SynthesisAttention deficit and hyperactivity disorders2018
A meta-analytic review of the association between cortisol reactivity in response to a stressor and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Synthesis in Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorders, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Childhood ADHD, Going Beyond the Brain: A Meta-Analysis on Peripheral Physiological Markers of the Heart and the Gut.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2022Pooled it
- Cortisol and inflammatory biomarker levels in youths with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): evidence from a systematic review with meta-analysis.Translational psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Exploring the impact of probiotics on adult ADHD management through a double-blind RCT.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Metabolic Dysregulation in ADHD: Implications for Appetite, Sleep, Stress Reactivity, and Pharmacological Treatment.Metabolites · 2026Review
- Associations between Prenatal Perceived Stress and Child Autism-Related Traits in the ECHO Cohort.The Journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Shared biological pathways linking ADHD and cortisol variability are related to externalizing behaviors.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2025Article
- Metabolomic Insights into Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Scoping Review.Metabolites · 2025Review
- Long-term cortisol secretion in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: roles of sex, comorbidity, and symptom presentation.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2024Article
- Cortisol on Circadian Rhythm and Its Effect on Cardiovascular System.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among US Children and Adolescents With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia.Journal of the Endocrine Society · 2020Article
- The stress-Wnt-signaling axis: a hypothesis for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and therapy approaches.Translational psychiatry · 2020Review
- Saliva cortisol, melatonin levels and circadian rhythm alterations in Chinese primary school children with dyslexia.Medicine · 2020Article
- Sensory Over-Responsivity as an Added Dimension in ADHD.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2019Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
A substantial literature suggests that abnormal cortisol reactivity may be a vulnerability for deleterious mental health outcomes, including ADHD. ADHD has been linked with difficulty in emotion regulation and increased risk of experiencing stressors, both of which may be related to psychobiological abnormalities (e.g., abnormal cortisol reactivity). Research has been mixed regarding the association between cortisol reactivity and ADHD. Therefore, the present meta-analytic review (k = 12) sought to quantify this association and review the relevant methodological issues and theoretical implications of this area of research. Overall, no effect was found between cortisol reactivity and ADHD (r = 0), although significant heterogeneity in the analyses suggested that there might be moderators of this association, if one does exist. Results highlight the importance of addressing limitations of the current literature on cortisol reactivity and ADHD and exploring additional indices of emotion regulation that may be associated with ADHD. Implications for future research efforts are discussed.
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Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.