Honors College Thesis
 

Effects of ACEs and Parenting Style on Children’s Cortisol Levels at Preschool

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/honors_college_theses/73666d09w

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  • Recently, the definition of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has evolved to also encompass environmental and contextual factors, termed expanded ACEs (Lipscomb et al., 2021). Given that responsive relationships in early childhood may dampen the response to traumatic stressors in the context of conventional ACEs (Flinn & England et al., 1997), the influence of parenting style on these expanded ACEs should be analyzed. This thesis study seeks to explore a potential relation between parenting style and preschool children’s response to ACEs by measuring cortisol patterns across the morning at preschool. The current study utilizes a subsample of secondary data from a larger study that focuses on 63 preschool aged children and their families. Salivary cortisol was measured at preschool via oral swab, once upon arrival to preschool and once in midmorning; rate of diurnal change (RDC) was calculated. Measures of parent overreactivity and child ACEs were collected through parent reports. A linear regression model was executed as the variables met the assumptions for regression. ACEs (conventional and expanded) and parent overreactivity were the independent variables, and household income and parent gender were included as covariates in a model predicting RDC. Results indicate nonsignificant findings. Future research should consider measures of laxness and verbosity as potential predictors of deviations from typical RDC, as should measures of cortisol in a home environment.
  • Key Words: Parenting, Overreactivity, Expanded ACEs, Cortisol, HPA Axis Functioning
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