Examining change in cortisol patterns during the 10-week transition to a new child-care setting

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Child Development
• Stress Physiology

Background:

• Transitioning to out-of-home child care presents challenges like peer interactions and parental separation.
• Children in child care often exhibit an atypical diurnal cortisol pattern, with a midmorning to afternoon rise, unlike the typical decline at home.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine changes in children's cortisol patterns during the 10-week transition to a new child-care setting.
• To investigate the moderating role of child age on cortisol responses during child care.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal study tracking 168 children (1.2 months to 8 years) during their 10-week transition to child care.
• Utilized structural equation modeling with latent change scores to analyze cortisol pattern changes.
• Compared cortisol diurnal patterns between home and child-care settings.

Main Results:

• Children showed a significant increase in the cortisol rise from morning to afternoon on child-care days across the 10-week transition.
• Child age was found to moderate the difference between home and child-care cortisol patterns.
• The study observed developmental variations in stress responses during child care.

Conclusions:

• The transition to child care is associated with adaptive changes in children's physiological stress responses (cortisol patterns).
• Age plays a crucial role in how children's bodies respond to the stress of child care.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering developmental context in understanding child adaptation to new environments.