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How low socioeconomic status affects 2-year hormonal trajectories in children

Edith Chen1, Sheldon Cohen, Gregory E Miller

  • 1University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T1Z4. echen@psych.ubc.ca

Psychological Science
|April 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) in children is linked to increased cortisol output over time, influenced by threat perception and family chaos. This research helps explain health disparities in children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Health Disparities Research
  • Psychoneuroendocrinology

Background:

  • Socioeconomic status (SES) disparities are prevalent in mental and physical health, but the underlying pathways remain unclear.
  • Understanding how SES influences health trajectories is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
  • Limited research exists on the longitudinal impact of SES on children's physiological stress responses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if socioeconomic status (SES) affects the longitudinal trajectories of cortisol output in children.
  • To identify psychosocial factors mediating the relationship between SES and cortisol output.
  • To elucidate pathways contributing to health disparities in children linked to SES.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study involving 50 healthy children over 2 years.
  • Saliva samples collected four times daily for 2 days at 6-month intervals.
  • Baseline interviews assessed socioeconomic status (SES) and psychosocial factors.

Main Results:

  • Children from lower SES backgrounds showed significantly greater increases in daily cortisol output over 2 years compared to higher SES children.
  • These SES-related differences in cortisol trajectories were partially explained by children's perception of threat and family chaos.
  • Findings highlight the role of psychosocial factors in linking low SES to altered hormonal development.

Conclusions:

  • Socioeconomic status (SES) significantly influences the longitudinal development of cortisol output in children.
  • Children's threat perception and family chaos are key mediators linking low SES to heightened physiological stress.
  • Identifying these pathways offers potential targets for interventions to mitigate health disparities in low-SES children.

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