Daily stress, cortisol, and sleep: the moderating role of childhood psychosocial environments.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore whether childhood family environments moderated the relation between daily stress and daily biological outcomes (sleep, cortisol output) in healthy young adults. DESIGN: There were 87 participants, ages 19 to 25 who provided information on characteristics of their childhood family environment (conflict, parental warmth). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: For 1 week they completed a daily stress checklist via electronic diary, provided salivary cortisol samples 4 times a day, and wore an Actiwatch to measure sleep (minutes, efficiency). Data was analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. RESULTS: Family risk significantly moderated the relation between daily number of stressors and sleep minutes (b = -12.10, p = .02), such that the more difficult one's childhood environment, the less sleep individuals got on days in which they experienced a greater number of stressors. Parental warmth moderated the relation between stress severity and cortisol output (b = -0.19, p = .04), such that the less parental warmth individuals received during childhood, the more cortisol they secreted on days that they experienced more severe stress. CONCLUSIONS: The childhood psychosocial environment may have long-term effects on biological responses to daily stress, creating vulnerability to disease in individuals from difficult childhoods.

On the costs of self-interested economic behavior: how does stinginess get under the skin?

The present study examined how financial decisions 'get under the skin'. Participants played an economic game in which they could donate some of their payment to another student. Affect was measured afterward and salivary cortisol was measured before and afterward. Participants who kept more money for themselves reported less positive affect, more negative affect, and more shame. Shame predicted higher levels of post-game cortisol, controlling for pre-game cortisol; stingy economic behavior therefore produced a significant indirect effect on cortisol via shame. Thus, shame and cortisol represent plausible emotional and biological pathways linking everyday decisions with downstream consequences for health.

The temporal relationships between sleep, cortisol, and lung functioning in youth with asthma.

OBJECTIVES: This study tested the directionality of the association between sleep and health outcomes in youth with asthma. METHOD: Thirty-eight youth with asthma (aged 9-19) completed a daily diary study on sleep, asthma symptoms, peak expiratory flow (PEF) measures, and salivary cortisol samples. RESULTS: Greater quantity of sleep predicted lower PEF% [beta(32) = -.33, p =.02], and lower daily cortisol output [beta(33) = -.31, p =.07] the following day. Additionally, poorer self-reported sleep quality predicted more severe symptoms the next day [beta(33) =.27, p =.05]. In contrast, PEF%, cortisol, and asthma symptoms did not significantly predict self-reported sleep quantity or quality the next night. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that sleep may affect subsequent health outcomes, rather than asthma impacting subsequent sleep, indicating the potential benefits of targeting sleep behaviors in youth with asthma.

Socioeconomic status and health behaviors in adolescence: a review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this review was to determine the direction of associations between SES and health behaviors during the period of adolescence. METHOD: We searched the PsychInfo and Pubmed databases for studies that measured the association between SES and cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, marijuana use, diet, and physical activity in adolescents between 10- and 21-years old. RESULTS: Associations between SES and health behaviors conformed to two patterns. First, low SES was associated with poorer diets, less physical activity, and greater cigarette smoking. Second, there was no clear pattern of associations between SES and alcohol consumption or marijuana use. CONCLUSION: Results from this review indicate that, although some associations between SES and health behaviors exist during adolescence, the associations are not as robust as those in adulthood. Efforts to curb poor diet, inactivity, and smoking behaviors should target low SES adolescents, whereas efforts to curb teen drinking and marijuana use may be useful across the SES spectrum.

Socioeconomic status, race, and body mass index: the mediating role of physical activity and sedentary behaviors during adolescence.

OBJECTIVE: To assess how sociodemographic and activity behaviors contribute to adolescent body mass index (BMI). METHODS: One hundred and thirteen adolescents (M = 17 years; 42% Caucasian, 56% African American) were assessed on BMI. Teens reported activity levels and caregivers reported socioeconomic status (SES). RESULTS: Adolescents from lower SES backgrounds, and from minority groups, had higher BMI (r = -.26, p < .01 and t(110) = -3.01, p < .01). Formal statistical mediation tests revealed that sedentary behaviors significantly mediated the association between SES and BMI (Z = 2.31, p < .05), whereas physical activity significantly mediated the race-BMI association (Z = 2.32, p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions targeting teen BMI could benefit by aiming to decrease sedentary behavior in low SES teens and increase physical activity in teens from minority groups.

Socioeconomic status and substance use behaviors in adolescents: the role of family resources versus family social status.

The aims of this study were to test the associations among socio-economic status (SES) and substance use in adolescents, and to compare the relative strength of associations for different types of SES markers, including financial resources and family social status. A total of 113 teenagers reported their substance use, and parents reported family SES. High SES teens were more likely to use substances than low SES teens. Family financial resources were a stronger predictor of substance use than family status. Programs aimed at reducing teen substance use should be aware of these risk factors when developing substance use interventions.

Socioeconomic status and inflammatory processes in childhood asthma: the role of psychological stress.

BACKGROUND: Although social environment variables such as socioeconomic status (SES) have been linked to childhood asthma, little is known about the psychobiological mechanisms underlying this relationship. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to investigate relationships among SES, psychological stress, and immune processes implicated in asthma. METHODS: Thirty-seven children ages 9 to 18 years, physician-diagnosed with asthma, and 39 healthy children participated. Families were interviewed about chronic life stress, perceptions of threat, and SES. Blood samples were drawn from children to assess stimulated production of cytokines implicated in asthma (IL-4, IL-5, IL-13) and eosinophil counts. RESULTS: In children with asthma, lower SES was associated with heightened production of IL-5 and IL-13 and higher eosinophil counts (P values < .05). Lower SES also was associated with higher chronic stress and perceived threat (both groups: P values < .05). Higher levels of stress and threat perception were associated with heightened production of IL-5 and IL-13, and higher eosinophil counts in children with asthma (P values < .05). Statistical mediation tests revealed that chronic stress and threat perception represented statistically significant pathways between SES and immune processes in children with asthma (P values < .05). In healthy children, associations were in the opposite direction from the asthma group, though generally not significant. CONCLUSION: This is one of the first studies to document empirically a psychobiological explanation for the epidemiologic relationship between low SES and poor asthma outcomes. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Associations among SES, psychological stress, and immune pathways suggest that the experience of stress, particularly among lower SES children, has implications for childhood asthma morbidity.