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Developmental change in infants' responses to stress
1Department of Pediatrics, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick 08903-0019, USA.
Child Development
|June 1, 1995
Summary
Infant stress responses, measured by cortisol levels, decrease with age between 2 and 6 months. Individual stress response patterns become more stable during this developmental period.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Infant stress physiology
Background:
- Infant stress responses to medical procedures are common.
- Understanding developmental changes in these responses is crucial for pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally examine infant stress responses to a physical examination and inoculation.
- To investigate developmental shifts in adrenocortical functioning and response stability between 2 and 6 months of age.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal observation of infant stress responses at 2, 4, and 6 months.
- Measurement of cortisol levels as a biomarker for stress.
- Assessment of behavioral responses alongside physiological measures.
Main Results:
- Cortisol levels and stress responses generally decreased with infant age.
- Increased stability in individual cortisol and behavioral responses was observed between 4 and 6 months.
- Diurnal variation in baseline cortisol was evident only at 6 months.
Conclusions:
- A developmental shift in adrenocortical functioning occurs between 2 and 6 months of age.
- Individual stress response patterns show increasing stability during this period.
- While some infants exhibit stress-related cortisol decreases, this pattern is not consistently maintained across ages.