Crystal I. Bryce

Brief Report: Compliance and Noncompliance to Parental Control Strategies in Children with High-Functioning Autism and Their Typical Peers

The present study examined children’s compliance and noncompliance behaviors in response to parental control strategies in 20 children with high-functioning autism (HFA) and 20 matched typically-developing children. Observational coding was used to measure child compliance (committed, situational), noncompliance (passive, defiance, self-assertion, negotiation) and parent control strategies (commands, reprimands, positive incentives, reasoning, bargaining) in a clean-up task. Sequential analyses were conducted to identify parent behaviors that temporally predicted child compliance or noncompliance. Children with HFA were significantly more noncompliant and less compliant immediately following parents’ indirect commands than typically-developing children, even after controlling for receptive language. These results add to the existing literature on the efficacy of control strategies for children with autism, and have important implications for caregiver interventions.

Adiponectin: Serum-saliva associations and relations with oral and systemic markers of inflammation

&NA; This study addresses gaps in our understanding about the validity and utility of using salivary adiponectin to index serum adiponectin levels. Matched blood and saliva samples were collected on a single occasion from healthy adults (n = 99; age 18–36 years, 53% male). Serum and saliva was assayed for adiponectin and inflammatory cytokines (IL‐1&bgr;, IL‐6, IL‐8, TNF&agr;), and saliva was also assayed for markers of blood contamination (transferrin), total protein (salivary flow rate) and matrix metalloproteinase‐8 (MMP‐8). We examined the extent to which salivary adiponectin was associated with serum adiponectin, and the influence of potential confounders on the serum‐saliva correlation, including age, sex, body mass index, and markers of inflammation, oral health, salivary blood contamination, and flow rate. Findings revealed a modest serum‐saliva association for adiponectin, and strong positive associations between salivary adiponectin and salivary levels of inflammatory cytokines, MMP‐8, transferrin, and total protein. By contrast, salivary adiponectin was not related to serum levels of inflammatory activity. The magnitude of the serum‐saliva association was strengthened when controlling for total protein in saliva, blood leakage into oral fluid, salivary inflammatory cytokines, and MMP‐8. The pattern of findings extends our understanding of salivary adiponectin and its potential use as an index of circulating adiponectin levels. HighlightsSalivary adiponectin was positively correlated with salivary inflammatory activity.Salivary and serum adiponectin were not related to serum inflammatory activity.Serum and salivary adiponectin were moderately positively correlated.Adjusting for oral inflammation improved the adiponectin serum‐saliva correlation.

Latent trait cortisol (LTC) during pregnancy: Composition, continuity, change, and concomitants

Individual differences in the activity of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis are often operationalized using summary measures of cortisol that are taken to represent stable individual differences. Here we extend our understanding of a novel latent variable approach to latent trait cortisol (LTC) as a measure of trait-like HPA axis function during pregnancy. Pregnant women (n=380) prospectively collected 8 diurnal saliva samples (4 samples/day, 2 days) within each trimester. Saliva was assayed for cortisol. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to fit LTC models to early morning and daytime cortisol. For individual trimester data, only the daytime LTC models had adequate fit. These daytime LTC models were strongly correlated between trimesters and stable over pregnancy. Daytime LTC was unrelated to the cortisol awakening response and the daytime slope but strongly correlated with the area under the curve from ground. The findings support the validity of LTC as a measure of cortisol during pregnancy and suggest that it is not affected by pregnancy-related changes in HPA axis function.

Kindergarten School Engagement: Linking Early Temperament and Academic Achievement at the Transition to School

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Although children’s temperament contributes to their academic success, little is known regarding the mechanisms through which temperament is associated with academic achievement during the transition to elementary school. One such mechanism may be school engagement, but findings are inconsistent and limited. Across 2 waves of data at the transition to school, we examined the role of kindergarten emotional and behavioral engagement as links between preschool temperament (positive emotionality, anger, and effortful control) and kindergarten academic achievement among a predominantly Mexican/Mexican American sample of 241 children drawn from Head Start classrooms. Significant direct effects indicated that preschool anger was negatively, and positive emotionality and effortful control positively, associated with kindergarten behavioral engagement. Only preschool anger was significantly associated with kindergarten emotional engagement. In turn, kindergarten behavioral, but not emotional, engagement was directly, positively associated with kindergarten academic achievement. All 3 preschool temperament measures were indirectly related to kindergarten achievement via kindergarten behavioral engagement, and anger was indirectly related to kindergarten achievement via emotional engagement. Practice or Policy: Findings highlight the importance of understanding the role of engagement as a mechanism that can foster children’s academic achievement at a key developmental transition.

