<p class="first" id="d5552639e221">The aim of the current study was to compare levels
of oxytocin, cortisol, and testosterone
in adolescents with either autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or oppositional defiant
disorder (ODD)/conduct disorder (CD), and in typically developing individuals (TDI),
and relate hormone levels to severity and subtype of aggression and callous-unemotional
(CU) traits. Saliva concentrations of oxytocin, cortisol, and testosterone were assessed
in 114 male participants (N = 49 ASD, N = 37 ODD/CD, N = 28 TDI,) aged 12-19 years
(M = 15.4 years, SD = 1.9). The ASD and the ODD/CD groups had significantly lower
levels of oxytocin than the TDI group, and the ODD/CD group had significantly higher
levels of testosterone than the ASD group. There were no group effects on cortisol
levels. Group differences remained for oxytocin after correcting for the influence
of CU traits, but were not significant after controlling for aggression. Results for
testosterone became non-significant after correction for either CU traits or aggression.
Across groups, higher levels of CU traits were related to higher levels of cortisol
and testosterone, however, proactive and reactive aggression were unrelated to all
three hormonal levels. The current findings show that, regardless of cognitive ability
or comorbid disorders, the diagnostic groups (ASD, ODD/CD) differ from each other
by their hormonal levels, with the ASD group characterized by relative low level of
oxytocin, and the ODD/CD group by a relative low level of oxytocin and high level
of testosterone. These group effects were partly driven by differences in CU traits
between the groups.
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