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Measuring salivary cortisol in biobehavioral research: A systematic review and methodological considerations
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Measuring salivary cortisol in biobehavioral research: A systematic review and methodological considerations

Fanghong Dong, Justine S. Sefcik, Elizabeth Euiler and Nancy A. Hodgson
Brain, behavior, & immunity. Health, v 43, pp 100936-100936
01 Feb 2025
PMID: 39867845
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2024.100936View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Neurosciences Neurosciences & Neurology Science & Technology Immunology Psychiatry
The assessment of salivary cortisol in community settings has gained popularity in biobehavioral research due to its noninvasive sampling, ease of handling and storage, and suitability for repeated sampling in short intervals. Ensuring consistent methodological practices for salivary cortisol is essential. This systematic review critically examines salivary cortisol collection procedures, data cleaning, and analysis to better understand its role in biobehavioral research within community populations. Fifty-eight articles met the inclusion criteria. Results indicated significant variability in study designs and cortisol measurement procedures, particularly regarding the biobehavioral role of cortisol, sampling periods, covariate considerations, cortisol analysis parameters, and data analysis plans. The review highlights commonly used and promising study designs while identifying methodological issues in cortisol measurement and analysis that should be addressed to improve comparability in future research.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Immunology
Neurosciences
Psychiatry
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