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Does Dampened Physiological Reactivity Protect Youth in Aggressive Family Environments?
Author(s) -
Saxbe Darby E.,
Margolin Gayla,
Spies Shapiro Lauren A.,
Baucom Brian R.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01752.x
Subject(s) - reactivity (psychology) , psychology , aggression , normative , developmental psychology , longitudinal study , injury prevention , poison control , clinical psychology , human factors and ergonomics , family conflict , suicide prevention , medicine , medical emergency , philosophy , alternative medicine , epistemology , pathology
Is an attenuated physiological response to family conflict, seen in some youth exposed to early adversity, protective or problematic? A longitudinal study including 54 youth (average age 15.2 years) found that those with higher cumulative family aggression exposure showed lower cortisol output during a laboratory‐based conflict discussion with their parents, and were less likely to show the normative pattern of increased cortisol reactivity to a discussion they rated as more conflictual. Family aggression interacted with cortisol reactivity in predicting youth adjustment: Adolescents from more aggressive homes who were also more reactive to the discussion reported more posttraumatic stress symptoms and more antisocial behavior. These results suggest that attenuated reactivity may protect youth from the negative consequences associated with aggressive family environments.