Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Limited Bedding and Nesting as a Model for Early-Life Adversity in Mice
04:20

Limited Bedding and Nesting as a Model for Early-Life Adversity in Mice

Published on: July 12, 2024

The import of the cortisol rise in child care differs as a function of behavioral inhibition

Megan R Gunnar1, Erin Kryzer, Mark J Van Ryzin

  • 1Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Gunnar@umn.edu

Developmental Psychology
|December 22, 2010
PubMed

Insights

A child's cortisol rise in childcare is linked to anxious behavior and internalizing symptoms, especially in children with high behavioral inhibition. Temperament influences how stress responses in early childhood affect later emotional well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Stress Response Research

Background:

  • Childcare environments can elicit physiological stress responses in young children.
  • Understanding the link between early stress and later behavioral outcomes is crucial for child development.
  • Behavioral inhibition is a temperamental trait associated with sensitivity to stress.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between cortisol rise in childcare and child outcomes.
  • To examine the moderating role of behavioral inhibition in this association.
  • To determine if cortisol changes predict anxious behavior and internalizing symptoms.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 107 children aged 3 to 4.5 years, assessed twice over 6 months.
  • Measured cortisol levels in response to childcare.
  • Assessed anxious, vigilant behavior and internalizing symptoms, controlling for home environment and childcare quality.

Main Results:

  • Cortisol rise in childcare predicted increased anxious behavior and internalizing symptoms, particularly in children with high behavioral inhibition.
  • Children with high behavioral inhibition and low initial cortisol showed reduced anxious behavior.
  • Temperament, specifically behavioral inhibition, moderated the impact of childcare stress on child outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • The rise in cortisol during childcare has differential predictive value based on a child's temperament.
  • Behaviorally inhibited children may be more vulnerable to the negative effects of childcare-related stress.
  • Early stress responses and temperament interact to shape child emotional and behavioral development.

More Related Videos

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents06:15

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents

Published on: July 10, 2017

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges08:22

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Published on: February 25, 2016

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
Conduct Disorder01:28

Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...
Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis01:37

Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis

The response to stress—be it physical or psychological, acute or chronic—involves activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is part of the neuroendocrine system because it involves both neuronal and hormonal communication. Its function is to regulate homeostatic systems—metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune—providing the necessary means to respond to a stressor.
Operant Conditioning Intervention01:24

Operant Conditioning Intervention

Operant conditioning serves as a foundational principle in therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying maladaptive behaviors. Central to this approach is the notion that behaviors, both adaptive and maladaptive, are learned through reinforcement. By analyzing the environmental factors that reinforce problematic behaviors, clinicians can design interventions to weaken these reinforcements and replace maladaptive behaviors with healthier alternatives.
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development01:30

Socioemotional Experience and Gender Development

Social-emotional experiences and cultural influences play significant roles in shaping gender development. During middle childhood, from ages 6 to 11, peer groups become dominant in reinforcing gender norms. Children in this age group often align with same-gender peer groups, which actively encourage behaviors that conform to traditional gender roles. For instance, boys may be discouraged from engaging in activities perceived as feminine, reinforcing culturally dictated norms about masculinity...