Age-Adapted Stress Task in Preschoolers Does not Lead to Uniform Stress Responses.

Age-Adapted Stress Task in Preschoolers Does not Lead to Uniform Stress Responses. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2018 Sep 26;: Authors: Stülb K, Messerli-Bürgy N, Kakebeeke TH, Arhab A, Zysset AE, Leeger-Aschmann CS, Schmutz EA, Meyer AH, Garcia-Burgos D, Ehlert U, Kriemler S, Jenni OG, Puder JJ, Munsch S Abstract Acute stress response measures serve as an indicator of physiological functioning, but have previously led to contradictory results in young children due to age-related cortisol hypo-responsivity and methodological inconsistencies in assessment. The aim of this study was to investigate stress responses during a validated age-adapted socio-evaluative stress task in children aged 2-6 years in a child care environment and to detect socio-demographic, task- and child-related characteristics of stress responses. Stress responses were assessed in 323 children for salivary cortisol and salivary alpha amylase (sAA), and in 328 children for changes in heart rate variability (HRV). These data were then associated with socio-demographic (e.g. SES), task-related (e.g. task length) and child-related characteristics (e.g. self-regulation) of stress responses using multilevel models. Analyses revealed elevated sympathetic reactivity (sAA: Coeff=0.053, p=0.004) and reduced HRV (Coeff=-0.465, p<0.001), but no hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response (Coeff=0.017, p=0.08) during the stress task. Child's age (Coeff=-5.82, p<0.001) and ...
Source: Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: J Abnorm Child Psychol Source Type: research