Associations between multisystem stress reactivity and peer nominated aggression in early childhood vary by sex

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1888-1898
Author(s):  
Melissa J. Hagan ◽  
Danielle S. Roubinov ◽  
W. Thomas Boyce ◽  
Nicole R. Bush
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Relational Aggression ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Physical Aggression ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Peer Ratings ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress Response

AbstractThere is emerging evidence that the development of problematic aggression in childhood may be associated with specific physiological stress response patterns, with both biological overactivation and underactivation implicated. This study tested associations between sex-specific patterns of stress responses across the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and peer nominations of aggression among 271 kindergarten children (Mean age = 5.32 years; 52% Female; 44% White). Upon entry to kindergarten, children participated in a multidomain standardized stress paradigm. Changes in pre-ejection period (PEP) and salivary cortisol were assessed. On a separate day, children provided peer ratings of physical and relational aggression in a standardized interview. As expected, there was a significant three-way interaction between PEP, cortisol reactivity, and sex, but only for physical aggression. Among boys, cortisol reactivity was positively associated with physical aggression only for those with higher SNS reactivity. Findings suggest that for boys, asymmetrical and symmetrical HPA/SNS reactivity may be associated with lower and higher risk for peer-directed physical aggression, respectively. Understanding the complex associations between multisystem physiology, child sex and peer-directed aggression in early childhood may offer insight into individual differences underlying the emergence of behavioral dysregulation in early peer contexts.

scholarly journals PERCEIVED CONTROL AND CORTISOL STRESS REACTIVITY: VARIATIONS BY AGE, RACE, AND FACETS OF CONTROL

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S854-S854
Author(s):  
Jin-Hui Wen ◽  
Nancy L Sin
Keyword(s):  
Racial Differences ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Salivary Cortisol ◽  
Perceived Control ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Personal Mastery ◽  
Age Variations ◽  
Perceived Constraints

Abstract Greater perceived control is associated with better aging-related health outcomes, and these associations have previously been shown to differ based on sociodemographics. Physiological stress responses—including cortisol reactivity to stressors—may underlie the link between perceived control and health. The goal of this study was to evaluate the associations of perceived control and its facets (personal mastery and perceived constraints) with cortisol reactivity to acute laboratory stressors, in addition to the moderating roles of age and race. Participants (N = 737) ages 25-75 completed a perceived control questionnaire and two lab-based stress tasks. Salivary cortisol was collected pre- and post-stressor exposure. The results showed no main effects of perceived control, personal mastery, nor perceived constraints on salivary cortisol reactivity to stressors. However, age and race moderated the association between perceived constraints and post-stressor cortisol level, adjusting for baseline cortisol, sociodemographics, and health covariates. Among white participants, younger adults who reported higher constraints had elevated cortisol responses compared to those who reported lower constraints, whereas constraints were unrelated to cortisol reactivity among midlife and older adults. Among black participants, perceived control and its subscales were unrelated to cortisol, regardless of age. These findings suggest that older age buffers against the association between constraints and stress reactivity, but this buffering effect is only evident for white participants. Future research on the role of perceived control in stress and health should consider the importance of racial differences, facets of control, and age variations.

Stress and Substance Misuse

2020 ◽  
pp. 101-118
Author(s):  
James M. Bjork ◽  
Nicholas D. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Stress Response ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Solution Space ◽  
Chronic Administration ◽  
Behavioral Repertoire ◽  
Physiological Stress Response ◽  
Response Systems

Stress is both a critical contributor and consequence of substance use disorder (SUD). First, exaggerated subjective stress responses are characteristic of affective symptomatology such as depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder (sometimes stemming from histories of abuse) that have been prognostic of development of addiction in longitudinal studies. Substance use is negatively reinforced in many at-risk and addicted individuals because it may acutely alleviate stress. Second, chronic administration of commonly abused substances alters physiological stress response systems, especially during acute withdrawal. Third, acute stress responses blunt the addicted individual’s frontocortically mediated behavioral repertoire (solution space) in favor of reflexive behavioral biases toward relief-based substance use. Therefore, acute stress responses are a strong trigger for relapse to substance use during extended recovery. These findings have collectively led to approaches to SUD relapse prevention that pharmacologically blunt components of the stress response, but these agents have not reliably shown success in human clinical trials. This chapter reviews these different relationships between stress and addiction and offers future avenues for additional research.

