Hair cortisol in the perinatal period mediates associations between maternal adversity and disrupted maternal interaction in early infancy

Existing literature points to the possibility that cortisol could be one link between maternal adversity and poorer parenting quality, but most studies have examined salivary cortisol concentrations rather than hair cortisol concentrations. The current study examined hair cortisol concentration (HCC) during the third trimester of pregnancy as a mediator between maternal adversity indicators (childhood abuse, severe mental illness, symptomatic functioning) and maternal caregiving behavior at 4 months postpartum. Forty-four women participated in the study: 30 with severe mental disorders, and 14 nonclinical controls. HCC was assessed during the third trimester of pregnancy (HCC-P) and at 4 months postpartum (HCC-4M). Sexual, physical, and emotional abuse were assessed by the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Questionnaire. Maternal disrupted interaction was reliably coded from mother–infant video interactions during a Still-Face Procedure. Mediation models indicated that maternal HCC-P and HCC-4M mediated associations between maternal psychopathology (severe mental illness, symptomatic functioning) and maternal disrupted interaction at 4 months. Maternal HCC at 4 months also mediated associations between experienced childhood abuse and overall disrupted interaction. Our findings indicate that HCC may be a potential early biomarker for future caregiving challenges among mothers with severe mental illness and histories of childhood abuse.     

Prenatal cortisol exposure predicts infant cortisol response to acute stress

Experimental animal findings suggest that early stress and glucocorticoid exposure may program the function of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in the offspring. The extension of these findings to human development is not yet clear. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted on 125 mothers and their normally developing children. Amniotic fluid was obtained at, on average, 17.2 weeks gestation; infant behavior and cortisol response to a separation–reunion stress was assessed at 17 months. Amniotic fluid cortisol predicted infant cortisol response to separation–reunion stress: infants who were exposed to higher levels of cortisol in utero showed higher pre‐stress cortisol values and blunted response to stress exposure. The association was independent of prenatal, obstetric, and socioeconomic factors and child–parent attachment. The findings provide some of the strongest data in humans that HPA axis functioning in the child may be predicted from prenatal cortisol exposure. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 55: 145–155, 2013     

Innovations in biological assessments of chronic stress through hair and nail cortisol: Conceptual,developmental, and methodological issues

Much of the existing research on biological mechanisms underlying the stress experience has focused largely on moment-to-moment stress, rather than on chronic stress, an arguably more powerful predictor of long-term outcomes. Recent methodological innovations have paved the way for new lines of research on chronic stress, with promising implications for developmental researchers and for those who study health and adversity. In particular, there are increasing studies that have focused on chronic stress assessments by relying on cortisol derived from hair and nails as a biomarker for chronic stress. In this paper, we provide an overview of their use, describe how hair and nail cortisol ought to be conceptualized differently across the lifespan, how developmental factors may impact its interpretation, and the circumstances under which its use may be more methodologically sensible. The purpose of this review is to provoke further discussion and encourage careful research designs that utilize hair and nail cortisol for understanding the effects of chronic stress exposure from the early developmental period, across adverse contexts, and in association with psychological and physical health outcomes.     

Adverse experiences,mental health,and substance use disorders as social determinants of incarceration

This study describes how incarcerated people understand: (a) Adverse experiences, mental health, and substance use disorders as determinants of incarceration, (b) the role of gender in impacting this understanding, and (c) strategies to prevent incarceration. Ecosocial theory provides a theoretical framework. Open-ended interviews were conducted (December 2016–January 2017) with recently incarcerated adults in Massachusetts state prisons. Participants described determinants of incarceration and incarceration prevention strategies. Interviews were coded thematically using inductive and deductive approaches. Thirty participants, evenly split by gender, reported themes across four levels: Society (lacking basic needs, discrimination), community (neighborhood factors), interpersonal (trauma), and individual (social isolation, mental health, substance use). However, there were variations in themes by gender. Proposed prevention strategies included early access to quality individualized cross-system services. In conclusion, findings highlight how investing in social and community building services could prevent incarceration. Policies can support these services by redirecting funding.     

