1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«The present study aimed to test whether a cumulative index of persistent socioeconomic (e.g., low family income, young and single motherhood) and psychosocial (e.g., maternal depression, hostile-reactive parenting, peer victimization) adversity, measured between 5 months and 15 years of age, was associated with HCC [hair cortisol concentration] measured two years later, at 17 years of age.» (p. 3)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The authors’ «hypothesis was that a cumulative index of persistent adversity would better predict later HCC than any single indicator.» (p. 9)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
«Participants were members of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development (QLSCD), a population-based cohort of 2120 children born in 1997–1998 in all administrative regions of the Province of Quebec (Canada) […].» (p. 3) «A total of 556 participants (42.0%; 231 males) provided enough hair for analysis.» (p. 3)

Instruments :
Questionnaires

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

The authors «found that persistent adversity was non-linearly associated with HCC at 17 years of age, whereby moderate-to-higher HCC were noted in youth exposed to lower and higher adversity levels, whereas lower HCC were detected at moderate levels of adversity […].» (p. 8) The study’s «findings demonstrated that the association between adversity and HCC varies in strength and direction according to increasingly severe adversity. [The authors] argue that multiple processes may underline these distinct patterns of secretion across the distribution of the severity of adversity.» (p. 9) For example, «youths who grew up in environments characterized by the presence of lower (or no) adversity and who displayed moderate-to-higher HCC may have been subjected to less toxic stress threatening their physical well-being (e.g., food insecurity, physical maltreatment, and housing problems), but could have, nonetheless, been disproportionally exposed to other forms of unmeasured social stressors, including higher expectations from parents to perform at school or to pursue postsecondary education […].» (p. 9)