Relational Aggression, Physical Aggression and Deception During Early Childhood: A Multimethod, Multi-informant Short-Term Longitudinal Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 664-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamie M. Ostrov ◽  
Emily E. Ries ◽  
Kirstin Stauffacher ◽  
Stephanie A. Godleski ◽  
Adam D. Mullins
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Relational Aggression ◽  
Physical Aggression ◽  
Short Term

School-Aged Children's Cognitive Interdependence as a Prospective Link Between Their Depressive Symptoms and Physiological Stress Reactivity

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 325-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Borelli ◽  
Melissa Pedroza ◽  
Gerin E. Gaskin ◽  
Patricia A. Smiley ◽  
Callison A. Kernick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Large Body ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Cognitive Correlates ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Low Levels

Associations between children's depressive symptoms and physiological stress reactivity have been identified across many investigations. Similarly, a large body of literature explores the cognitive correlates of depressive symptomatology in childhood. To date, few studies conducted with children have integrated these approaches. In the present study, we examine a well-documented correlate of depression in adults; low cognitive interdependence (as measured via pronoun use, or we-ratio), in a child population. We explore the relation of low cognitive interdependence to children's concurrent depressive symptoms as well as their concurrent and later stress reactivity. At Time 1, we assessed school-aged children's (N = 60) depressive symptoms and children's we-ratio from an interview about their school experiences. Two weeks later (Time 2), children provided salivary cortisol samples before and after a stressor task. At Time 3 (1.5 years later), children provided cortisol samples before and after completing a different stressor task. Children's depressive symptoms were concurrently associated with lower we-ratio, which in turn was prospectively, but not concurrently, associated with higher cortisol reactivity, acting as an indirect effect between depression and later reactivity. These findings suggest that low levels of cognitive interdependence may be one mechanism by which children's depressive symptoms forecast heightened reactivity to stress.

Physiological stress reactivity and physical and relational aggression: The moderating roles of victimization, type of stressor, and child gender

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dianna Murray-Close ◽  
Nicki R. Crick ◽  
Wan-Ling Tseng ◽  
Nicole Lafko ◽  
Casey Burrows ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Relational Aggression ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Relational Victimization ◽  
Physiological Reactivity ◽  
Child Gender ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Laboratory Stress

AbstractThe purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association between physiological reactivity to peer stressors and physical and relational aggression. Potential moderation by actual experiences of peer maltreatment (i.e., physical and relational victimization) and gender were also explored. One hundred ninety-six children (M = 10.11 years, SD = 0.64) participated in a laboratory stress protocol during which their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and skin conductance reactivity to recounting a relational stressor (e.g., threats to relationships) and an instrumental stressor (e.g., threats to physical well-being, dominance, or property) were assessed. Teachers provided reports of aggression and victimization. In both boys and girls, physical aggression was associated with blunted physiological reactivity to relational stress and heightened physiological reactivity to instrumental stress, particularly among youth higher in victimization. In girls, relational aggression was most robustly associated with blunted physiological reactivity to relational stressors, particularly among girls exhibiting higher levels of relational victimization. In boys, relational aggression was associated with heightened physiological reactivity to both types of stressors at higher levels of peer victimization and blunted physiological reactivity to both types of stressors at lower levels of victimization. Results underscore the shared and distinct emotional processes underlying physical and relational aggression in boys and girls.

Effects of music on behavior and physiological stress response of domestic cats in a veterinary clinic

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Hampton ◽  
Alexandra Ford ◽  
Roy E Cox ◽  
Chin-chi Liu ◽  
Ronald Koh
Keyword(s):  
Physical Examination ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Classical Music ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Veterinary Clinic ◽  
Examination Period ◽  
Physiological Stress Response ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Physical Examinations

