title: Victimization and Biological Stress Responses in Urban Adolescents: Emotion Regulation as a Moderator.
abstract: Associations between urban adolescents' victimization experiences and biological stress responses were examined, as well as emotion regulation as a moderator of these associations. Data from a 4-wave longitudinal study with a low-income, community-based sample (n = 242; 91 % African American; 57 % female; M = 11.98, SD = 1.56 years at baseline) revealed that victimization, assessed over 3 study waves, was associated with an attenuated cortisol response to a stress interview at the final study wave, indicating that responses of the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis were dysregulated. Cortisol responses were moderated by caregiver-reported adolescent emotion regulation, suggesting that this modifiable protective factor that is taught in many school-based prevention programs could help reduce harm associated with HPA axis dysregulation linked to victimization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, PO Box 842018, Richmond, VA, 23284-2018, USA. wkliewer@vcu.edu.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kliewer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D058445:Bullying / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D056348:Emotional Intelligence / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000502:physiology*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000502:physiology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology; D065840:Protective Factors; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Adolescents; Alpha amylase; Cortisol; Emotion regulation; Victimization