Salivary testosterone and cortisol among late adolescent male offenders
- 1 August 1991
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Vol. 19 (4), 469-478
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00919089
Abstract
The relationship of salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations to personality, criminal violence, prison behavior, and parole board decisions was examined among 113 late-adolescent male offenders. Offenders high in testosterone committed more violent crimes, were judged more harshly by the parole board, and violated prison rules more often than those low in testosterone. No main effects for cortisol emerged. However, as expected, a significant interaction between testosterone and cortisol was found, in which cortisol moderated the correlation between testosterone and violence of crime. Cortisol may be a biological indicator of psychological variables (e.g., social withdrawal) that moderate the testosterone-behavior relationship. Paper and pencil measures of personality and behavior showed little relationship to hormones.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Cortisol, arousal, and personality in two groups of normal menPersonality and Individual Differences, 1990
- Testosterone and personality among college students and military veteransPersonality and Individual Differences, 1990
- Salivary testosterone measurements: Reliability across hours, days, and weeksPhysiology & Behavior, 1990
- Changes in Saliva Testosterone Levels During a 90-Day Shock Incarceration ProgramCriminal Justice and Behavior, 1990
- Biosocial models of adolescent problem behaviorsBiodemography and Social Biology, 1990
- Saliva testosterone and criminal violence among womenPersonality and Individual Differences, 1988
- Biological Bases of Childhood ShynessScience, 1988
- Serum testosterone differences between patients with schizophrenia and those with affective disorderBiological Psychiatry, 1988
- The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986
- The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986