Interactive effects of early and recent exposure to stressful contexts on cortisol reactivity in middle childhood
Article [Version of Record]
Is part of
Journal of child psychology and psychiatry ; vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 138-146.Publisher(s)
WileyAuthor(s)
Abstract(s)
Background: Given mixed findings as to whether stressful experiences and relationships are associated with
increases or decreases in children’s cortisol reactivity, we tested whether a child’s developmental history of risk
exposure explained variation in cortisol reactivity to an experimentally induced task. We also tested whether the
relationship between cortisol reactivity and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems varied as a function of
their developmental history of stressful experiences and relationships. Method: Participants included 400 children
(M = 9.99 years, SD = 0.74 years) from the Children’s Experiences and Development Study. Early risk exposure was
measured by children’s experiences of harsh, nonresponsive parenting at 3 years. Recent risk exposure was
measured by children’s exposure to traumatic events in the past year. Children’s cortisol reactivity was measured in
response to a social provocation task and parents and teachers described children’s internalizing and externalizing
problems. Results: The effect of recent exposure to traumatic events was partially dependent upon a child’s early
experiences of harsh, nonresponsive parenting: the more traumatic events children had recently experienced, the
greater their cortisol reactivity if they had experienced lower (but not higher) levels of harsh, nonresponsive parenting
at age 3. The lowest levels of cortisol reactivity were observed among children who had experienced the most
traumatic events in the past year and higher (vs. lower) levels of harsh, nonresponsive parenting in early childhood.
Among youth who experienced harsh, nonresponsive parent–child relationships in early childhood and later
traumatic events, lower levels of cortisol reactivity were associated with higher levels of internalizing and
externalizing problems. Conclusions: Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis reactivity to psychological stressors
and the relationship between HPA axis reactivity and children’s internalizing and externalizing problems vary as
a function of a child’s developmental history of exposure to stressful relationships and experiences.
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