title: Social deprivation and the HPA axis in early development.
abstract: Growing evidence suggests that early social deprivation impacts the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis. Early adverse care in the form of institutional or orphanage care provides a human model for early social deprivation. The present study examined changes in diurnal cortisol during the transition to family care in the first 2 years post-adoption. Children adopted between 15 and 36 months from institutional care were examined four times during their first 2 years post-adoption (N=58). Comparison groups included same-aged peers reared in their birth families (N=50) and children adopted during their first year from overseas foster care (N=47). Children provided daily cortisol samples at roughly 2, 9, 17, and 25 months post-adoption. Post-institutionalized and post-foster care children exhibited less steep diurnal cortisol compared to non-adopted same-aged peers; these differences did not diminish across the 2 year period. For post-institutionalized children, lower social care quality in institutions was associated with less steep cortisol slopes. Lastly, shallower diurnal cortisol was a mediator between adoption status and increased behavioral problems 2 years post-adoption. Consistent with the non-human primate literature, early social deprivation may contribute to early programming of the HPA axis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: kossx022@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Kalsea J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Koss
authors.affiliation: Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
authors.forename: Camelia E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Hostinar
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
authors.forename: Bonny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Donzella
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address: gunnar@umn.edu.
authors.forename: Megan R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gunnar
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005581:Foster Home Care; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000032:analysis; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol; Early adversity; Early childhood; International adoption; Problem behavior; Social deprivation