Table 1 Summary of articles describing sex differences in diurnal rhythmicity
From: Is HPA axis reactivity in childhood gender-specific? A systematic review
Author (year) | Sample size | Age | Sampling points | Sampling medium | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adam (2010) | 230 | 17.04 ± 0.36 years | 6×/day on 3 days | Saliva | Lower diurnal cortisol curves in boys |
Bae (2015) | 138 (70 controls) | 10.7 ± 1.7 years | 3×/day on 3 days | Saliva | Higher levels at awakening, 30 min after awakening, and higher total daily output in girls; levels in the evening and diurnal slope: no sex differences |
Barbosa (2012) | 145 | 8-10 yr group: 9.0 ± 0.8 years; 11-14 yr group: 11.9 ± 1.0 years | 2× | Saliva | No sex differences, higher diurnal decline in children aged 11-14 years old |
Bartels (2003) | 360 | 12 years | 4×/day on 2 days | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Carrion (2002) | 31 | Mean: 10.9 years | 4×/day on 3 days | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not associated with reactivity |
Doom (2013) | 110 | 9.42 ± 0.88 years | 3×/day on 5 days | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Fransson (2014) | 157 | 14–16 years | 4× (including CAR) | Saliva | Steeper decline in girls |
Garcia (1990) | 76 (21 controls) | 11.2 ± 0.37 years | 3 hourly during 24 h | Blood | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Haen (1984) | 64 | 1 month to 15 years | 6 hourly (4×) | Blood | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Jones (2006) | 140 | 7–9 years | 5× | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Kelly (2008) | 2995 | 15.4 ± 0.32 years | 2×, 30 min apart in the morning | Saliva | Steeper decline in girls |
Kjolhede (2014) | 342 | 9.5 ± 1.9 years | 3×/day on 4 days | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Knutsson (1997) | 235 | 2.2–18.5 years | 7× | Blood | No sex differences, except for higher values in girls at pubertal stage 2 |
Kuhlman (2015) | 121 | 12.8 ± 2.3 years | 4×/day on 2 days | Saliva | No impact of sex on cortisol at awakening or linear decline, but boys showed less deceleration of the diurnal decline between dinner and bedtime |
Lumeng (2014) | 331 | 3–4 years | 3×/day on 3 days | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Martikainen (2013) | 252 | 8.1 ± 0.3 years | 7× | Saliva | Higher morning cortisol in girls; no sex difference in nadir |
Matchock (2007) | 120 | Boys: 9, 11, or 13 years; girls: 8, 10, or 12 years | 6× (including CAR) | Saliva | Cortisol peak occurred later in boys than girls during later puberty. Higher morning cortisol in boys at pubertal stage 2. AUCg: no effect of sex but significant pubertal stage effect |
Michels (2012) | 385 | 5–10 years | 4× (including CAR) | Saliva | No sex differences except for somewhat steeper decline in girls (p = 0.30) |
Morin-Major (2016) | 88 | 14.5 ± 1.8 years | 4×/day on 2 days | Saliva | Higher AUC in girls |
Netherton (2004) | 129 | 12.8 ± 0.19 years | 2×/day on 4 days | Saliva | Mid-post pubertal girls have higher morning cortisol than boys. No sex differences in variance across the 4 days |
Osika (2007) | 84 | 9.9 ± 0.55 years | 5× (including CAR) | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Rosmalen (2005) | 1768 | 11.08 ± 0.55 years | 3× (including CAR) | Saliva | Higher morning cortisol levels in girls, no sex differences in evening cortisol, already present in prepubertal children. Age or pubertal status not associated with cortisol levels |
Ruttle (2013) | 346 | 11, 13, and 15 years | 3×/day on 3 days | Saliva | Steeper slope in girls at ages 11 and 13 and in longitudinal analyses; higher cortisol levels in girls throughout the day at age 15 |
Shirtcliff (2012) | 357 | 9, 11, 13, and 15 years | 3×/day on 3 days | Saliva | Steeper slopes, more curvature in girls. Advancement through puberty: rhythm becomes flatter, especially in girls |
Susman (2007) | 111 | Boys: 9, 11, or 13 years; girls: 8, 10, or 12 years | 6× (including CAR) | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not associated with reactivity |
Tzortzi (2009) | 21 | 10–14 years | 20× (including CAR) | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Vaillancourt (2008) | 154 | 147 ± 9.07 months | 2×/day on 3 days | Saliva | Higher morning levels in girls on Saturday, multilevel regression: consistently higher production in girls |
Vanaelst (2013) | 355 | 5–10 years | 4×/day on 2 days (including CAR) | Saliva | No sex differences; pubertal status not assessed |
Williams (2013) | 27 | 9.13 ± 1.41 years | 3×/day on 2 days (including CAR) | Saliva | Boys exhibited flatter slopes than girls |