The functioning of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is implicated in the etiology and maintenance of depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, different maltreatment experiences as well as the increased sensitivity of the HPA axis during puberty may alter associations between the HPA axis and mental health. To address these gaps, the current study examined the potential bidirectional associations between cortisol reactivity to a stressor, PTSD symptoms, and depressive symptoms among early adolescents across two time points, 1 year apart (n = 454; Mage = 10.98 at Time 1 and Mage = 12.11 at Time 2). Multiple-group path models tested the pathways between cortiol reactivity and mental health prior to and during puberty, for different types of maltreatment . Overall, the results showed that associations between cortisol output and symptoms of PTSD and depression were driven by those in the midst of puberty. Specifically, higher cortisol output at Time 1 was linked with higher levels of subsequent PTSD and depressive symptoms for neglected youth who had reached puberty. However, depressive symptoms predicted subsequent lower cortisol output for the physical abuse and emotional abuse groups. These findings demonstrate longitudinal links between cortisol, depressive symptoms, and PTSD symptoms among youth with different types of maltreatment histories and highlight the need to consider the reorganization of the stress system during puberty in order to advance our understanding of the HPA axis and mental health.

下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺 (HPA) 轴的功能与抑郁和创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 症状的病因和维持有关。然而，不同的虐待经历以及青春期 HPA 轴敏感性的增加可能会改变 HPA 轴与心理健康之间的关联。为了解决这些差距，当前的研究检查了两个时间点（相隔 1 年）的青少年早期皮质醇对压力源的反应性、PTSD 症状和抑郁症状之间潜在的双向关联（n = 454；时间 1 的 Mage = 10.98，Mage = 10.98 ）。 = 时间 2) 的 12.11。多组路径模型针对不同类型的虐待，测试了青春期前和青春期期间皮质醇反应性与心理健康之间的路径。总体而言，结果表明皮质醇输出与创伤后应激障碍和抑郁症症状之间的关联是由青春期中期的人驱动的。具体来说，对于已进入青春期的被忽视的青少年来说，第一时间较高的皮质醇输出与随后较高水平的创伤后应激障碍和抑郁症状有关。然而，抑郁症状预示着身体虐待和情感虐待组的皮质醇输出随后会降低。这些发现证明了具有不同类型虐待史的青少年中皮质醇、抑郁症状和创伤后应激障碍症状之间的纵向联系，并强调需要考虑青春期期间压力系统的重组，以增进我们对 HPA 轴和心理健康的理解。