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A preliminary study of cortisol reactivity and behavior problems in young children born premature
Author(s) -
Bagner Daniel M.,
Sheinkopf Stephen J.,
Vohr Betty R.,
Lester Barry M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.20464
Subject(s) - reactivity (psychology) , psychology , stressor , anxiety , developmental psychology , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , hydrocortisone , medicine , psychiatry , alternative medicine , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation between cortisol reactivity and comorbid internalizing and externalizing behavior problems among children born premature. Children between the ages of 18 and 60 months who were born <37 weeks gestation and presented with clinically significant externalizing behavior problems were included. Children were categorized based on those who mounted a cortisol response to a stressor and those who did not mount a cortisol response. Children demonstrating the cortisol response were reported to have more problems with attention, emotional reactivity, anxiety, and depression based on maternal report and displayed higher rates of negative verbalizations during a mother–child interaction than children without a cortisol response. These results extend the findings of the relation between cortisol reactivity and comorbid internalizing and externalizing behavior problems to a sample of children born premature. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 52: 574–582, 2010.