Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Coping strategies moderate the relation of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity to self-injurious behavior
Sally I Powers1, Eliza T McArdle
1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Tobin Hall, 135 Hicks Way, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. powers@psych.umass.edu
Abstract:
An alarming proportion of adolescents engage in purposefully self-injurious behavior (SIB). SIB is a maladaptive strategy for coping with extreme tension generated in response to stress, particularly interpersonal stress. This study investigated the relation of older adolescents' SIB to the reactivity of the body's major physiological system for responding to stress, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, after interpersonal stress. Adolescents' behavioral, cognitive, and emotional coping strategies were shown to alter the relation between SIB and HPA reactivity after conflict with a romantic partner.
Related Concept Videos
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis
Physiological Foundation of Stress
Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System
Adrenaline triggers the...
Coping Strategies: Problem Focused
For example, consider a student who struggles to understand their...
Coping Strategies: Emotion Focused
Modeling in Therapy
Participant Modeling
Participant modeling involves therapists demonstrating calm and effective behaviors in situations...
Cushing Syndrome II: Pathophysiology

