Abstract

Four saliva probes were collected per day from 104 children (10 to 35 months old) transitioning from home (T0) to childcare across a four-month period (until T3), resulting in over one thousand cortisol values. Latent Profile Analysis classified three profiles within a regular spectrum of children’s cortisol rhythms and described a fourth hypocortisol stress profile. Further Latent Transition Analysis revealed that profiles frequently changed across the transition but stabilized at T3. Most importantly, regular profiles across transition most likely occurred with high AQS scores of mother-child and care provider–child attachment. A machine learning procedure (XGBoost) featured predictors for stress profiles at T3 (when the child ought to be adjusted and stress profiles should be rare) referring to characteristics of the children (e.g., gender, number of siblings, peer contact before entry), the mothers (their worries), the care providers (their work experience, engagement, attachment) and the groups in the childcare centers (e.g., size, age differences, illness frequency). As a result, experience with siblings and peers before entry facilitated the transition. However, most conditions not linearly affecting children’s cortisol revealed even opposite effects when analyzed at different times. For example, smaller group size and large age-differences at T1 helped the child to stabilize a Regular profile, perhaps due to better control over the situation and greater support from the older children in the group. At T3, however, Regular profiles were associated with larger group size and smaller age-differences which might be helpful for establishing close peer relationships to buffer stress.

摘要

每天从 104 名儿童（10 至 35 个月大）身上收集四个唾液探针，这些儿童在四个月的时间内（直到 T3）从家庭（T0）过渡到托儿所，得出了超过 1000 个皮质醇值。潜在概况分析对儿童皮质醇节律的常规范围内的三个概况进行了分类，并描述了第四个下皮质醇压力概况。进一步的潜在转变分析表明，在转变过程中概况经常发生变化，但在 T3 时稳定。最重要的是，在母子依恋和护理人员与儿童依恋的 AQS 得分较高的情况下，整个过渡时期的常规情况很可能发生。机器学习程序 (XGBoost) 具有 T3 压力分布的预测因子（当孩子应该进行调整并且压力分布应该很少时），参考儿童的特征（例如，性别、兄弟姐妹的数量、进入前的同伴接触）、母亲（他们的担忧）、护理提供者（他们的工作经验、参与度、依恋）以及托儿中心的群体（例如，规模、年龄差异、患病频率）。因此，入学前与兄弟姐妹和同龄人的经历促进了这种转变。然而，大多数对儿童皮质醇没有线性影响的情况在不同时间进行分析时甚至显示出相反的影响。例如，T1 时较小的团体规模和较大的年龄差异有助于孩子稳定 入学前与兄弟姐妹和同龄人的经历促进了这种转变。然而，大多数对儿童皮质醇没有线性影响的情况在不同时间进行分析时甚至显示出相反的影响。例如，T1 时较小的团体规模和较大的年龄差异有助于孩子稳定 入学前与兄弟姐妹和同龄人的经历促进了这种转变。然而，大多数对儿童皮质醇没有线性影响的情况在不同时间进行分析时甚至显示出相反的影响。例如，T1 时较小的团体规模和较大的年龄差异有助于孩子稳定定期的形象，也许是因为对局势的更好控制以及来自群体中年龄较大的孩子的更多支持。然而，在 T3 阶段，常规档案与较大的群体规模和较小的年龄差异相关，这可能有助于建立密切的同伴关系以缓冲压力。