Socio-demographic Factors and Hair Cortisol in Chinese Immigrant Children and Parents

• In Event: 1-184 - Biomarkers of Chronic Stress, Disparities, and Development: Does Hair Cortisol Reflect Minority Experiences Across the Lifespan?

Integrative Statement

The effect of low socioeconomic status (SES) on stress is well established, with low SES families being frequently exposed to stressors such as financial strain, household chaos, and inconsistent routines (Steptoe & Feldman, 2001; Evans et al., 2005). Among immigrant children and families, these stressors are often heightened, with cultural and linguistic adjustments to a new country (Short & Johnston, 1997). Studies examining associations between SES and biological measures of stress have focused primarily on relatively short-term or point based measures (McEwen & Seeman, 1999). Yet, given the prolonged nature of stressors that characterize low SES, it may be more conceptually and methodologically sensible to examine hair cortisol concentration (HCC). HCC is a potential biomarker for chronic stress as it captures an integration of cortisol over a period of months (Liu & Doan, invited for re-review). In this study, we examined SES (household income and parent education) and HCC within a group of Chinese immigrant children and families. Our primary hypothesis was that higher SES, relative to subjective measures of stress, would be negatively associated with child and parent HCC.

Participants were 96 Chinese immigrant parents and 61 children. The parent mean age was 39.5 years (SD = 4.9) and the mean child age was 9.0 years (SD=0.9). The average length of time that parents lived in the U.S. was 10.9 years (SD=7.4, range=6 months-33.0 years). Among predictor and outcome variables, negative associations were observed: child HCC with SES (r=-0.32, p <.05). A negative association was observed between parent HCC with number of years lived in the US (r=-0.23, p<.05) and positive association between parent HCC and depressed mood (r=.23, p<.05). Backward stepwise regressions were conducted with SES, parent acculturation (number of years in the US), and subjective measures of parent stress (perceived stress, depressed mood, and resilience) regressed on child and parent HCC. The final regression model for child HCC, following the removal of variables based on the probability of F-to-remove included SES. SES was significantly associated with child HCC (β=-.30, p=.03) indicating increased SES to be associated with lower child HCC. For the parent HCC model, years in the US showed a significant association with parent HCC (β=-.24, p=.03), with more years in the US associated with lower parent HCC.

The opportunity to examine both parents and children reveals different predictors of parent and child HCC, highlighting the potential role that sociodemographic factors such as SES and acculturation may have on HCC across development. Of note is the impact of the developing HPA axis over the lifespan and cortisol responses based on contextual demands at particular points within development (Liu & Doan, invited for re-review). This may be particularly salient for immigrants, given the process of acculturation. The final presentation of this study will include a larger sample size, allowing greater statistical power for testing other potential factors, such as anthropometric characteristics, health conditions, and other behavioral variables relevant to the experience of chronic stress in Chinese immigrant children and parents.

Authors

• Cindy Liu, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  Presenting Author

• Stephen H. Chen, Wellesley College
  Non-Presenting Author

• Leslie Wang, University of Massachusetts-Boston
  Non-Presenting Author