Lifetime stressors, hair cortisol, and executive function: Age-related associations in childhood.

ABSTRACT: Extant research is mixed regarding the relations among lifetime exposure to stressors, adrenocortical activity, and executive function (EF), particularly in children. Aggregate measures of adrenocortical activity like hair cortisol concentration (HCC), timing of stress exposure, and age at assessment may clarify these associations. This cross-sectional study examined the association among parent-reported exposure to stressors, hair cortisol concentration (HCC), and children's EF via a tablet task in a community sample (n = 318, 52.5% female) of children across a wide age range (4-13 years, M = 9.4, SD = 2.3). Path analyses revealed that parent-reported child lifetime exposure to stressors, but not past-year stressful life events, negatively predicted HCC. There was also a marginally signif

SUBMITTER: DePasquale CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8217410 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature