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Rising cortisol at childcare: relations with nap, rest, and temperament
Sarah E Watamura1, Anne M Sebanc, Megan R Gunnar
1Department in Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
Insights
Cortisol levels unexpectedly rise during full-day childcare, despite typically dropping at home. Napping duration or quality did not explain this childcare cortisol increase.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Childcare Research
Background:
- Recent studies show an unexpected rise in cortisol levels throughout the day in children attending full-day, center-based childcare.
- This contrasts with the typical diurnal cortisol rhythm, which includes a drop in the evening, often observed at home.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between daytime rest patterns and cortisol level changes in children at childcare.
- To determine if napping duration or quality influences the observed cortisol rise during the childcare day.
Main Methods:
- Salivary cortisol was measured in 35 children at multiple time points during childcare (10:30 a.m., pre-rest, post-rest, 3:30 p.m.).
- Cortisol was also measured in 8 children at home (10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m.).
- Rest duration and quality were systematically coded during nap periods.
Main Results:
- A cortisol rise across the childcare day was observed in 91% of children.
- A cortisol drop was observed at home in 75% of children.
- No significant relationship was found between napping variables (duration, quality) and the cortisol rise at childcare.
- No differences in rest quality or duration were identified between home and childcare settings.
Conclusions:
- Daytime rest periods do not appear to explain the cortisol rise observed during full-day childcare.
- Factors beyond napping, potentially related to social interaction demands in group settings, may contribute to elevated cortisol levels.
- Further research is needed to explore the impact of the childcare environment on children's stress physiology.
Abstract:
An unexpected rise in cortisol across the day in full-day, center-based childcare has been recently observed. Most of the children in these studies exhibited the rise across the day at childcare, but the expected drop at home. Possible explanations include more or less napping at childcare than at home. This study measured cortisol during childcare at 10:30 a.m., pre-rest, post-rest, and 3:30 p.m. for 35 children, and at 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at home for 8 children. Duration and quality of rest were coded during nap periods. For 91% of children, cortisol rose at childcare and for 75% dropped at home. None of the napping variables were related to the rise at childcare nor were differences found between home and childcare rest. Factors other than daytime rest periods seem likely to account for the rise in cortisol across the childcare day, possibly factors involving the interactional demands of group settings during this developmental period.