title: The Interactive Effects of Stressful Family Life Events and Cortisol Reactivity on Adolescent Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors.
abstract: This study investigated the associations between stressful family life events and adolescent externalizing and internalizing behaviors, and the interactive effects of family life events and cortisol reactivity on problem behaviors. In a sample of 100 mothers and their adolescents (M age = 15.09; SD age = .98; 68 % girls), adolescent cortisol reactivity was measured in response to a mother-adolescent conflict interaction task designed to elicit a stress response. Mothers reported on measures of family life events and adolescent problem behaviors. Results indicated that a heightened adolescent cortisol response moderated the relations between stressful family life events and both externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Results support context-dependent theoretical models, suggesting that for adolescents with higher cortisol reactivity (compared to those with lower cortisol reactivity), higher levels of stressful family life events were associated with greater problem behaviors, whereas lower levels of stressful family life events were related to fewer problem behaviors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. csteeger@uw.edu.|Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, 9725 3rd Ave NE, Suite 401, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA. csteeger@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Christine M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5898-0561
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Steeger
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Rhode Island College, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Emily C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Division of Prevention and Community Research, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Christian M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Connell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D054541:Family Conflict / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Cortisol reactivity; Externalizing behaviors; Internalizing behaviors; Stressful family life events