Associations Between Effortful Control, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Depressive Problems in Latino Preadolescents

Abstract

The present study examined associations between effortful control, a trait marker of self-regulation, adaptive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system functioning (as reflected by the cortisol awakening response [CAR]), and concurrent and longitudinal depressive problems, in a sample of preadolescent Latino youth ( N = 119, mean age = 11.53 years, 59% girls). We hypothesized that trait readiness for self-regulation (specifically effortful control) could be related to physiological state readiness for self-regulation (as measured using the Cortisol Awakening Response or CAR), and that both may counter depressive problems. We found that youth’s CAR was positively associated with effortful control, and negatively with youth depressive problems. Effortful control and youth depressive problems were also negatively associated. Longitudinal relations of CAR and effortful control on depressive problems at T2 were not significant in the structural equation model after controlling for T1 depressive problems, although these variables were significant in the bivariate correlations. Results suggest that both trait regulation and physiological regulation may counter depressive problems in Latino youth.

Individual longitudinal changes in DNA-methylome identify signatures of early-life adversity and correlate with later outcome

“…We determined the relationship of changes in methylation and effortful control at age five because effortful control is a reliable predictor of cognitive and emotional outcomes ( Moffitt et al, 2011 ; Hankin et al, 2016 ; Caspi et al, 1998 ; White et al, 1994 ; Fergusson et al, 2013 ; Barry et al, 2022 ; Taylor et al, 2019 ; Johnson et al, 2022 ; Nigg, 2017 ). The average change in methylation of an individual child over the first year associated with the age 5 effortful control (R = 0.27, p = 0.01), accounting for ∼7.3% of variance in the task ( Fig.…”

Within-subject changes in methylome profile identify individual signatures of early-life adversity, with a potential to predict neuropsychiatric outcome

“…We determined the relationship of changes in methylation profiles and effortful control at age five, because effortful control is a reliable predictor of outcomes later in life: lower effortful control in childhood is predictive of poorer mental and physical health, as well as decreased productivity and material success across the lifespan (15,(60)(61)(62)(63)(103)(104)(105)(106). The average change in methylation of an individual child from newborn to one year of age was significantly associated with effortful control at 5 years (R= 0.27, p=0.01), accounting for approximately 7.3% of the variance in child effortful control (Fig.…”