Associations Among Acute and Chronic HPA Activity, Perceived Stress, Anxiety, and Shyness in Adolescents

This study examined associations among indices of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity and perceived stress and anxiety in a sample of 90 adolescents (M age = 13.6 years, 61% female). Cortisol reactivity was associated with trait anxiety, and there were significant sex differences in anxiety and hair cortisol.