Attunement and Transmission of Stress Physiology and Maternal Cumulative Risk

• In Event: Poster Session 09
  In Poster Session: PS 09 Topic - Biological Processes: Psychophysiology

Abstract

Conditions of momentary and chronic stress have been shown to impact the release of cortisol via the hypothalamic pituitary axis. Social factors often create these conditions of stress that impact the HPA axis. A notable feature of the HPA axis is its sensitivity to social interaction, and during childhood the HPA axis is affected by both maternal behaviors and maternal physiology. Both attunement and transmission of cortisol have been known to occur in mother child dyads. Cortisol attunement is the bidirectional influence of each member of a dyad on the cortisol levels of the other, and cortisol transmission is a unidirectional influence of one individual’s cortisol levels on the cortisol levels of the other individual. The present study aims examine whether mother-child attunement and transmission of cortisol differs as a function of maternal cumulative risk. We hypothesize that at high levels maternal cumulative risk, mother-child attunement of cortisol at morning, lunchtime, and bedtime will be weaker than at low levels of cumulative risk. Furthermore, we hypothesize that mother-to-child transmission of cortisol levels from morning to lunchtime, and lunchtime to bedtime will only be present in the context of high cumulative risk.

To assess these associations, demographic, maternal cumulative risk, and cortisol data were taken from a larger study of 248 mothers and their preschool-aged children who participated in a randomized clinical trial of an intervention for maltreating mothers. Data from this study was drawn from the baseline assessment. Each mother-child dyad collected a saliva sample upon waking, at lunchtime, and at bedtime for two consecutive weekend days when mother and child were together. Saliva samples were assayed for cortisol. Seven risk factors will be included in the maternal cumulative risk variable: single parent status, income, maternal education, exposure to intimate partner violence, maternal history of physical/sexual abuse, maternal history of neglect, and maternal history of emotional maltreatment. Each factor will be dichotomized, and a cumulative risk value will be assigned by summing all factors. Families will be grouped into high or low maternal cumulative risk for analysis.

To address our hypotheses, we will estimate cross-lagged actor partner interdependence models in a multigroup framework. This will allow us to test whether attunement and transmission occur differently across the day in mother child dyads from families at high and low cumulative risk. All data have been collected and cleaned, so the completion of data analysis for presentation is entirely feasible.

Overall, cortisol is important in stress management and physiological functioning, and unhealthy regulation of cortisol can lead to stress regulation disorders and chronic poor mental and physical health. This research can inform potential strategies to prevent unhealthy cortisol regulation in mothers and children in underserved populations while providing insight into the contexts in which typical mother-child cortisol attunement and transmission may be disrupted.

Authors

• Haley Rague, University of Notre Dame
  Presenting Author

• Kreila E. Cote, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author

• Leah Corinne Hibel, University of California - Davis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kristin Valentino, University of Notre Dame
  Non-Presenting Author