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Peer Victimization and Aggression: Moderation by Individual Differences in Salivary Cortiol and Alpha-Amylase

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Abstract

This research examined whether variations in salivary measures of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (cortisol) and autonomic nervous system (alpha amylase [sAA]) contribute to individual differences in the association between peer victimization and aggression. Children (N = 132; M age = 9.46 years, SD = 0.33) completed a measure of peer victimization, teachers rated children’s aggression, and children’s saliva was collected prior to, and following, participation in a laboratory-based peer-oriented social challenge task. Children rated their level of frustration at the end of the task. Results revealed that victimization interacted with cortisol and sAA measured in anticipation of the task to predict aggression; the victimization × cortisol contribution to aggression was partly mediated by children’s self-reported frustration level. Victimization also was associated with heightened frustration in girls with high task-related sAA reactivity. Task-related sAA reactivity was associated with heightened aggression, but only for girls. These findings suggest that associations between peer victimization and aggression are moderated by variation in the activity of the major components of the psychobiology of stress; results are discussed in relation to theoretical models of individual differences in biological sensitivity to context.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the families and schools who participated in this study. We are grateful to Jamie Abaied, Monica Agoston, Hannah Banagale, Molly Bartlett, Sarah Kang, Megan Flynn, Nicole Llewelyn, and Niwako Sugimura for their assistance in data collection and management. This research was funded by a University of Illinois Arnold O. Beckman Award and National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH68444 awarded to Karen D. Rudolph.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL, 61820, USA

    Karen D. Rudolph

  2. Department of Psychology, North Dakota State University, 102C Minard Hall, Fargo, ND, 58103, USA

    Wendy Troop-Gordon

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, 315 East Henderson Building, University Park, PA, 16803, USA

    Douglas A. Granger

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  1. Karen D. Rudolph
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  3. Douglas A. Granger
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Correspondence to Karen D. Rudolph.

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In the interest of full disclosure, Douglas A. Granger is the founder and president of Salimetrics LLC (State College, PA).

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Rudolph, K.D., Troop-Gordon, W. & Granger, D.A. Peer Victimization and Aggression: Moderation by Individual Differences in Salivary Cortiol and Alpha-Amylase. J Abnorm Child Psychol 38, 843–856 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-010-9412-3

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