Poster #102 - Associations between effortful control and diurnal cortisol patterns in middle childhood: The role of socioeconomic status

• In Event: 3-053 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: PS 10 Section - Health, Growth, Injury

Integrative Statement

Effortful control (EC) capacities may be particularly related to physiological stress processes, including hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis activity and its primary end product, cortisol, in that higher levels of EC may allow for more effective emotional and behavioral coping in response to stressful experiences (Eisenberg et al., 2011). However, prior research examining links between EC and diurnal cortisol in early childhood is mixed, with both higher and lower EC predicting lower cortisol area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg; Donzella, Kertes, & Gunnar, 2004) and lower morning and bedtime cortisol levels (Zalewski et al., 2012). Other studies show no association between EC and cortisol (Taylor et al., 2013). Furthermore, associations between EC and diurnal cortisol patterns are understudied in older children, and it is unclear whether EC may be associated with cortisol patterns differently for youth depending on important contextual factors such as socioeconomic status (SES). Thus, we examined whether EC in middle childhood was associated with three indicators of the cortisol diurnal pattern: AUCg (Pruessner et al., 2003), cortisol slope from morning to afternoon (AM slope), and afternoon to bedtime slope (PM slope). We also tested whether links between EC and diurnal cortisol were stronger or weaker at particular levels of SES.
Study participants were 320 children from a socioeconomically-diverse, longitudinal twin study (N = 160 families; Mage = 8.34 years; 51.2% female; 54.9% non-Hispanic White; 27.2% living at or below poverty line). Primary caregivers (96.4% mothers) reported on child effortful control (TMCQ; Simonds & Rothbart, 2006), family income-to-needs and education level (used to compute SES; 27.7% at or below poverty line). Twins provided passive drool saliva three times a day (30 minutes after waking, between 3 and 6 PM, bedtime) on three typical weekdays. The diurnal cortisol indicators were averaged across the three days of sampling. Covariates examined were sex, summer participation, race/ethnicity, and wake time.
Child EC, SES, and interactions between EC and SES at eight years did not significantly predict concurrent AUC or PM cortisol slopes using mixed model regression (Table 1). However, the interaction between child EC and SES at eight years predicted AM cortisol slopes (Table 1), such that significant negative associations were found between EC and AM cortisol slopes at low and average SES levels, but not for high SES levels (Figure 1). These finding suggest that for children from low and average SES families, higher child EC are associated with steeper (i.e., more adaptive) cortisol slopes from morning to afternoon.
Overall, our findings suggest that EC may be a promotive factor for healthier diurnal cortisol patterns, particularly for children from low and average SES families. Given known socioeconomic health disparities (Adler & Newman, 2002), it is possible that promoting greater EC may lead to better health for low and average SES children. Future studies are necessary to further elucidate links between EC and diurnal cortisol as well as identify other psychosocial or environmental factors (e.g., aspects of the home environment, parenting) that may moderate links between EC and cortisol.

Authors

• Reagan Styles Breitenstein, Arizona State University
  Presenting Author

• Gianna Rea-Sandin, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Leah D. Doane, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kathryn Lemery-Chalfant, Arizona State University
  Non-Presenting Author