Abstract
Child abuse is associated with alterations in the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis functioning. However, the unique effects of psychological and physical abuse and protective factors against these effects remain largely unknown. To close these gaps, the present study examined the unique effects of psychological and physical abuse on cortisol stress response and explored the moderating role of psychosocial resources in these associations among a sample of Chinese preadolescent children (N = 150; aged 9–13 years; Mage = 10.69 years; 51% boys). The results showed that both psychological and physical abuse were associated with blunted cortisol reactivity slopes. Psychological abuse, but not physical abuse, was associated with lower peak cortisol values and flatter cortisol recovery slopes. Further, psychosocial resources moderated the association between abuse and hyporesponsiveness of the HPA axis. The association between psychological abuse and lower peak cortisol values and the association between physical abuse and steeper cortisol recovery slopes (faster cortisol recovery following the stressor) were observed only among children with low levels of psychosocial resources. These findings indicate the differential effects of psychological and physical abuse on various phases of cortisol stress response, and the protective role of psychosocial resources. This study also has practical implications, given that preadolescence serves as a critical period for maximizing benefit of interventions of adversity.
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Acknowledgements
We are appreciative of the children and their parents or primary caregivers who participated in our study and the research assistants who assisted with data collection.
Authors’ Contributions
JS conceived of the study for this submission, conducted data analyses, interpreted the results, drafted and revised the manuscript; JY participated in the research design and interpretation of the data, and edited the manuscript; SZ participated in the interpretation of the data and editing the manuscript; MX participated in the interpretation of the data and editing the manuscript; LC coordinated the data collection and edited the manuscript; DL designed and coordinated the project, interpreted the data and edited the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071076).
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Sun, J., Jiang, Y., Zilioli, S. et al. Psychological and Physical Abuse and Cortisol Response to Stress: The Moderating Role of Psychosocial Resources. J Youth Adolescence 52, 91–104 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01699-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01699-x