ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2026
Salivary cortisol reactivity to stress in pregnancy: A scoping review.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Salivary cortisol reactivity to stress in pregnancy: A scoping review.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2026Article
- Biomarkers in maternal mental health research in Indonesia: toward a pragmatic hybrid framework in low-resource settings.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
OBJECTIVE(S): Cortisol reactivity to acute experimental stressors indexes hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis responsivity under challenge, a dimension of stress physiology that is particularly consequential during pregnancy, when neuroendocrine adaptations alter how the stress system functions. No scoping review has characterized this literature. The present study mapped evidence on salivary cortisol reactivity to acute experimental stressors during pregnancy, with attention to experimental paradigms, mental health, psychological stress, gestational timing, and demographic characteristics.
methodA systematic search yielded 1234 records, of which 33 empirical studies representing 2418 pregnant participants met inclusion criteria. Data were extracted and charted using a standardized framework. Cortisol data were digitized from published figures where necessary for descriptive visualization.
resultsFewer than half of studies (39.4%) found significant cortisol responses to the administered stressor. Social stressors elicited significant responses more consistently than non-social stressors (47.4% vs. 33.3%). Associations between cortisol reactivity and depressive symptomatology were found in less than half of tests, with all significant associations in the positive direction. Substantial heterogeneity in sampling timing, pre-testing protocols, and operationalization of reactivity was observed across studies. There was limited ability to compare cortisol reactivity across racial and ethnic identity, socioeconomic variables, or gestational age.
conclusionsThis scoping review of salivary cortisol reactivity during pregnancy reveals a growing literature marked by substantial methodological heterogeneity that limits cross-study synthesis. Social-evaluative stressors are recommended to improve HPA axis activation in pregnancy. Future research should prioritize diverse populations, trimester-specific reporting, and standardized cortisol reporting (means, standard deviations, sampling times) at each time point relative to stressor onset.
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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.