title: Does dampened physiological reactivity protect youth in aggressive family environments?
abstract: Is an attenuated physiological response to family conflict, seen in some youth exposed to early adversity, protective or problematic? A longitudinal study including 54 youth (average age 15.2 years) found that those with higher cumulative family aggression exposure showed lower cortisol output during a laboratory-based conflict discussion with their parents, and were less likely to show the normative pattern of increased cortisol reactivity to a discussion they rated as more conflictual. Family aggression interacted with cortisol reactivity in predicting youth adjustment: Adolescents from more aggressive homes who were also more reactive to the discussion reported more posttraumatic stress symptoms and more antisocial behavior. These results suggest that attenuated reactivity may protect youth from the negative consequences associated with aggressive family environments.
authors.affiliation: Dornsife Psychology Department, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, USA. dsaxbe@usc.edu
authors.forename: Darby E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Saxbe
authors.forename: Gayla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Margolin
authors.forename: Lauren A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Spies Shapiro
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Baucom
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D019540:Area Under Curve; D017579:Domestic Violence / Q000523:psychology; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone