Developmental programming of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis is theorized as a mechanism through which early life experiences are linked to later health outcomes. Despite the importance of understanding early stress responses, reliably eliciting stress responses in young children can be challenging. The current study measured salivary cortisol reactivity in a diverse sample of preschoolers. A standardized challenge paradigm was administered at home and at child care for each child, allowing for comparison of normative cortisol reactivity between settings. Results demonstrated that administration at home was associated with significant cortisol reactivity, while administration at child care was not. In comparison to white children, racially and ethnically diverse children exhibited lower cortisol reactivity in response to the home stressor. Results suggest that home-based stress paradigms may be particularly effective at eliciting a stress response in this age range. Possible interpretations of differences by child race/ethnicity are discussed.

中文翻译：

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家庭和儿童保育学龄前儿童的皮质醇反应性：环境对引发儿童种族/民族规范压力反应的影响

下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺轴的发育程序被理论化为一种机制，通过这种机制，早期生活经历与后来的健康结果相关联。尽管了解早期压力反应很重要，但可靠地引发幼儿的压力反应可能具有挑战性。目前的研究测量了不同学龄前儿童样本的唾液皮质醇反应性。为每个孩子在家中和托儿所管理标准化的挑战范式，允许比较不同设置之间的规范皮质醇反应性。结果表明，在家给药与显着的皮质醇反应相关，而在托儿所给药则不然。与白人儿童相比，不同种族和民族的儿童在应对家庭压力时表现出较低的皮质醇反应性。结果表明，以家庭为基础的压力范式在引起这个年龄段的压力反应方面可能特别有效。讨论了儿童种族/民族对差异的可能解释。