Poster #21 - Neurobiological Stress Reactivity in Youth: Relevance of Maltreatment and Social Support

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Biological Processes: Psychophysiology

Integrative Statement

Maltreatment is associated with numerous behavioral and physiological sequelae (Dong et al., 2004; Springer, Sheridan, Kuo, & Carnes, 2007). Former research provided evidence for blunted cortisol reactivity in maltreated children (MacMillan et al., 2009; Ouellet-Morin et al., 2011), whereas social support might ameliorate this effect (Kaufman, 1991; van Andel, Jansen, Grietens, Knorth, & van der Gaag, 2014). The present study extends and challenges previous findings by examining the effects of maltreatment and social support on cortisol reactivity in a psychosocial stress task with children and adolescents.
Stress was induced in a sample of 92 children (43.5% girls) aged 9-15 (M=12;4; SD=1;6) using the Trier Social Stress-Test for Children (TSST-C). The sample included children with maltreatment experiences (n=40) and a non-maltreated control group (n=52). Maltreatment was assessed with the Maltreatment Classification System (Barnett, Manly, & Cicchetti, 1993), whereas the Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (Barrera, 1980) was used as a self-report measure of children’s social support. During the stress test saliva and plasma cortisol levels were determined for nine and two time points, respectively. Additionally, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Krohne, Egloff, Kohlmann, & Tausch, 1996) was administered before and after the TSST-C.
As proof of the stress induction, we could show that the TSST-C induced negative emotions (F = 77.72, p < .001, ɳp2 = .48) and reduced positive emotions (F = 182.18, p < .001, ɳp2 = .68) in the whole sample. Moreover, the changes in positive and negative emotions were associated with changes in plasma and saliva cortisol levels from before to after the TSST-C (for positive emotions: r ≥ -.24, ps < .05; for negative emotions: r ≥ .23, ps < .05). In the main analyses, a significantly lower increase in saliva cortisol during the TSST-C (β = -.21, p = .043, ΔR2 = .045) was found in maltreated children. Moreover, significant interaction effects of maltreatment and social support emerged for saliva (β = -.44, p = .005, ΔR2 = .081; Figure 1) and plasma cortisol (β = -.38, p = .015, ΔR2 = .066; Figure 2) showing a higher hormonal stress reactivity in the non-maltreated group with more social support.
Our study is the first to investigate the interplay of maltreatment and social support on the reactivity of saliva and plasma cortisol in a psychosocial stress test with children and adolescents. The reported associations between psychological and physiological stress markers during the TSST-C provide evidence for the validity of the stress induction. Importantly, the reported interaction effects suggest that social support only modifies HPA axis reactivity in non-maltreated children. All in all, our study provides evidence for the importance of social support for HPA axis functioning in children and adolescents by examining saliva as well as plasma cortisol reactivity.

Authors

• Charlotte Catharina Schulz, University of Leipzig
  Presenting Author

• Marcus Ising, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tobias Stalder, University of Siegen
  Non-Presenting Author

• Bertram Müller-Myhsok, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich
  Non-Presenting Author

• Susan Sierau, University of Leipzig
  Non-Presenting Author

• Andrea Michel, University of Leipzig
  Non-Presenting Author

• Leonhard Quintero Garzón, University of Leipzig
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michael Kroll, Asklepios Clinic Stadtroda
  Non-Presenting Author

• Annette Klein, University of Leipzig
  Non-Presenting Author

• Clemens Kirschbaum, Technische Universität Dresden
  Non-Presenting Author

• Kai von Klitzing, University of Leipzig
  Non-Presenting Author

• Manfred Uhr, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lars O. White, University of Leipzig
  Non-Presenting Author