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Cortisol and socioeconomic status in early childhood: A multidimensional assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2021

Amanda R. Tarullo ,
Charu T. Tuladhar ,
Katie Kao ,
Eleanor B. Drury  and
Jerrold Meyer
Amanda R. Tarullo*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA Center for Systems Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Charu T. Tuladhar
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
Katie Kao
Affiliation:
Harvard Medical School, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital,Boston, MA, USA
Eleanor B. Drury
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
Jerrold Meyer
Affiliation:
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
*
Author for Correspondence: Amanda R. Tarullo, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, 64 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA02215; E-mail: atarullo@bu.edu
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Abstract

The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is sensitive to early life stress, with enduring consequences for biological stress vulnerability and health (Gunnar & Talge, 2008). Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with dysregulation of the stress hormone cortisol in early childhood. However, a mechanistic understanding of this association is lacking. Multidimensional assessment of both SES and cortisol is needed to characterize the intricate relations between SES and cortisol function in early childhood. We assessed parent-reported family income, parent education, occupational prestige, neighborhood risk, food insecurity, and household chaos for 12-month-old infants (N = 90) and 3.5-year-old children (N = 91). Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was obtained from parent and child, indexing chronic biological stress, and diurnal salivary cortisol was measured in the children. Controlling for parent HCC, parent education uniquely predicted infant and child HCC and, in addition, neighborhood risk uniquely predicted infant HCC. Household chaos predicted bedtime salivary cortisol concentration (SCC) for both infants and children, and infant daily cortisol output. Food insecurity was associated with flattened cortisol slope in 3.5-year-old children. Parental sensitivity did not mediate relations between SES and cortisol. Results highlight the utility of SES measures that index unpredictable and unsafe contexts, such as neighborhood risk, food insecurity, and household chaos.

Keywords

food insecurityhair cortisolsalivary cortisolsocioeconomic statusstress
Type
Special Section 2: Early Adversity and Development: Contributions from the Field
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 32 , Special Issue 5: Early Adversity, Stress, and Neurobehavioral Development: Honoring Megan R. Gunnar's Contributions to Developmental Science , December 2020 , pp. 1876 - 1887
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

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