Cortisol-a Key Factor to the Understanding of the Adjustment to Childhood Cancer

BACKGROUND: Malignancy and its treatments could cause disturbance in homeostasisof body such as cortisol secretion. The present study has investigated the effects of cortisol level imbalance in behavioral and emotional adjustments. METHODS: Seventy-eight children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) have involved in this study. Their salivary cortisol level, which were sensitive to pain and disruptive behaviors, have measured. RESULTS: Cortisol level effect in different periods: within duration of reaction to pain, sensitivity to pain and disruptive behaviors have evaluated. In addition abnormal regulation of cortisol levels have shown a very strong relationship between sensitivity to pain and the disruptive behaviors. Cortisol suppression was responsible for adjustment by the participants to stressful conditions. CONCLUSION: Previous investigations have shown that there is a low reaction to stressor which decreases the vitality as well as impairing a negative memory in low cortisol levels. The findings of the present study demonstrated a nonlinear relation between cortisol level and sensitivity to pain as well as disruptive behaviors. Therefore, regulation of cortisol- up and down- is predisposed to maladjustment.