Type
Text
Type
Dissertation
Advisor
Davila, Joanne | Klein, Daniel N | Anderson, Brenda | Kritzer, Mary.
Date
2015-12-01
Keywords
Developmental psychology
Department
Department of Clinical Psychology.
Language
en_US
Source
This work is sponsored by the Stony Brook University Graduate School in compliance with the requirements for completion of degree.
Identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/11401/77184
Publisher
The Graduate School, Stony Brook University: Stony Brook, NY.
Format
application/pdf
Abstract
Previous research has identified puberty as a time of marked vulnerability to negative psychological outcomes, despite the fact that most individuals navigate this transition with little disturbance. The current study investigated neuroendocrine coupling, or the extent to which hormone reactivity is correlated, as a potential mechanism explaining the relationship between puberty and negative outcomes, as well as investigating early life stressors that may influence hormone coupling patterns. Cortisol, DHEA, and testosterone levels were collected from 394 9-year-old children as part of a larger longitudinal study investigating temperament and psychopathology; previously collected information about parenting styles, parental psychopathology, and parental marital discord were examined as predictors of variations in hormone coupling in children, while child psychopathology was examined as an outcome of altered hormone coupling patterns. Results from the current study provided evidence of hormone coupling in 9-year-old children, and identified BMI as a predictor of the strength of hormone coordination; additionally, this study found limited support for the impact of parenting styles on later hormone functioning. Finally, hormone coupling was found to be associated with lifetime anxiety disorder diagnoses. The current study added to the existing literature on mechanisms by which puberty and negative psychological outcomes are related, and generated important questions for future research which will further our understanding of the biological processes surrounding adolescent development and their relation to the emergence of psychiatric illness. | 99 pages
Recommended Citation
Black, Sarah Rose, "Antecedents and outcomes associated with altered neuroendocrine coupling in a young adolescent sample" (2015). Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions). 3018.
https://commons.library.stonybrook.edu/stony-brook-theses-and-dissertations-collection/3018