title: Effortful control and context interact in shaping neuroendocrine stress responses during childhood.
abstract: Trait and contextual factors can shape individual and group differences in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response to stress; but the ways in which these factors may interact with each other to modulate stress activity have rarely been examined. Here, we investigated whether the association between a temperamental self-regulatory trait - Effortful Control (EC) - and HPA axis stress response is moderated by type of laboratory stress in sixty-five children (35 boys). EC was measured at ages 3 and 6 using age-appropriate laboratory batteries as well as mother reports. HPA axis responses were measured at age 7 by randomly assigning children to one of two laboratory stress tasks (frustration vs. fear). Results indicated that EC interacted with stress context in predicting cortisol response. Specifically, lower EC was associated with greater cortisol response (steeper reactivity slopes) in the context of a frustration stressor but this was reversed in a fear context where lower EC was associated with flatter, more gradual activation. It is likely that different components of EC, such as emotion regulation and attention, differentially interact with the stress context. These types of effects and interactions need to be more thoroughly understood in order to meaningfully interpret cortisol reactivity data and better characterize the role of the HPA axis in human psychopathology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, 2261 East Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: stemayer@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Stefanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Rachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: jabelson@umich.edu.
authors.forename: James L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Abelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 530 Church Street, 2257 East Hall, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. Electronic address: nestorl@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Nestor L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Lopez-Duran
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005639:Frustration; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Children; Effortful control; Fear; Frustration; HPA; Salivary cortisol; Stress; Temperament