Poster #15 - Predicting Adolescent Hope in a High Risk Diverse Sample: Testing Differential Susceptibility Theory

• In Event: 2-024 - Poster Session 7 - Adolescence in the Context of Domestic and Global Diversity
  In Poster Session: 07 - Developmental Psychopathology - Diversity

Abstract/Description

Hope has been defined as the “optimistic anticipation of a positive outcome” in spite of negative circumstances (Malholmes, 2014) and is an important predictor of pathways to resilience. It is a cognitive construct that involves the perception of self as being able to produce pathways to desired goals and the motivation to act on those goals (Snyder et al., 1997). Based on differential susceptibility theory (Belsky & Pluess, 2009), we examined the hypothesis that children who were more reactive in infancy would be particularly susceptible to the effects of positive peer relationships that may be created by high social skills at kindergarten age, and would have higher hope in early adolescence (Mage = 13.6 years, SD = .53, n = 65, 49% boys).
The sample from an ongoing study was low-income, mostly African-American (84%) caregiver-child dyads recruited on the basis of maternal cocaine and other substance use in pregnancy. Individual differences in cortisol reactivity (difference between baseline and peak value) was measured in response to positive affect, anger, and fear at 7 months of age. Teacher reports of social skills was measured using the Behavioral Assessment for Children (BASC) in kindergarten. Classroom observations of child aggression (frequency of aggressive behaviors over total time observed) in kindergarten using the BASC student observation system and maternal cocaine use in pregnancy (measured via maternal hair and urine, and self-reports) were statistical controls. Child hope was measured using adolescent reports on the Children’s Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1997).
Results from regression analyses indicated significant main effects of social skills (β = .29, p = .005), cocaine group status (β = -.22, p = .04), and child aggression in kindergarten (β = -.31, p = .02), and a significant interaction of cortisol reactivity and teacher rated social skills on adolescent hope (ΔR2 = .07, p = .02; see Figure 1). Region of significance analysis of simple slopes indicated that among adolescents who had low to no change in cortisol from baseline to peak value (i.e., values at or below 0) in response to anger and fear eliciting stimuli, there was no significant association between social skills and hope. However, among adolescents who had a significant increase in cortisol from baseline to peak value, there was a significant association between social skills and hope. This model explained 34% of the variance in adolescent hope. Early childhood aggression during peer interactions in the classroom as well as high prenatal stress due to the combination of cocaine and other substance exposures were associated with lower resilience as reflected in lower adolescent hope.
Results are supportive of differential susceptibility theory indicating that high reactive children may be more responsive to positive peer environments that may be created by high social skills. To date, the majority of studies on differential susceptibility and related theories have viewed parenting as the primary positive environmental context. High social skills may create positive peer environments, and this may be especially positive for this sample of children at high prenatal and environmental risk.

Authors

• Rina Das Eiden, University at Buffalo, State University of New York

• Jamie Ostrov, University of Buffalo
  Presenting Author

• Pamela Schuetze, SUNY Buffalo State

• Danielle Molnar, Brock University

• Amanda Nickerson, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York