Nonhuman animal models reveal that the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA) axis calibrates to harshness of environment during a sensitive period in infancy. Humans exposed depriving institutional care infancy show reduced HPA responsivity, even years after they are placed supportive, well-resourced families. This study examined whether puberty opens window opportunity recalibrate toward more typical reactivity when children shift from harsh deprived conditions into supportive...

Background Children adopted from orphanages or other such institutions tend to display blunted reactivity stressors – even years after arriving in their generally supportive and highly resourced postadoption homes. Puberty, a proposed sensitive period for environmental influences on stress‐mediating systems, may provide an opportunity postinstitutionalized children recalibrate stress response systems accordance with now more living situations. Methods This cross‐sectional study examined the...

This study extends the validity and replicability of Benevolent Childhood Experiences (BCEs) scale, a novel instrument for adults with childhood adversity. The BCEs scale assesses 10 favorable experiences, yielding total score similar to Adverse (ACEs) (Centers Disease Control Prevention, 2017; Felitti et al., 1998). current examined in sample homeless parents hypothesized that higher levels would predict lower odds psychological distress, sociodemographic risk, parenting stress after...

Seventy‐eight postinstitutionalized (PI) children adopted at ages 17–36 months were assessed 2, 8, 16, and 24 postadoption on measures of cortisol parenting quality, compared to same‐aged from foster care (FC, n = 45) nonadopted (NA, 45). In kindergarten ( M age 6.0 years), teachers, parents, trained observers completed peer relationships attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. PI had more problems ADHD symptoms according teachers than NA with FC in between, whereas both...

Parental sensitivity and nurturance are important mechanisms for establishing biological, emotional, social functioning in childhood. Sensitive, nurturing care is most critical during the first three years of life, when attachment relationships form parental shapes foundational neural physiological systems, with lifelong consequences. also buffers children from negative effects growing up difficult circumstances such as poverty.

Recent research has suggested that the pubertal period provides an opportunity for recalibrating stress-responsive systems in youth whose responses to stress have been altered by early adversity. Such recalibration may cascading effects affect brain and behavioral development. In this article, we consider a large, cross-species literature demonstrate potential importance of understanding development psychopathology following deprivation caregivers. We review evidence...

Megan Gunnar's pubertal stress recalibration hypothesis was supported in a recent study of previously institutionalized (PI) youth such that increases stage were associated with cortisol reactivity. This work provides evidence puberty may open up window for PI youth, resulting shift from blunted to more typical response. Using the same sample (N = 132), current aimed elucidate whether are adaptive functioning or they further underlie potential links developmental psychopathology....

Extant research is mixed regarding the relations among lifetime exposure to stressors, adrenocortical activity, and executive function (EF), particularly in children. Aggregate measures of activity like hair cortisol concentration (HCC), timing stress exposure, age at assessment may clarify these associations. This cross-sectional study examined association parent-reported children's EF via a tablet task community sample (n = 318, 52.5% female) children across wide range (4-13 years, M 9.4,...

The current study compared behavioral and adrenocortical functioning of maltreated (N = 91) comparably aged (1.5-3 years) institutionally-reared children soon after (1.5-2.5 months) placement in foster care or adoptive homes, respectively. Foster parents reported on the children's socioemotional competence behavior problems, experimenters scored fear positive affect to laboratory tasks, diurnal cortisol measures were obtained. We sought address whether these early contexts, characterized by...

Abstract The impact of maltreatment spreads across many developmental domains and extends the entire life span. Identifying unidirectional or bidirectional drivers cascades effects experiences is critical to efficiently employing interventions promote resilient development in maltreated children. This 1-year longitudinal study utilized a multiple-levels approach, investigating “bottom-up” “top-down” using structural equation modeling between cortisol regulation, externalizing behavior, peer...

Current and early life stress (ELS) are associated with diurnal cortisol patterns, which themselves mental physical health. The pubertal recalibration hypothesis suggests that the social environment can impact dysregulated patterns for previously ELS-exposed youth as they transition through puberty. This study examined longitudinal change in awakening response (CAR) slope (DS) across puberty a function of ELS infancy, current stress, support (N = 290, 7-17 years). CAR DS were thrice annually...

The present study examined the psychometric properties of a brief parent-report daily checklist toddler behavior (Parent Daily Report - Toddler Version; PDR-T). Data were collected from three groups 18-36 month-olds who followed longitudinally for approximately 1 year: 1) internationally adopted children (

Abstract Children who have experienced institutional care early in life tend to show deficits behavioral and adrenocortical regulation that impact their ability form friendships positive social interactions with peers. Understanding how post‐institutionalized children interact unfamiliar peers the factors predict quality of these may shed light on processes contributing persistent, often increasing seen children. In this study, one child (either or non‐adopted; “target”) interacted another...