Salivary dehydroepiandrosterone responsiveness to social challenge in adolescents with internalizing problems Elizabeth Shirtcliff, 1 Carolyn Zahn-Waxler, 1 Bonnie Klimes-Dougan, 2 and Marcia Slattery 3 1 Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA; 2 Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis, USA; 3 Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin- Madison, USA Background: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an adrenal androgen which is stress responsive and a trigger for pubertal maturation. Studies on basal DHEA suggest protective benefits against anxiety and depression, yet it is unknown whether DHEA responsivity is protective. Methods: Structural equation modeling examined salivary DHEA responses to a public speaking task (PST) and parent–child conflict discussion paradigm (CDP) in adolescents. Results and conclusions: DHEA levels were higher in girls than boys, and in older and more physically developed adolescents, indicative of DHEA’s function during pubertal maturation. DHEA levels increased during the PST, indicating responsiveness of DHEA to acute stressors. Across both tasks, girls with internalizing problems showed sharper rises in DHEA by 40 minutes post-task, ending with the highest DHEA. In internalizing adolescent girls, DHEA may serve as a marker of responsivity in stressful or conflictual contexts. A failure of these girls with internalizing problems to show a normal diurnal decline in the afternoon extended this conclusion to naturalistic environments. DHEA may be one possible mechanism linking stress responsivity and physical maturation that helps to explain adolescents’ risk for psychopathology within a biobehavioral framework. Keywords: Puberty, adolescence, depression, stress, hormones, behavior problems, gender, structural equation modeling. Abbreviations: DHEA: dehydroepiandrosterone; DHEAS: dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate; ACTH: adrenocorticotropin hormone; CDP: conflict discussion para- digm; PST: public speaking task; SEM: structural equation modeling; MTMM: multi-trait, multi- method; CFI: Comparative Fit Index; RMSEA: root mean square error of approximation; CBCL: Child Behavior Checklist; YSR: Youth Self Report; DISC: Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. Internalizing disorders (anxiety and depression) are among the most common and debilitating psychi- atric disorders among youth. Prevalence increases dramatically among girls during adolescence, sug- gesting a relationship with physiological and psy- chological changes during this developmental period (Zahn-Waxler, Crick, Shirtcliff, & Woods, 2006). DHEA and its sulfate (DHEAS) are the most abun- dant steroids in human circulation (Tung, Lee, Tsai, & Hsiao, 2004). Animal studies have shown that DHEA and DHEAS have anxiolytic and anti-depres- sive properties (Wolf & Kirschbaum, 1999). Adrenal production of DHEA increases throughout childhood in both sexes; early adolescence marks when sex differences in DHEA peak (Netherton, Goodyer, Tamplin, & Herbert, 2004). This study examines the association between DHEA and internalizing prob- lems in adolescents. DHEA developmental trajectories Like the gonadal steroids, there is a dramatic rise in DHEA levels during fetal development which declines precipitously after the first year of life (Havelock, Auchus, & Rainey, 2004). Adrenal pro- duction of androgens is quiescent until adrenarche, the reawakening of the adrenal gland. Around age 7, the adrenals begin to secrete greater quantities of androgens, including DHEA (Tung et al., 2004). Although DHEA is partially stimulated by ACTH, neither cortisol nor ACTH changes appreciably during adrenarche. Rather, development of the adrenal gland leads to increased DHEA synthesis (Auchus & Rainey, 2004). DHEA levels peak well after pubertal maturation is complete, before gradually declining throughout adulthood (Havelock et al., 2004). DHEA, as a weak androgen, is one early trigger for pubertal development, being directly responsible for pubic hair growth, body odor, and acne (Grumbach, 2002). As DHEA rises gradually, physical signs typically develop 1–3 years after initial increases in adrenal androgens. Gonadarche, the awakening of the testes and ovaries, is independent from adren- arche (Auchus & Rainey, 2004), yet the timing of pubic hair and breast/genital development is usu- ally concordant (Grumbach, 2002). Because puberty is a hallmark sign of adolescence, a study that focuses on DHEA has great potential to contribute to knowledge about adolescent development. Conflict of interest statement: No conflicts declared. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 48:6 (2007), pp 580–591 doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2006.01723.x Ó 2007 The Authors Journal compilation Ó 2007 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Published by Blackwell Publishing, 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA