Salivary cortisol levels and infant temperament shape developmental trajectories in boys at risk for behavioral maladjustment

PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY

卷:33

Article

Perez-Edgar, Koraly¹  Schmidt, Louis A.²  Henderson, Heather A.³  Schulkin, Jay^4,5  Fox, Nathan A.⁶ 

[1] George Mason Univ, Dept Psychol, Fairfax, VA 22030 USA

[2] McMaster Univ, Dept Psychol Neurosci & Behav, Hamilton, ON, Canada

[3] Univ Miami, Dept Psychol, Coral Gables, FL 33124 USA

[4] Georgetown Univ, Ctr Brain Basis Cognit, Dept Physiol & Biophys, Washington, DC USA

[5] Georgetown Univ, Ctr Brain Basis Cognit, Dept Neurosci, Washington, DC USA

[6] Univ Maryland, Dept Human Dev, College Pk, MD 20742 USA

关键词: cortisol;    temperament;    gender;    socioemotional behavior;    early childhood;    infancy;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.psyneuen.2008.03.018

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Behavioral problems in young children can take on a variety of forms, which are [inked to distinct antecedents and co-occurring markers. Internalizing difficulties in young children, for example, have been linked to individual differences in infant temperament and cortisol levels. In addition, there is growing evidence that these biobehavioral. mechanisms are also shaped by gender. Four-year-old children participated in a study examining the relations between salivary cortisol and behavioral maladjustment as a function of gender and temperament. Both longitudinal (maternal report of infant temperament at 9 months) and concurrent (morning salivary cortisol at age 4) data were used to predict two forms of maladjustment: 'Withdrawal' (maternal report of internalizing behavior and Laboratory observation of social reticence) and 'Acting Out' (maternal report of externalizing behavior and laboratory observation of solitary active play). High basal cortisol levels were strongly associated with Withdrawal in mate participants. However, the relation was significant only in boys who exhibited high levels of negative temperament in infancy. There were no comparable findings with 'Acting Out' beyond a main effect of gender reflecting greater difficulty in boys. The data suggested that there are unique biobehavioral mechanisms shaping specific patterns of maladjustment in childhood. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

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