Long-Term Effects of Prematurity, Cumulative Medical Risk, and Proximal and Distal Social Forces on Individual Differences in Diurnal Cortisol at Young Adulthood:

This study examined the effects of prematurity, cumulative medical risk, and proximal and distal social forces on individual differences in the activity of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis in young adulthood. A prospective sample of 149 infants born healthy preterm (PT; n = 22), sick PT (n = 93, medical illness, neurological illness, small for gestational age), and full term (n = 34) was recruited from a Level III neonatal intensive care unit in southern New England between 1985 and 1989 and followed to age 23 years. Cumulative medical risk was indexed across seven assessment waves (spanning 17 years) using medical and neurological health status at birth, toddlerhood (ages 18 and 30 months), childhood (ages 4 and 8 years), and adolescence (ages 12 and 17 years). Distal risk included socioeconomic status (SES) at birth. Proximal social factors were indexed from assessments of the home environment and measures of child vulnerability and maternal self-esteem, involvement, and control style from birth, 4 years, 8 years, and 12 years. At age 23 years, five saliva samples were collected upon awakening, 45 min after waking, 4 hr after waking, 8 hr after waking, and bedtime (later assayed for cortisol). Results reveal effects of cumulative medical risk on the diurnal pattern of HPA axis activity, with moderating effects of SES and proximal social factors. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for contemporary theories related to developmental sensitivity and susceptibility to context and the developmental origins of health and disease theory.

Classroom-level adversity: Associations with children's internalizing and externalizing behaviors across elementary school.

Concerns regarding the social-behavioral maladjustment of U.S. youth have spurred efforts among educators and policymakers to identify and remedy educational contexts that exacerbate children’s anxiety, depression, aggression, and misconduct. However, investigations of the influence of collective classroom student characteristics on individuals’ social-behavioral functioning are few. The present study examined concurrent and longitudinal relations between adversity factors facing the collective classroom student group and levels of children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors across the elementary school years, and whether the pattern of relations differed for girls and boys. First-, third-, and fifth-grade teachers reported on the extent to which adversity-related factors (e.g., home/family life, academic readiness, social readiness, English proficiency, tardiness/absenteeism, student mobility, health) presented a challenge in their classrooms (i.e., classroom-level adversity [CLA]). Mothers reported on their child’s internalizing and externalizing behavior at each grade. Autoregressive, lagged panel models controlled for prior levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior, mothers’ education, family income-to-needs, and class size. For all children at each grade, CLA was concurrently and positively associated with externalizing behavior. For first-grade girls, but not boys, CLA was also concurrently and positively associated with internalizing behavior. Indirect effects suggested CLA influenced later internalizing and externalizing behavior through its influence on maladjustment in a given year. Discussion highlights possible methods of intervention to reduce CLA or the negative consequences associated with being in a higher-adversity classroom.

First Grade Classroom-Level Adversity: Associations With Teaching Practices, Academic Skills, and Executive Functioning