Objectives Our objective was to determine if feline-specific music played in a veterinary clinical setting would promote lower cat stress scores (CSSs), lower mean handling scale scores (HSs) and reduced neutrophil:lymphocyte ratios (NLRs) in cats during physical examinations. Methods Cats were exposed to one of three auditory stimuli tests – silence, classical music and cat-specific music – during three physical examinations 2 weeks apart. CSSs were recorded at pre- and post-auditory tests and during the examination period. The HSs were recorded at the physical examination period. The physiological stress was assessed via NLRs. Results The pre-auditory test showed no difference in CSS between cats listening to silence, classical music and cat music. CSSs for post-auditory tests and examination periods were not significantly different between silence and classical music; however, CSSs were significantly decreased in cats listening to cat music vs silence and in cats listening to cat music vs classical music. HSs were not different in cats listening to silence vs classical music, but were significantly lower in cats listening to cat music vs silence and classical music. No difference was found in NLRs among all three auditory stimuli tests. Conclusions and relevance Listening to cat-specific music prior to, and during, physical examination was associated with lower CSSs and lower HSs in cats, but had no effect on the physiological stress responses measured by NLRs. We conclude that cat-specific music may benefit cats by decreasing the stress levels and increasing the quality of care in veterinary clinical settings.

scholarly journals Psychophysiological Stress Reactivity Relationships across the Menstrual Cycle

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen C. Olson ◽  
Haley A. Carroll ◽  
M. Kathleen B. Lustyk
Keyword(s):  
Menstrual Cycle ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Protective Factor ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Psychophysiological Stress ◽  
Autonomic Perception

While evidence suggests that women exhibit psychophysiological differences in stress reactivity across the menstrual cycle, the relationships among psychological and physiological stress reactivity states are not well understood. Healthy, normally cycling women (N=44) participated in two counterbalanced laboratory sessions during the follicular and luteal phases where heart rate and subjective stress were assessed in response to stressors. There were no differences in the magnitudes of psychophysiological stress responses across the cycle. Psychological and physiological states were largely unrelated in the follicular phase but interrelationships were found in the luteal phase and these relationships were influenced by autonomic perception and trait anxiety. For women with high trait anxiety, autonomic perception appeared to buffer psychological and physiological stress reactivity during the luteal phase, suggesting that autonomic perception may be a protective factor for more anxious women during times of acute stress.

scholarly journals Cognitive Bias Modification for Interpretation in Major Depression

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jutta Joormann ◽  
Christian E. Waugh ◽  
Ian H. Gotlib
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Bias ◽  
Cognitive Biases ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Cognitive Bias Modification ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Physiological Stress Response ◽  
Bias Modification

Interpreting ambiguous stimuli in a negative manner is a core bias associated with depression. Investigators have used cognitive bias modification for interpretation (CBM-I) to demonstrate that it is possible to experimentally induce and modify these biases. In this study, we extend previous research by examining whether CBM-I affects not only interpretation but also memory and physiological stress response in individuals diagnosed with major depressive disorder. We found that CBM-I was effective in inducing an interpretive bias. Participants also exhibited memory biases that corresponded to their training condition and demonstrated differential physiological responding in a stress task. These results suggest that interpretation biases in depression can be modified and that this training can lead to corresponding changes in memory and to decreases in stress reactivity. Findings from this study highlight the importance of examining the relations among different cognitive biases in major depressive disorder and the possibility of modifying cognitive biases.

scholarly journals Parental buffering in the context of poverty: positive parenting behaviors differentiate young children's stress reactivity profiles

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 1778-1787
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Brown ◽  
Lisa J. Schlueter ◽  
Eliana Hurwich-Reiss ◽  
Julia Dmitrieva ◽  
Elly Miles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hpa Axis ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Stress Responses ◽  
Stress Reactivity ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Parenting Behaviors ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Positive Parenting ◽  
Cortisol Reactivity ◽  
Hpa Axis Functioning

AbstractExperiencing poverty increases vulnerability for dysregulated hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis functioning and compromises long-term health. Positive parenting buffers children from HPA axis reactivity, yet this has primarily been documented among families not experiencing poverty. We tested the theorized power of positive parenting in 124 parent–child dyads recruited from Early Head Start (Mage = 25.21 months) by examining child cortisol trajectories using five samples collected across a standardized stress paradigm. Piecewise latent growth models revealed that positive parenting buffered children's stress responses when controlling for time of day, last stress task completed, and demographics. Positive parenting also interacted with income such that positive parenting was especially protective for cortisol reactivity in families experiencing greater poverty. Findings suggest that positive parenting behaviors are important for protecting children in families experiencing low income from heightened or prolonged physiologic stress reactivity to an acute stressor.

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