考试应激对唾液皮质醇及SIgA的影响

本研究以某校高二在校６０名男性学生为研究对象，以期末考试为应激源，采用自身对照方法，研究了考试应激对学生唾液中ＳＩｇＡ（分泌型免疫球蛋白Ａ）及皮质醇影响，并对该组学生进行了ＥＰＱ测定，结果表明考试应激期间唾液ＳＩｇＡ值较考前有明显下降，考试期间唾液皮质醇值较考前有明显上升（Ｐ＜０．０１）；Ｎ维度和ＳＩｇＡ下降率及皮质醇上升率呈显著水平相关（Ｐ＜０．０１）。     

A preliminary study of cortisol reactivity and behavior problems in young children born premature

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation between cortisol reactivity and comorbid internalizing and externalizing behavior problems among children born premature. Children between the ages of 18 and 60 months who were born <37 weeks gestation and presented with clinically significant externalizing behavior problems were included. Children were categorized based on those who mounted a cortisol response to a stressor and those who did not mount a cortisol response. Children demonstrating the cortisol response were reported to have more problems with attention, emotional reactivity, anxiety, and depression based on maternal report and displayed higher rates of negative verbalizations during a mother–child interaction than children without a cortisol response. These results extend the findings of the relation between cortisol reactivity and comorbid internalizing and externalizing behavior problems to a sample of children born premature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 574–582, 2010.     

Emotion regulation and cortisol reactivity during a social evaluative stressor: A study of post-institutionalized youth

In the current study, we compared emotion regulation abilities between post-institutionalized (PI; N = 124) and never-institutionalized non-adopted (NA; N = 172) children and adolescents (7–15 years). We assessed cortisol reactivity and coded emotion regulation during the speech portion of Trier Social Stress Test (TSST-M). Parents reported on their children's social, academic, and behavioral adjustment. Results suggest that emotion regulation abilities increased with age, but this increase was greater for NA than PI youth. With regard to cortisol, piecewise growth modeling revealed that at higher levels of emotion regulation PI youth had greater baseline values (after a period of time allowing for acclimation to the laboratory) and had steeper recovery slopes than NA youth. There was also a main effect of emotion regulation on the reactivity slope suggesting that for both groups, as emotion regulation increased, the cortisol reactivity slope decreased. Finally, greater emotion regulation predicted fewer internalizing behavior problems for PI youth but not for NA youth.     

Socially oriented thinking and the biological stress response: Thinking of friends and family predicts trajectories of salivary cortisol decline

The cortisol stress response has been related to perceived social support, but previous studies rely on self‐reported social support variables. The cortisol recovery phase in particular has been theorized to serve a social coping function, but individual differences in recovery slope have not yet been examined in relation to social coping‐relevant indices. This study addressed these gaps by examining the relationship of cortisol trajectories after a socioevaluative task to individual differences in covertly assessed cognitions related to close social relationships. We examined trajectories of cortisol change related to socially oriented thinking, the semi‐implicit activation of cognitive representations of friends or family. Young adults (N = 64) gave salivary cortisol samples before and for 45 min after a speech task. Participants' thoughts were sampled repeatedly; the frequency of words related to friends or family was assessed to index socially oriented thinking. A free curve slope intercept latent growth curve model showed excellent fit with the cortisol data. Socially oriented thinking was unrelated to overall magnitude of cortisol response to the task (latent intercept) but predicted the latent cortisol trajectory, independently of cortisol intercept and baseline cortisol levels. Socially oriented thinkers showed more gradual cortisol declines, whereas nonsocially oriented thinkers showed a steeper downslope driven primarily by cortisol changes 45 min after the task. Individual differences in socially oriented thinking may manifest in different rates of biological changes following a performance task.