Abstract
Objective: Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are both associated with stress physiology as indexed by cortisol. The present study tested the extent to which racial/ethnic disparities in cortisol reactivity are explained by socioeconomic status. Method: The sample consisted of 296 racially and socioeconomically diverse children ages 8-11 (47% boys). Mothers reported on children's stressors and socioeconomic status; salivary cortisol levels were assessed before and after the Trier Social Stress Test. Results: Results demonstrated that racial group differences in cortisol reactivity were partially accounted for by differences in socioeconomic status, but racial group differences in cortisol recovery were not. Conclusions: These findings suggest that cumulative effects of stress and disadvantage may result in differences in stress response physiology as early as middle childhood, and that race-specific mechanisms account for additional variance in cortisol reactivity and recovery.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 662-672 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Health Psychology |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2017 |
Keywords
- Cortisol reactivity and recovery
- Racial/ethnic differences
- Socioeconomic status, middle childhood
- Stress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Applied Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health