title: Prospective effects of post-bereavement negative events on cortisol activity in parentally bereaved youth.
abstract: Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis has been implicated in the association between adverse childhood experiences, such as parental death, and mental and physical health problems. Recent research indicates that children who experience the death of a parent exhibit HPA axis dysfunction; however, the mechanisms underlying this association have not been explored. It is theorized that physiological dysregulation may result from exposure to stressful life events subsequent to parental death. The current study examined the prospective relations between negative events following parental death and cortisol activity in parentally bereaved youth. A greater number of post-bereavement negative events predicted significantly lower levels of cortisol activity 6 years later; this association remained significant after controlling for current externalizing symptoms and recent negative events. Results suggest that higher exposure to stressful events following childhood parental loss may result in long-term attenuated cortisol activity.
authors.affiliation: Program for Prevention Research, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA. melissa.hagan@asu.edu
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hagan
authors.forename: Linda J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Luecken
authors.forename: Irwin N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.forename: Jenn-Yun
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Tein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001601:Bereavement; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D008016:Life Change Events; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone