Spinrad Tracy L, Eisenberg Nancy, Granger Douglas A, Eggum Natalie D, Sallquist Julie, Haugen R G, Kupfer Anne, Hofer Claire
School of Social and Family Dynamics, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-3701, USA.
Horm Behav. 2009 Jun;56(1):133-9. doi: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2009.03.020. Epub 2009 Apr 5.
We examined the relations of 84 preschoolers' (43 boys; mean age=54 months) situational stress reactivity to their observed emotions and mothers' reports of temperament and adjustment. Salivary cortisol and salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) were collected prior to, and following, a frustrating task. Children's anger, sadness, and positive affect were measured, and mothers reported on preschoolers' dispositional emotionality, regulation, impulsivity, and problem behaviors. Forty-seven percent of children had an increase in sAA and 52% had an increase in cortisol following the challenging task. On average, sAA levels showed the predicted pattern of rise following the frustrating task, followed by return to baseline. For cortisol, there was a mean increase from pre-task to 40 min post-test. sAA reactivity was associated with relatively low levels of dispositional anger and impulsivity and relatively high regulation, particularly for girls. sAA reactivity also was related to low externalizing problems for girls, but not boys. Although cortisol reactivity was unrelated to children's emotions and maladjustment, it was positively related to mothers' reports of regulation. The findings suggest that sAA reactivity in response to a frustrating social task may reflect girls' constrained behavior.
我们考察了84名学龄前儿童（43名男孩；平均年龄 = 54个月）的情境压力反应性与他们观察到的情绪以及母亲报告的气质和适应情况之间的关系。在一项令人沮丧的任务之前和之后收集唾液皮质醇和唾液α淀粉酶（sAA）。测量儿童的愤怒、悲伤和积极情绪，母亲报告学龄前儿童的气质性情绪、调节能力、冲动性和问题行为。在具有挑战性的任务之后，47%的儿童sAA增加，52%的儿童皮质醇增加。平均而言，sAA水平在令人沮丧的任务后呈现出预期的上升模式，随后恢复到基线水平。对于皮质醇，从任务前到测试后40分钟平均有所增加。sAA反应性与相对较低水平的气质性愤怒和冲动性以及相对较高的调节能力相关，尤其是对于女孩。sAA反应性也与女孩较低的外化问题有关，但与男孩无关。虽然皮质醇反应性与儿童的情绪和适应不良无关，但它与母亲报告的调节能力呈正相关。研究结果表明，对令人沮丧的社会任务的sAA反应性可能反映了女孩受约束的行为。
