Stress Response and Adolescents’ Adjustment: The impact of child maltreatment - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Stress Response and Adolescents’ Adjustment: The impact of child maltreatment

Emily C. CookRhode Island College Tara M. Chaplin, Rajita Sinha, Jacob K. Tebes, & Linda C. Mayes Yale University

14th Biennial

Meeting of the Society for

Research on Adolescence, Vancouver, BCSlide2

Background

Adolescence is a critical time to examine the relationship between stress response and adjustment.Heightened reactivity to a stressor has been associated with both adaptive and maladaptive functioning.Variability in findings may be explained by context.

Child maltreatment may be one important context that explains variability in findings. Slide3

Study Aims

To examine the effect of adolescents’ stress response on anger regulation and interpersonal competence. To examine child maltreatment as a moderator of the relationship between adolescents’ stress response and anger regulation and interpersonal competence. Slide4

Proposed Relationship: The Impact of Child Maltreatment on the Relationship between

Adolescents’ Stress Response and Adjustment

Negative Adjustment Slide5

Methods: Sample

Utilized data from a longitudinal project of low income urban families followed since birthSub-SampleAdolescents recruited if no acute psychiatric conditions, no serious medical conditions, not pregnant, and IQ > 80

N

=175 adolescents; 51.8% girls

Youth 14 ½ to 16 years of age ( M = 15.36, SD = 1.01)

86.9% African American Slide6

Methods: Procedures

4 sessions spaced 1 week apartSession 1 and 2 : completed questionnairesSession 3 : laboratory- based stress session (TSST-C)Slide7

Methods: Measures

Adolescents’ Stress Response (peak – baseline)Salivary cortisol levelsBlood pressure

Heart rate

Adolescents’ Adjustment

Anger Regulation (BASC-SRP)

Interpersonal Competence

(BASC-SRP

)

Child Maltreatment (CTQ short form)Slide8

Analytic Plan

Structural Equation Modeling (AMOS 18.0)Stress responses examined in separate analysesPath modelsMultiple group

m

odels

Analyses controlled for gender Slide9

Results – Stress Response and Adolescents’ Adjustment

Heightened SBP

Heightened DBP

Heightened Cortisol

Heightened HR

Interpersonal Competence

Problems Anger Regulation

.16

-.18Slide10

Results - The Impact of Child Maltreatment

Heightened SBP

Heightened DBP

Heightened Cortisol

Heightened

HR

Interpersonal Competence

.

21*

.31*

.20*

.21*

-.01

-.07

.

07

-.03Slide11

Results - The Impact of Child Maltreatment

Heightened SBP

Heightened DBP

Heightened Cortisol

Heightened

H

R

Problems Anger Regulation

-.32*

-.23*

-.26*

-.26*

.

17

*

.

10

.31*

-.13Slide12

Summary of Results

Findings from sample as a whole suggested heightened reactivity was associated with adolescents’ adjustment.Found differences for youth low and high in child maltreatment such that:Heightened reactivity associated with positive functioning for youth low in child maltreatment.Heightened reactivity associated with negative functioning

for youth

high

in child maltreatment .Slide13

Discussion

Heightened reactivity appears to be associated with positive functioning but associations were modest. Heightened stress reactivity may be adaptive for youth who report low levels of maltreatment but not high levels, a finding consistent with Boyce’s and Ellis’ theory.For youth high in child maltreatment, heightened stress reactivity was associated with anger regulation problems, problems that are markers for externalizing

behavior. Slide14

Limitations and Future Directions

Need to conduct longitudinal studiesNeed to assess supportive aspects of environment not just adverse aspectsImportant to examine different patterns and trajectories of stress response and the relationship to context and adolescent outcomesSlide15

Acknowledgments

NIH grant support T32DA019426 (Cook) K01-DA-024759 (Chaplin) P50-DA-16556 (Sinha),R01-DA-06025 (Mayes), R01-DA-017863 (Mayes), KO5-DA-020091 (Mayes), Grant

from the Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Research Foundation (Mayes).

Adolescents and Families Slide16

THANK YOU !

ecook@ric.edu