Lihua Chen1, Xiaoming Li, Ledina Imami, Danhua Lin, Junfeng Zhao, Guoxiang Zhao, Samuele Zilioli. 1. From the Institute of Developmental Psychology (Chen, Lin), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (Li), University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina; Department of Psychology (Imami, Zilioli), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan; Institute of Psychology and Behavior (Zhao), Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, China; Department of Psychology (Zhao), Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan, China; and Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences (Zilioli), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the most well-established social determinants of health. However, little is known about what can protect the health of individuals (especially children) living in low-SES circumstances. This study explored whether the psychological strategy of "shift-and-persist" protects low-SES children from stress-related physiological risks, as measured through blunted (unhealthy) diurnal cortisol profiles. METHODS: A sample of 645 children (aged 8-15 years) from low-SES backgrounds and having at least one HIV-positive parent completed a battery of psychological scales. Diurnal cortisol assessments included collection of saliva samples four times a day for 3 days, from which three cortisol parameters (cortisol at awakening, cortisol awakening response, and cortisol slope) were derived. RESULTS: Higher levels of shift-and-persist, considered as a single variable, were associated with higher cortisol at awakening (B = 0.0119, SE = 0.0034, p < .001) and a steeper cortisol slope (B = -0.0007, SE = 0.0003, p = .023). These associations remained significant after adjusting for covariates and did not vary by age. In supplementary analyses, where shifting and persisting were treated as separate variables, the interaction between these two coping strategies significantly predicted cortisol at awakening (B = 0.0250, SE = 0.0107, p = .020) and the cortisol slope (B = -0.0022, SE = 0.0011, p = .040), suggesting that the combination of shift-and-persist is important for predicting diurnal cortisol profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that shift-and-persist is associated with healthier diurnal cortisol profiles among socioeconomically disadvantaged children and introduce the possibility that this coping strategy is protective against other stressors, such as those uniquely faced by children in our study (i.e., being affected by parental HIV).
OBJECTIVE: Low socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the most well-established social determinants of health. However, little is known about what can protect the health of individuals (especially children) living in low-SES circumstances. This study explored whether the psychological strategy of "shift-and-persist" protects low-SES children from stress-related physiological risks, as measured through blunted (unhealthy) diurnal cortisol profiles. METHODS: A sample of 645 children (aged 8-15 years) from low-SES backgrounds and having at least one HIV-positive parent completed a battery of psychological scales. Diurnal cortisol assessments included collection of saliva samples four times a day for 3 days, from which three cortisol parameters (cortisol at awakening, cortisol awakening response, and cortisol slope) were derived. RESULTS: Higher levels of shift-and-persist, considered as a single variable, were associated with higher cortisol at awakening (B = 0.0119, SE = 0.0034, p < .001) and a steeper cortisol slope (B = -0.0007, SE = 0.0003, p = .023). These associations remained significant after adjusting for covariates and did not vary by age. In supplementary analyses, where shifting and persisting were treated as separate variables, the interaction between these two coping strategies significantly predicted cortisol at awakening (B = 0.0250, SE = 0.0107, p = .020) and the cortisol slope (B = -0.0022, SE = 0.0011, p = .040), suggesting that the combination of shift-and-persist is important for predicting diurnal cortisol profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that shift-and-persist is associated with healthier diurnal cortisol profiles among socioeconomically disadvantaged children and introduce the possibility that this coping strategy is protective against other stressors, such as those uniquely faced by children in our study (i.e., being affected by parental HIV).
Authors: Paula A Braveman; Catherine Cubbin; Susan Egerter; David R Williams; Elsie Pamuk Journal: Am J Public Health Date: 2010-02-10 Impact factor: 9.308
Authors: Edith Chen; Robert C Strunk; Alexandra Trethewey; Hannah M C Schreier; Nandini Maharaj; Gregory E Miller Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2011-08-06 Impact factor: 10.793
Authors: Félice Lê-Scherban; Allison B Brenner; Margaret T Hicken; Belinda L Needham; Teresa Seeman; Richard P Sloan; Xu Wang; Ana V Diez Roux Journal: Psychosom Med Date: 2018 Feb/Mar Impact factor: 4.312
Authors: Karly M Murphy; Edith Chen; Edward H Ip; Abby R Rosenberg; Mallory A Snyder; John M Salsman Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2022-08-13 Impact factor: 3.440
Authors: N Keita Christophe; Gabriela L Stein; Michelle Y Martin Romero; Puja P Patel; Joseph K Sircar Journal: Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol Date: 2021-06-28
Authors: N Keita Christophe; Gabriela Livas Stein; Michelle Y Martin Romero; Michele Chan; Michaeline Jensen; Laura M Gonzalez; Lisa Kiang Journal: J Youth Adolesc Date: 2019-05-27