Child cortisol moderates the association between family routines and emotion regulation in low-income children.
Biological and social influences both shape emotion regulation. In 380 low-income children, we tested whether biological stress profile (cortisol) moderated the association among positive and negative home environment factors (routines; chaos) and emotion regulation (negative lability; positive regulation). Children (M age = 50.6, SD = 6.4 months) provided saliva samples to assess diurnal cortisol parameters across 3 days. Parents reported on home environment and child emotion regulation. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether cortisol parameters moderated associations between home environment and child emotion regulation. Results showed that home chaos was negatively associated with emotion regulation outcomes; cortisol did not moderate the association. Child cortisol level moderated the routines-emotion regulation association such that lack of routine was most strongly associated with poor emotion regulation among children with lower cortisol output. Findings suggest that underlying child stress biology may shape response to environmental influences.
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Alison L
AL
Miller
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ju-Hyun
JH
Song
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Julie
J
Sturza
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Julie C
JC
Lumeng
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Katherine
K
Rosenblum
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Niko
N
Kaciroti
Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Delia M
DM
Vazquez
D002675:Child, Preschool; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D000068356:Self-Control
D006854:Hydrocortisone
diurnal cortisol; emotion regulation; family routine; home chaos