University Exams and Psychosocial Stress: Effects on Cortisol Rhythmicity in Students
Authors' conclusion
Exam periods may be accompanied by elevated cumulative cortisol exposure while short-term HPA rhythmicity remains preserved. The combined use of hair and salivary biomarkers offers a multidimensional and feasible approach to investigating acute and cumulative stress responses in students. Larger longitudinal studies incorporating behavioural measures are warranted to confirm these findings.
Study context
- Population
- Undergraduate students aged 18–24 years from a biological sciences programme
- Participants
- 27 students
- Exposure
- Exam month vs non-exam month
- Outcome
- Hair cortisol levels
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Hair cortisol significantly higher in November (exam month) than in October (non-exam month)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Salivary cortisol during 3 consecutive exam weekdays · Monday to Wednesday, five daily time points
- General diurnal pattern and cortisol awakening response (CAR) across the week
- Morning cortisol: nonsignificant numerical increase across days
- Daily cortisol output (AUC) remained stable
Original publication
University Exams and Psychosocial Stress: Effects on Cortisol Rhythmicity in Students. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). Published 17 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →