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Updated: Apr 28, 2026

A Modified Trier Social Stress Test for Vulnerable Mexican American Adolescents
Published on: July 10, 2017
Parent support is less effective in buffering cortisol stress reactivity for adolescents compared to children
Camelia E Hostinar1, Anna E Johnson, Megan R Gunnar
1Cells to Society - The Center on Social Disparities and Health, Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, USA; Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, USA.
Abstract:
The goal of the present study was to investigate developmental differences in the effectiveness of parent support to alleviate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis stress responses of children (ages 9-10, N = 40) and adolescents (ages 15-16, N = 41). We experimentally manipulated the provision of parent support during the speech preparation period before a modified Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and examined its effect on levels of salivary cortisol secreted in response to this laboratory stressor. Analyses revealed a significant interaction of condition and age group such that social support from the parent (versus a stranger) significantly eliminated the cortisol stress response in children, but had no effect on the response among adolescents.
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