TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual differences in preschoolers' salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase reactivity
T2 - Relations to temperament and maladjustment
AU - Spinrad, Tracy
AU - Eisenberg, Nancy
AU - Granger, Douglas A.
AU - Wilkens, Natalie
AU - Sallquist, Julie
AU - Haugen, R. G.
AU - Kupfer, Anne
AU - Hofer, Claire
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health awarded to Nancy Eisenberg and Tracy L. Spinrad. We express our appreciation to the families who participated in the study and to the many research assistants who contributed to this project. In the interest of full disclosure, Dr. Granger is president and founder of Salimetrics LLC, State College, PA.
PY - 2009/6
Y1 - 2009/6
N2 - We examined the relations of 84 preschoolers' (43 boys; mean age = 54 months) situational stress reactivity to their observed emotions and mothers' reports of temperament and adjustment. Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) were collected prior to, and following, a frustrating task. Children's anger, sadness, and positive affect were measured, and mothers reported on preschoolers' dispositional emotionality, regulation, impulsivity, and problem behaviors. Forty-seven percent of children had an increase in sAA and 52% had an increase in cortisol following the challenging task. On average, sAA levels showed the predicted pattern of rise following the frustrating task, followed by return to baseline. For cortisol, there was a mean increase from pre-task to 40 min post-test. sAA reactivity was associated with relatively low levels of dispositional anger and impulsivity and relatively high regulation, particularly for girls. sAA reactivity also was related to low externalizing problems for girls, but not boys. Although cortisol reactivity was unrelated to children's emotions and maladjustment, it was positively related to mothers' reports of regulation. The findings suggest that sAA reactivity in response to a frustrating social task may reflect girls' constrained behavior.
AB - We examined the relations of 84 preschoolers' (43 boys; mean age = 54 months) situational stress reactivity to their observed emotions and mothers' reports of temperament and adjustment. Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) were collected prior to, and following, a frustrating task. Children's anger, sadness, and positive affect were measured, and mothers reported on preschoolers' dispositional emotionality, regulation, impulsivity, and problem behaviors. Forty-seven percent of children had an increase in sAA and 52% had an increase in cortisol following the challenging task. On average, sAA levels showed the predicted pattern of rise following the frustrating task, followed by return to baseline. For cortisol, there was a mean increase from pre-task to 40 min post-test. sAA reactivity was associated with relatively low levels of dispositional anger and impulsivity and relatively high regulation, particularly for girls. sAA reactivity also was related to low externalizing problems for girls, but not boys. Although cortisol reactivity was unrelated to children's emotions and maladjustment, it was positively related to mothers' reports of regulation. The findings suggest that sAA reactivity in response to a frustrating social task may reflect girls' constrained behavior.
KW - Cortisol
KW - Effortful control
KW - Emotions
KW - Problem behaviors
KW - Salivary alpha-amylase
KW - Temperament
KW - impulsivity
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U2 - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.03.020
DO - 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.03.020
M3 - Article
C2 - 19348808
AN - SCOPUS:67349228855
SN - 0018-506X
VL - 56
SP - 133
EP - 139
JO - Hormones and Behavior
JF - Hormones and Behavior
IS - 1
ER -