1,720,965 research outputs found
Measuring stress in children and adolescents: the past, present and future of saliva testing
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Panel manipulation in social stress testing: The Bath Experimental Stress Test for Children (BEST-C).
No full textBACKGROUND: Whilst acute stress paradigms in adults make use of adult panel members, similar paradigms modified for child participants have not manipulated the panel. Most work has utilised an audience of adult confederates, regardless of the age of the population being tested. The aim of this study was to trial a social stress test for children that provided a meaningful environment using age-matched child peers as panel actors. METHODS: Thirty-three participants (7-11 years) underwent the Bath Experimental Stress Test for Children (BEST-C). Based on the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), it comprises a shortened six-minute public speaking task and four-minute maths challenge. It differs from previous stress tests by using age-matched children on the panel, pre-recorded and presented as a live feed, and includes an expanded manipulation check of subjective experience. Salivary cortisol was assessed at four time points, pre-post stress testing; life events, daily hassles and coping strategies were measured through questionnaires. A simple numerical coding scheme was applied to post-test interview data. RESULTS: The BEST-C generated a typical stress and adaptation response in salivary cortisol (p=.032). Age and gender differences were observed during recovery. Cortisol responses mapped directly onto three distinct subjective response patterns: (i) expected response and recovery; (ii) expected response, no recovery; (iii) no response. CONCLUSIONS: The BEST-C, utilising child confederates of participant target age is a meaningful social stress test for children. This is the first social stress test developed specifically for children that manipulates panel characteristics by using child confederates and a pre-recorded sham panel. Greater cortisol responses to the test were also found to match subjective verbal accounts of the experience. It offers a meaningful acute stress paradigm with potential applications to other child and adolescent age groups. Furthermore, it leads the way in the use of panel manipulation in social stress testing
Using child confederates in social stress testing: impact on child cortisol reactivity
No full textBackground: Social evaluative threat (SET) is well recognised as key characteristic in activation of the stress response and has been repeatedly manipulated in the laboratory with adult populations. Yet lab stress testing in children has yielded comparatively inconsistent findings. The majority of work has utilised a live audience of adult confederates on the stress panel, whether testing adults or children. The use of adult testing panels when testing children may explain some of these inconsistent findings. The aim of this study was to design a more meaningful stress test for children using age matched peers as panel actors and a sham audience portrayed as live but using a pre-recorded video.Method: An experimental laboratory design was employed. Thirty-three participants aged 7-11 years underwent a ten minute social stress test, the Bath Experimental Stress Test for Children (BEST-C). This composed a public speaking task and maths challenge in front of a panel of their peers, pre-recorded and presented as a live feed. Salivary cortisol was assessed at four points, pre–post stress testing. Participants were interviewed about their experience of the test as a post manipulation check and responses thematically coded.Findings: Cortisol levels significantly increased in response to the BEST-C (p=.029). Significant main effects and interactions during the recovery period suggested that the BEST-C generated a typical stress response but the sample showed age and gender differences during the recovery period. Three distinct patterns of subjective response emerged from the post stress interviews: i) task stressful, quickly recovered; ii) task stressful, stress continued post task; iii) task not stressful. Cortisol responses over the task and recovery period mapped directly onto these three response patterns.Discussion: Child confederates of participant target age reliably induced a stress response in young children using the BEST-C. This is the first social stress test for children using both child confederates and a sham panel. It offers a meaningful acute stress paradigm with potential application to other child and adolescent age groups for investigating relationships between stress, coping and health outcomes
Psychosocial factors that influence children with immune related health conditions
No full textThis chapter examines resilience in children from a health psychology perspective, with a focus on the biopsychosocial approach and the science of psychoneuroimmunology. A central notion is that of resilience being both psychosocial and physiological in nature and that developing psychosocial resilience has the capacity to build physiological resilience. Immune-related conditions are of particular relevance in this context and three types of health conditions are examined in relation to resilience: atopic conditions including asthma and eczema; infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS; and autoimmune conditions including diabetes, juvenile arthritis, and systemic lupus. In the first part of the chapter we discuss the definition and meaning of resilience and key theories in health psychology and psychoneuroimmunology which relate to resilience including that of stress and coping and the concept of allostasis and allostatic load. The second part of the chapter focuses on each of the three types of conditions, drawing from a range of studies, to examine psychosocial and biological characteristics of resilience and psychosocial interventions to develop resilience and facilitate resilient outcomes. Theory into practice is linked throughout the chapter and a summary model of resiliency characteristics and outcomes is presented
Children's implicit understanding of the stress-illness link: Testing development of health cognitions.
No full textOBJECTIVE: Innate knowledge and developmental stage theory have been used to explain children's understanding of concepts relating to health, illness, and stress. The aim of this study was to investigate the degree to which children demonstrate unconscious cognitive associations between the concepts of stress and illness. DESIGN: The study employed an experimental design using an age appropriate implicit association task. METHODS: Thirty-two children (5-11 years of age) completed the Preschool Implicit Association Test (PSIAT), a computer-based measure of reaction time to consistent (stress and illness) and inconsistent (stress and health) concept pairings. RESULTS: Whilst age group had a significant effect on reaction times (older children generally displaying faster reaction times than younger children), those as young as 5-6 years of age were able to demonstrate implicit associations between stress and illness using the PSIAT. There was also some indication that this association peaks at around 7-8 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support a combination of developmental stage theory and the innate theory of children's understanding. Whilst sample size is small, this study is the first to apply the PSIAT to the context of implicit cognitive associations between stress and illness in children. Findings have potential implications for the delivery of interventions to facilitate health promotion and development of positive health behaviours in children and indicate that even children as young as 5-6 years have some ability to relate to the concept that stress may influence illness. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? The way in which children understand health and illness is commensurate with their developmental stage and experience of illness. Children also appear to have a degree of innate understanding of health and illness and their causes. Furthermore, recent work suggests children have some innate understanding and knowledge of the concept of stress. What does this study add? This is the first study to use an implicit association task to assess children's understanding of stress and illness. Implicit stress-illness associations were seen in children as young as 5-6 years of age. Whilst sample size was small, this proof-of-concept study bridges disciplines to further understanding of health
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