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

1. Stress Response and Adolescents’ Adjustment: The impact of child maltreatment Emily C. Cook Rhode 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, BC

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Proposed Relationship: The Impact of Child Maltreatment on the Relationship between Adolescents’ Stress Response and Adjustment Negative Adjustment

5. Methods: Sample • Utilized data from a longitudinal project of low income urban families followed since birth • Sub-Sample • Adolescents 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

6. Methods: Procedures • 4 sessions spaced 1 week apart • Session 1 and 2 : completed questionnaires • Session 3 : laboratory- based stress session (TSST-C)

7. Methods: Measures • Adolescents’ Stress Response (peak – baseline) • Salivary cortisol levels • Blood pressure • Heart rate • Adolescents’ Adjustment • Anger Regulation (BASC-SRP) • Interpersonal Competence (BASC-SRP) • Child Maltreatment (CTQ short form)

8. Analytic Plan • Structural Equation Modeling (AMOS 18.0) • Stress responses examined in separate analyses • Path models • Multiple group models • Analyses controlled for gender

9. Results – Stress Response and Adolescents’ Adjustment Heightened SBP Interpersonal Competence Heightened DBP -.18 Heightened Cortisol .16 Problems Anger Regulation Heightened HR

10. Results - The Impact of Child Maltreatment Heightened SBP .21* -.01 Heightened DBP .20* .07 Interpersonal Competence -.03 Heightened Cortisol .21* -.07 .31* Heightened HR

11. Results - The Impact of Child Maltreatment Heightened SBP -.32* .17* Heightened DBP -.26* Problems Anger Regulation -.13 .31* -.26* Heightened Cortisol .10 -.23* Heightened HR

12. 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 .

13. 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.

14. Limitations and Future Directions • Need to conduct longitudinal studies • Need to assess supportive aspects of environment not just adverse aspects • Important to examine different patterns and trajectories of stress response and the relationship to context and adolescent outcomes

15. 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

16. THANK YOU ! ecook@ric.edu