title: Child temperament and parental depression predict cortisol reactivity to stress in middle childhood.
abstract: Children's cortisol reactivity to stress is an important mediator of depression risk, making the search for predictors of such reactivity an important goal for psychopathologists. Multiple studies have linked maternal depression and childhood behavioral inhibition (BI) independently to child cortisol reactivity, yet few have tested multivariate models of these risks. Further, paternal depression and other child temperament traits, such as positive emotionality (PE), have been largely ignored despite their potential relevance. We therefore examined longitudinal associations between child fear/BI and PE and parental depression, and children's cortisol stress reactivity, in 205 7-year-olds. Paternal depression and child fear/BI predicted greater cortisol stress reactivity at a follow-up of 164 9-year-olds, and maternal depression and child PE interacted to predict children's cortisol reactivity, such that higher child PE predicted lower cortisol reactivity in the context of maternal depression. Results highlight the importance of both parents' depression, as well as multiple facets of child temperament, in developing more comprehensive models of childhood cortisol reactivity to stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western University.
authors.forename: Sarah V M
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Mackrell
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Molecular Genetics Unit, Western University.
authors.forename: Haroon I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Sheikh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western University.
authors.forename: Yuliya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kotelnikova
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western University.
authors.forename: Katie R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Kryski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western University.
authors.forename: Patricia L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Molecular Genetics Unit, Western University.
authors.forename: Shiva M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Western University.
authors.forename: Elizabeth P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Hayden
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013694:Temperament
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone