Fries Alison B Wismer, Shirtcliff Elizabeth A, Pollak Seth D
University of Wisconsin at Madison, Department of Psychology, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Dev Psychobiol. 2008 Sep;50(6):588-99. doi: 10.1002/dev.20319.
Human and nonhuman animal studies reveal that early experiences with caregivers shape children's ability to regulate their responses to stress. To understand the effects of early deprivation on the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis following social interactions, we examined urinary cortisol levels in a group of internationally adopted children who had experienced institutional care, and thus, species-atypical attachment relationships, early in life prior to adoption. Cortisol regulation was assessed both basally and following standardized interpersonal interactions between the child and his/her mother and the child and an unfamiliar adult. Postinstitutionalized children showed prolonged elevations in cortisol levels following the mother, but not the stranger, interaction. More severe neglect was associated with the highest basal cortisol levels and the most impaired cortisol regulation following the mother interaction. These results suggest that early social deprivation may contribute to long-term regulatory problems of the stress-responsive system, and that these differences are most evident within the context of ongoing, close interpersonal relationships.
人类和非人类动物研究表明，早期与照顾者的经历塑造了儿童调节自身对压力反应的能力。为了了解早期剥夺对社交互动后下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺轴调节的影响，我们检测了一组国际收养儿童的尿皮质醇水平，这些儿童在被收养前的早年生活中经历了机构照料，因而形成了非典型的依恋关系。在儿童与他/她的母亲以及儿童与一位陌生成年人进行标准化人际互动前后，我们对皮质醇调节进行了基础评估。脱离机构照料后的儿童在与母亲互动后皮质醇水平出现了长时间升高，但与陌生人互动后未出现这种情况。更严重的忽视与最高的基础皮质醇水平以及与母亲互动后最受损的皮质醇调节相关。这些结果表明，早期社会剥夺可能导致应激反应系统出现长期调节问题，并且这些差异在持续的亲密人际关系背景下最为明显。
