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Parent support is less effective in buffering cortisol stress reactivity for adolescents compared to children
Author(s) -
Hostinar Camelia E.,
Johnson Anna E.,
Gunnar Megan R.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
developmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.801
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1467-7687
pISSN - 1363-755X
DOI - 10.1111/desc.12195
Subject(s) - psychology , developmental psychology , reactivity (psychology) , stress (linguistics) , clinical psychology , medicine , linguistics , philosophy , alternative medicine , pathology
The goal of the present study was to investigate developmental differences in the effectiveness of parent support to alleviate hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal ( HPA ) axis stress responses of children (ages 9–10, N = 40) and adolescents (ages 15–16, N = 41). We experimentally manipulated the provision of parent support during the speech preparation period before a modified Trier Social Stress Test ( TSST ) and examined its effect on levels of salivary cortisol secreted in response to this laboratory stressor. Analyses revealed a significant interaction of condition and age group such that social support from the parent (versus a stranger) significantly eliminated the cortisol stress response in children, but had no effect on the response among adolescents.