Correlates of hair cortisol concentrations in disadvantaged young children

© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Children from highly disadvantaged families tend to experience worse health, educational, and job outcomes than less disadvantaged peers. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships remain to be explicated. In particular, few studies have investigated the relationships between the psychosocial influences that children are exposed to early in life and longer term cortisol output. This study aims to contribute to the literature by exploring how disadvantaged young children's experiences of family adversity, and parenting and family functioning, are related to their long-term cortisol levels. A sample of 60 children (26 males, mean = 4.25 years, SD = 1.68) and their mothers (mean = 34.18 years, SD = 7.11) from a low-income population took part in a single assessment. Mothers completed questionnaires on the family environment, parenting practices, and child behaviour. Children provided a hair sample for cortisol assay and anthropometric measures. A parsimonious multivariate regression model (including potential predictors identified by a selection algorithm) was used to investigate the correlates of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) in children. Higher levels of social exclusion, being male, and younger age were each associated with higher HCC. Maternal nurturing and emotion coaching were associated with lower HCC. Findings suggest that chronic stress may underlie relationships between adversity and its long-term effects and that HCC offers a promising method for examining chronic stress in children and evaluating interventions by which it can be ameliorated

Summary of logistic regression analysis.

<p>Summary of logistic regression analysis.</p

Summary of linear models for the backlash and related measures in the Danish sample.

<p>Summary of linear models for the backlash and related measures in the Danish sample.</p

Summary of conditions including codes related to the learner, teacher, and teacher-learner relation.

<p>Summary of conditions including codes related to the learner, teacher, and teacher-learner relation.</p

Proportion of obedient participants as a function of code value.

<p>Proportion of obedient participants as a function of code value.</p

Means, standard deviations, and scale reliabilities (Cronbach’s alpha) of the scales in the Australian and Danish samples.

<p>Note, SDP = Support for Discriminatory Practices; PFGT = Perceived Fairness of Gender-based Treatment; SDO = Social Dominance Orientation.</p

Beyond Mars and Venus: The role of gender essentialism in support for gender inequality and backlash

<div><p>It has been argued that gender essentialism impedes progress towards greater gender equality. Here we present a new gender essentialism scale (GES), and validate it in two large nationally representative samples from Denmark and Australia. In both samples the GES was highly reliable and predicted lack of support for sex-role egalitarianism and support for gender discrimination, as well as perceived fairness of gender-based treatment in the Australian sample, independently of two established predictors (i.e., social dominance orientation and conservative political orientation). In addition, gender essentialism assessed by the GES moderated some manifestations of the backlash effect: high essentialists were more likely to respond negatively towards a power-seeking female political candidate relative to a male candidate. Given the implications for possible workplace interventions, further work could usefully explore whether gender essentialism moderates other well-established forms of gender bias.</p></div

Beyond Mars and Venus: The role of gender essentialism in support for gender inequality and backlash.

<p><b>AU = Australia</b></p><p><b>DK = Denmark</b></p><p><b>blGender = Gender</b></p><p><b>blAgency = Agency</b></p><p><b>blCommunality = Communality</b></p><p><b>blCompetence = Competence</b></p><p><b>blNegemo = Negative emotion</b></p><p><b>blOutrage = Moral outrage</b></p><p><b>mean GE = Gender Essentialism Scale (GES) score</b></p><p><b>binary GE = low or high GES score</b></p><p><b>SRES = Sex Roles Egalitarianism Scale score</b></p><p><b>SDO = Social Dominance Orientation</b></p><p><b>Discrim = Support for discriminatory practices</b></p><p><b>Fairness = Perceived fairness of gender-based treatment</b></p><p><b>politicalOrientation = Political orientation</b></p><p><b>Vote = vote for candidate</b></p

Summary of study conditions (E = experimenter, L = learner, T = teacher).

<p>Summary of study conditions (E =  experimenter, L =  learner, T =  teacher).</p

Standardized beta weights from multiple regression analyses regressing sex-role egalitarianism (SRES), support for discriminatory practices (SDP), and perceived fairness of gender-based treatment (PFGT) on gender essentialism, social dominance orientation (SDO), and political orientation.

<p>Each column represents one analysis.</p