PRESCHOOLERS BEHAVIORAL AND NEUROENDOCRINE RESPONSES TO SOCIAL CHALLENGE

Relations between young children's salivary cortisol, patterns of beha vior problems, and social behavior were explored in a challenging soci al context. Preschool-aged children (n = 29) with emerging behavior pr oblems participated in activities in small groups, that required them to adapt to unfamiliar teachers, peers, and social events. Diverse beh avioral assessments were conducted, and saliva was collected before an d after the first activity session, 2 weeks later and at home. Larger decreases in salivary cortisol (low neuroendocrine reactivity) during the first session were associated with concurrent and subsequent under controlled (i.e., aggressive and disruptive) social behaviors. In cont rast, overcontrolled behaviors and negative affect during the first an d later activity sessions were associated with larger increases in cor tisol during the later session, when the activities were familiar. The findings suggest that the reciprocal influences between behavioral an d neuroendocrine adaptation to social challenge have implications for the development of behavior problems in preschool children.