Using data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development and a model-building approach, the authors examined direct and indirect associations between first-grade (G1) classroom-level adversity (CLA), G1 teaching practices, and student (N = 1,073; M = 6.64 years; 49% girls; 82% White) academic skills and executive functioning in G1 and third grades (G3). Teachers reported the prevalence of adversity among their students (e.g., poor home/family life, poor academic/social readiness). Observers rated G1 teaching practices: teachers’ classroom management, controlling instruction, and amount of academic instruction (classroom observation system). Children completed literacy and math assessments at 54 months, G1, and G3 (Woodcock Johnson Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems), and executive functioning at G1 and G3 (Tower of Hanoi). Direct associations emerged between CLA and controlling instruction (positive), classroom management, and academic instruction (both negative). In addition, CLA was related to G1 literacy (but not math) directly and indirectly via classroom management (negatively) and controlling instruction (positively). The addition of G3 outcomes revealed a negative direct longitudinal association between CLA and G3 executive functioning, and indirect associations with G3 literacy and math through G1 teaching practices and literacy. Results support the notion that collective student characteristics influence student outcomes in part through teaching practices and suggest that teachers and students may benefit from the diffusion of high-adversity classroom compositions when possible. Moreover, in high-adversity classrooms teachers and students may benefit from supports targeting classroom management and foundational student competencies.

The effect of a service dog on salivary cortisol awakening response in a military population with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Recent studies suggest a therapeutic effect of psychiatric service dogs for military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but are limited by self-report biases. The current study assessed the effect of PTSD service dogs on the salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR) and arousal-related functioning in a population of military veterans with PTSD. Participants included 73 post-9/11 military veterans with PTSD including 45 with a service dog and 28 on the waitlist to receive one. Saliva samples were collected on two consecutive weekday mornings at awakening and 30 min later to quantify the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and its area under the curve (AUCi) in addition to standardized survey measures of anxiety, anger, sleep quality and disturbance, and alcohol abuse. There was a significant main effect of having a service dog on both the CAR and the AUCi, with individuals with a service dog exhibiting a higher CAR and AUCi compared to those on the waitlist. Results also revealed that those with a service dog reported significantly lower anxiety, anger, and sleep disturbance as well as less alcohol abuse compared to those on the waitlist, with medium to large effect sizes. Although those with a service dog reported significantly less PTSD symptom severity, CAR was not significantly associated with PTSD symptoms within or across group. In conclusion, results indicate that the placement of a PTSD service dog may have a significant positive influence on both physiological and psychosocial indicators of wellbeing in military veterans with PTSD. Although clinical significance cannot be confirmed, a higher CAR/AUCi among those with a service dog may indicate better health and wellbeing in this population. Future within-subject, longitudinal research will be necessary to determine potential clinical significance and impact of individual differences.

Prematurity and perinatal adversity effects hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity to social evaluative threat in adulthood

This study examined the long-term effects of prematurity and perinatal adversity on individual differences in stress-related reactivity and regulation of the HPA axis. A prospective sample of 155 infants born preterm and healthy (n = 20), medical illness (n = 48), neurological illness (n = 26), and small for gestational age (n = 24) and full-term (n = 37) were recruited between 1985 and 1989. At age 23 years, multiple saliva samples were collected before and after participation in the Trier Social Stress Test and later assayed for cortisol. Results reveal that at age 23 years, infants born premature with neurological complications showed higher cortisol reactivity to social evaluative threat compared to either their full-term, small for gestation age, medically ill, or healthy preterm peers. Findings are discussed in terms of implications for contemporary theories that propose effects of early adversity on biological sensitivities and susceptibilities, which translate experience into developmental outcomes related to poor health and risk for disease.

Stable trait-like individual differences in salivary uric acid (SUA): Relations to gender and body mass index.

This study explores the nature of individual differences in salivary uric acid (sUA), a potential biomarker of oxidative stress (OS). Saliva was collected from a racially diverse (60% Caucasian) group of college students (n = 205; 48% male; age 18–30 years) at the beginning and end of a semester. Within each assessment time point saliva samples were collected initially and 2.5 h later, and then assayed for sUA. sUA levels were positively correlated within and between assessment points. Males had higher sUA levels than females, and sUA levels were associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI). Latent state trait (LST) modeling revealed that the majority (62–68%) of the variance in sUA levels could be attributed to a latent trait component suggesting relative stability in sUA levels. Being male and having a higher BMI was positively associated with the trait-component of sUA explaining 15.1% of variance in the sUA latent trait. sUA should be explored as a potential minimally invasive measure of individual differences in health conditions (e.g. cardiovascular disease) where pathophysiology is associated with OS.