Hair Cortisol in Young Children with Autism and Their Parents: Associations with Child Mental Health, Eating Behavior and Weight Status.
Anna van der Lubbe, Hanna Swaab, Erica van den Akker and 2 others
PMID 39841400WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism had higher hair cortisol than peers, but their own stress levels did not link to their eating, weight, or behavior.
Parent-reported stress, however, correlated with child problem behavior and emotional eating, suggesting parental well-being is a stronger marker than the child's biology.
Key findings
01Children with autism showed significantly higher rates of hair cortisol above the 97.5th percentile compared to reference peers (15.3% vs 2.5%).
02The child's own hair cortisol level was not associated with their autism symptoms, problem behavior, eating behavior, or BMI.
03Parent-reported stress was positively associated with child problem behavior and emotional eating, while maternal hair cortisol was negatively associated with child problem behavior.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study design was cross-sectional, so it cannot determine whether parental stress causes child behavior issues or vice versa. The sample size for fathers was smaller (86) than for mothers (101), which may affect the stability of paternal findings. BMI was not related to stress levels in this sample, limiting conclusions about weight management interventions based on stress.
Declared interests
Funded by the Korczak Foundation for Autism and Related Disorders and Stichting tot Steun Vereniging tot Christelijke Verzorging van Geestes- en Zenuwzieken.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of association between child hair cortisol and child behavior as evidence that stress is irrelevant to the child. The study shows a disconnect between the child's biological marker and their observed symptoms, but parent-reported stress was strongly linked to child outcomes, suggesting the family system is a more visible driver of behavior than the child's isolated biology.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →