Poverty, Relationship Conflict, and the Regulation of Cortisol in Small and Large Group Contexts at Child Care

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to explore the dynamics of cortisol regulation in the context of center-based child care by examining the impact of social context (large classroom vs. small group) and relationship quality with caregivers (conflict with mothers and teachers). We extend the research on children's physiologic stress system functioning in center-based child care by focusing on morning cortisol levels among young children living in poverty. While in high-quality center-based child care, children's cortisol levels decreased over the course of the morning-a result that contrasts with findings in previous research with middle-class children, for whom cortisol typically increased over the course of the day while attending center-based child care. Cortisol levels were further reduced when children were moved from a large classroom environment to a small group context. Relationship conflict with mothers and teachers moderated these effects. Children who had high conflict with their mother exhibited cortisol levels that remained higher (decreased less) over the course of the morning, and children who had high conflict with their teacher exhibited cortisol levels that remained higher (decreased less) in response to the small group context. These results indicate that high-quality child care has the potential to support reduced stress among children living in poverty, at least as indicated by adrenocortical activity.

Adrenocortical responses to strangers in preschoolers: Relations with parenting, temperament, and psychopathology

“…Conversely, our results indicate that angry and punitive maternal care could constitute an adverse rearing condition that disrupts adaptive HPA functioning. The finding that more punitive mothers had children with elevated cortisol levels both 20 and 65 min after interacting with adult strangers echoes a recent report that more conflicted mother–child relationships are associated with higher morning cortisol levels while in child care (Rappolt‐Schlichtmann, Willett, Ayoub, Lindsley, Hulette, & Fischer, 2010). More extreme, abusive parenting has been associated with HPA hyporesponsivity (e.g., Hart, Gunnar, & Cicchetti, 1995; see review by Gunnar & Quevedo, 2007).…”

Elevated cortisol levels in Norwegian toddlers in childcare

“…Concerning structural quality factors in childcare, Legendre (2003) found that for large groups (more than 15 children and four adults), age differences between children (of more than 6 months) and area of the playroom were related to higher cortisol levels. Among toddlers living in poverty, cortisol levels were reduced when children were moved from a large to a small group context (two children and two adults), but only when there were low levels of conflict in the caregiver-child relationship (Rappolt-Schlichtmann et al, 2009).…”

Child Care and Cortisol Across Infancy and Toddlerhood: Poverty, Peers, and Developmental Timing

“…With rare exception, however, the extant findings with respect to child care and children's adrenocortical functioning have been based on studies of middle-to upper-income families (though see Rappolt-Schlichtmann et al, 2009). There is good reason to suspect that the relation between children's child care experiences and their subsequent development-behaviorally and physiologically-may be quite different for children growing up in the context of economic adversity (Berry et al, 2014(Berry et al, , 2016Côté et al, 2007;Côté, Borge, Geoffroy, Rutter, & Tremblay, 2008;Crosby, Dowsett, Gennetian, & Huston, 2010;Dearing, McCartney, & Taylor, 2009;Votruba-Drzal, Coley, & Chase-Lansdale, 2004).…”