TS were higher in controls.

The authors concluded that there isn’t a more pronounced age or TS increase in stress measures in those at high risk of psychosis. Rather, stress indicators seem to be elevated earlier in this group.

Citation: Moskow D, Addington J, Bearden C, et al. The relations of age and pubertal development with cortisol and daily stress in youth at clinical risk for psychosis. [Published online ahead of print February 21, 2016]. Schizophr Res. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2016.02.002.