Growth delay as an index of allostatic load in young children: Predictions to disinhibited social approach and diurnal cortisol activity

Abstract

The goal of this study was to examine whether growth delay can serve as an index of allostatic load during early development, as it is well known that the activity of stress-mediating systems inhibits growth. The participants were children adopted internationally from institutional care (n = 36), children adopted internationally from foster care (n = 6), and nonadopted children (n = 35). For the adopted children, height-for-age and weight-for-height were assessed at adoption; for all children, disinhibited social approach (DSA; termed elsewhere as “indiscriminate friendliness”) and diurnal cortisol were assessed at 6–8 years (M = 6.9 years). For internationally adopted children in general, and postinstitutionalized children specifically, linear growth delay assessed at the time of adoption was associated with more dysregulated behavior in response to an unfamiliar adult (i.e., greater DSA) and a more dysregulated diurnal cortisol rhythm (i.e., higher late-afternoon and evening values). Further, among the most growth-delayed children, higher cortisol levels later in the day were correlated with DSA. The potential for using growth delay as an allostatic load indicator and the possible problems and limitations in its use in child populations are discussed.

Differential sensitization of parenting on early adolescent cortisol: Moderation by profiles of maternal stress

“…Saliva collection occurred 30 min after waking (morning), between 1600 h and 1700 h (afternoon), and 30 min prior to bedtime (evening), consistent with the collection procedures used in previous research (Johnson et al, 2011). See Martin et al (2014) for detailed information regarding the cortisol collection and assay procedures.…”

“…First, saliva collection was limited to 3 times across the day, which precluded an examination of the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Moreover, although we employed sampling procedures consistent with prior studies (e.g., Adam & Kumari, 2009; Fisher et al, 2011; Johnson et al, 2011; Koss et al, 2014; Kroupina et al, 2012; Russ et al, 2012), assessing diurnal cortisol slope using the peak morning value confounds slope with the CAR. Future research should examine the CAR and diurnal cortisol slope outside of the CAR.…”

“…Albeit limited, evidence suggests that as with neglectful early care (Bruce et al, 2009; Johnson et al, 2011), poor parental supervision (Martin et al, 2014) has been linked to flatter slope in morning-to-evening cortisol in older children. In contrast, inconsistent discipline and harsh parenting have not been found to affect diurnal cortisol rhythms in early adolescence (Martin et al, 2012; 2014).…”

Social deprivation and the HPA axis in early development

“…One report on Romanian PI children noted higher cortisol levels over the day, even though children had been in their adoptive families for 6 years or more (Gunnar et al, 2001). All other studies comparing PI to non-adopted children have noted either lower morning cortisol or less marked diurnal rhythms (Gunnar & Vazquez, 2001; Johnson et al, 2011). Similar findings emerged for children in foster care, particularly if they experienced severe early neglect (Bruce et al, 2009).…”

Salivary Cortisol Results Obtainable Within Minutes of Sample Collection Correspond With Traditional Immunoassays

“…A small set of biomarkers provide information about chronic and acute stressors. 2 Cortisol is putatively the most frequently investigated stress biomarker 3 because cortisol is linked with many physiological processes such as neural development and cell death 4 , immune function 5 , learning and memory 6 , sleep 7 , metabolism and fat distribution 8 , growth and development 9 , reproduction 10 , and aging 11 . The powerful role of cortisol in shaping health outcomes is illustrated by its clinical value in treatments ranging from mild rashes in over-the-counter creams to life-saving efforts 12 .…”