The interplay between cortisol and oxytocin in aggressive adolescents: The role of trauma

The neuroendocrine profile of aggressive adolescents shows inconsistencies, potentially influenced by trauma exposure. Specifically, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-oxytocinergic circuitry may vary among aggressive youth based on past trauma exposure, with a positive interplay between cortisol and oxytocin in those with higher levels of trauma, as a result of the simultaneous hormone release to cope with trauma-related stress. To explore this hypothesis, this study collected saliva samples at three time points (morning, afternoon, and evening) over 2 consecutive days from male adolescents (N = 57, M_age = 17.95 years, SD = 2.44) in residential youth care facilities. In addition, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was administered to assess the presence and frequency of trauma exposure. A linear mixed-effects model showed a significant interaction effect, B = 0.06, p = .015, ΔR² = .013, with simple-slope analysis showing a positive association between cortisol and oxytocin in residential youth with higher levels of childhood trauma exposure, B = 0.08, p = .007, but not those with lower levels of trauma exposure, consistent with our predictions. These findings suggest a possible compensatory mechanism in response to trauma and emphasize the need to consider trauma exposure when further investigating the neuroendocrine profile of aggression.