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Stress reactivity in 15-month-old infants: links with infant temperament, cognitive competence, and attachment

Hedwig J A van Bakel1, J Marianne Riksen-Walraven

  • 1Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Nijmegen, Montessorilaan 3, P. O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. H.J.A.vanBakel@uvt.nl

Developmental Psychobiology
|April 1, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Infant cortisol reactivity to stress is linked to anger proneness and cognitive development. Attachment security influences this relationship, particularly in infants with lower security scores.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroendocrinology
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Cortisol reactivity in infants is a key indicator of stress response.
  • Understanding factors influencing infant stress response is crucial for development.
  • Individual differences in temperament and attachment may modulate physiological stress responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between infant characteristics and salivary cortisol reactivity.
  • To examine the role of anger proneness, cognitive competence, and attachment security in cortisol response.
  • To explore how attachment security moderates the link between cognitive development and cortisol reactivity.

Main Methods:

  • Salivary cortisol levels were measured in 85 infants before and after a stressful event involving a stranger and a robot.
  • Infant anger proneness and cognitive competence were assessed.
  • Attachment security was evaluated using the Attachment Q-Set (AQS).

Main Results:

  • Higher cortisol reactivity was observed in more anger-prone infants.
  • Infants with higher cognitive development (Bayley Scales) showed greater cortisol reactivity.
  • Attachment security moderated the cognitive development-cortisol reactivity link, with the association present only in less securely attached infants.

Conclusions:

  • Anger proneness and cognitive development are associated with infant cortisol reactivity.
  • Attachment security plays a moderating role in the relationship between cognitive development and stress response.
  • Findings contribute to understanding self-regulation development in humans and animals.

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