Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
Children's Institute, Rochester, NY, USA.
Dev Psychopathol. 2023 Oct;35(4):1614-1626. doi: 10.1017/S0954579422000335. Epub 2022 May 30.
Person-centered methods represent an important advance in the simultaneous examination of multiple indicators of neuroendocrine functioning and may facilitate a more nuanced understanding of the impact of child maltreatment on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation. The aims of the present study were threefold: (a) identify naturally occurring patterns of diurnal cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) regulation among a sample of = 1,258 children with and without histories of maltreatment, (b) investigate which neuroendocrine profiles characterize children with exposure to maltreatment, and (c) examine which profiles are related to adaptive outcomes and symptomatology among children. Cortisol and DHEA were sampled three times per day (9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 4 p.m.) across 5 and 2 days, respectively. Four profiles of cortisol and DHEA regulation were identified. Among females, a pattern marked by high cortisol and low DHEA was associated with more pervasive maltreatment experiences. Furthermore, we found evidence of adaptive interpersonal resilience such that children with maltreatment exposure who evidenced this pattern of high cortisol and low DHEA were viewed as more likeable than maltreated children with other neuroendocrine patterns. Finally, results pointed to higher levels of internalizing symptoms among children who displayed a profile marked by average cortisol and high DHEA.
以患者为中心的方法代表了同时检查神经内分泌功能的多种指标的重要进展，并且可能有助于更细致地了解虐待对下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴失调的影响。本研究的目的有三个：（a）在一组有和没有虐待史的 = 1,258 名儿童中，确定日间皮质醇和脱氢表雄酮（DHEA）调节的自然发生模式；（b）研究哪些神经内分泌特征描述了暴露于虐待的儿童；（c）检查哪些特征与儿童的适应性结果和症状相关。皮质醇和 DHEA 分别在 5 天和 2 天内每天测量 3 次（上午 9 点、中午 12 点和下午 4 点）。确定了皮质醇和 DHEA 调节的四种模式。在女性中，以高皮质醇和低 DHEA 为特征的模式与更普遍的虐待经历有关。此外，我们发现了适应性人际适应力的证据，即表现出高皮质醇和低 DHEA 模式的有虐待史的儿童比具有其他神经内分泌模式的受虐待儿童更受欢迎。最后，结果表明，表现出平均皮质醇和高 DHEA 特征的儿童的内化症状水平较高。
