title: Patterns of children's adrenocortical reactivity to interparental conflict and associations with child adjustment: a growth mixture modeling approach.
abstract: Examining children's physiological functioning is an important direction for understanding the links between interparental conflict and child adjustment. Utilizing growth mixture modeling, the present study examined children's cortisol reactivity patterns in response to a marital dispute. Analyses revealed three different patterns of cortisol responses, consistent with both a sensitization and an attenuation hypothesis. Child-rearing disagreements and perceived threat were associated with children exhibiting a rising cortisol pattern, whereas destructive conflict was related to children displaying a flat pattern. Physiologically rising patterns were also linked with emotional insecurity and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Results supported a sensitization pattern of responses as maladaptive for children in response to marital conflict, with evidence also linking an attenuation pattern with increased family risk. The findings of the present study support children's adrenocortical functioning as one mechanism through which interparental conflict is related to children's coping responses and psychological adjustment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA. kkoss@nd.edu
authors.forename: Kalsea J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Koss
authors.forename: Melissa R W
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Patrick T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: Dante
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cicchetti
authors.forename: E Mark
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Cummings
authors.forename: Melissa L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Sturge-Apple
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D002648:Child; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004644:Emotions; D054541:Family Conflict; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012463:Saliva / Q000378:metabolism; D012917:Social Adjustment
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone