Children's salivary cortisol, internalising behaviour problems, and familyenvironment: Results from the concordia longitudinal risk project

To explore the possibility that children's adrenocortical reactions to pare nt-child conflict influence their vulnerability for internalising behaviour problems, we studied 62 mother-child dyads from the Concordia Longitudinal Risk Project. Standardised measures of maternal, child, and family adjustm ent were collected. Mother's and children's saliva was sampled before and a fter a conflict-oriented mother-child interaction task and was later assaye d for cortisol. The children's pre-task cortisol scores were negatively ass ociated with their internalising behaviour problems, their mother's childho od levels of socially withdrawn behaviour and current psychosocial problems , as well as dimensions of family environment representing the open express ion of aggression, anger, and conflict. Children's cortisol levels after th e interaction task were lowest for those raised by mothers with high childh ood levels of aggressive behaviour problems, and in family environments cha racterised by rigid rules. Interrelationships between mother and child pre- and post-task cortisol levels were associated with maternal levels of chil dhood behaviour problems. The integration of measures of children's adrenoc ortical activity into developmental studies of children at risk for psychos ocial problems may reveal important clues regarding the processes by which adverse early rearing environments affect children's internalising problem behaviour.