The DOI matches its Crossref record.
Can poverty get under your skin? Basal cortisol levels and cognitive function in children from low and high socioeconomic status
Abstract
It is well known that individuals from more advantaged social classes enjoy better mental and physical health than do individuals within lower classes. Various mechanisms have been evoked to explain the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and health. One mechanism that has received particular attention in recent years is stress. It has been shown that individuals lower in SES report greater exposure to stressful life events and a greater impact of these events on their life than individuals higher in SES. In order to measure whether the development of the relationship between SES and mental health is sustained by exposure to high levels of glucocorticoids, we measured morning salivary cortisol levels as well as cognitive function (memory, attention, and language) in 307 children (from 6 to 16 years of age) from low versus high SES in the Montreal area in Canada. The results revealed that low SES children from 6 to 10 years old present significantly higher salivary cortisol levels when compared to children from high SES. This difference disappears at the time of school transition, and no SES differences are observed in salivary cortisol levels during high school. However, children from low and high SES do not differ with regard to memory or to attentional and linguistic functions. Also, mothers of low SES children reported higher feelings of depression and more unhealthy behaviors, while mothers of high SES children reported higher stress related to work or family transitions. Altogether, these results show that low SES in young children is related to increased cortisol secretion, although the impact of SES on cortisol secretion is absent after transition to high school. These data are interpreted within the context of the equalization process of class patterning. Four social explanatory factors are suggested to explain the disappearance of SES differences in basal cortisol levels after school transition, taking into account the influence of family environment on the child's secretion of stress hormones.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cited by
Poverty impedes cognitive function.
Mani, A., Mullainathan, S., Shafir, E., & Zhao, J. (2013) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1238041 · Cited by 2,967
Shonkoff, J. P., Boyce, W. T., & McEwen, B. S. (2009) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2009.754 · Cited by 2,326
Self-citationHaushofer, J., & Fehr, E. (2014) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1232491 · Cited by 1,638
Socioeconomic status and the brain: mechanistic insights from human and animal research
Hackman, D. A., Farah, M. J., & Meaney, M. J. (2010) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn2897 · Cited by 1,409
Self-citationAssessing salivary cortisol in large-scale, epidemiological research
Adam, E. K., & Kumari, M. (2009) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2009.06.011 · Cited by 936
Childhood poverty: specific associations with neurocognitive development
Farah, M. J., Shera, D. M., Savage, J. H., Betancourt, L., Giannetta, J. M., Brodsky, N. L., Malmud, E. K., & Hurt, H. (2006) · Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2006.06.072 · Cited by 835
How Experience Gets Under the Skin to Create Gradients in Developmental Health
Hertzman, C., & Boyce, T. (2010) · Annual Review of Public Health · doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.012809.103538 · Cited by 757
Essex, M. J., Klein, M. H., Cho, E., & Kalin, N. H. (2002) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01553-6 · Cited by 698
Stress response and the adolescent transition: performance versus peer rejection stressors
Stroud, L. R., Foster, E., Papandonatos, G. D., Handwerger, K., Granger, D. A., Kivlighan, K. T., & Niaura, R. (2009) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579409000042 · Cited by 610
Mezzacappa, E. (2004) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00746.x · Cited by 587
Miller, G., Chen, E., & Cole, S. W. (2009) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163551 · Cited by 591
Blair, C., Granger, D. A., Willoughby, M., Mills-Koonce, R., Cox, M., Greenberg, M. T., Kivlighan, K. T., Fortunato, C. K., & the FLP Investigators (2011) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01643.x · Cited by 579
Stress hormones and human memory function across the lifespan
Lupien, S. J., Fiocco, A., Wan, N., Maheu, F., Lord, C., Schramek, T., & Tu, M. T. (2005) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2004.08.003 · Cited by 562
Lawson, G. M., Hook, C. J., & Farah, M. J. (2018) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/desc.12529 · Cited by 556
Neural correlates of socioeconomic status in the developing human brain
Noble, K. G., Houston, S. M., Kan, E., & Sowell, E. R. (2012) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01147.x · Cited by 542
De Bellis, M. D. (2005) · Child Maltreatment · doi:10.1177/1077559505275116 · Cited by 531
McLaughlin, K. A., Sheridan, M. A., Tibu, F., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1423363112 · Cited by 426
Blair, C., Granger, D., & Peters Razza, R. (2005) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2005.00863.x · Cited by 367
Telomere length and early severe social deprivation: linking early adversity and cellular aging
Drury, S. S., Theall, K., Gleason, M. M., Smyke, A. T., De Vivo, I., Wong, J. Y. Y., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2012) · Molecular Psychiatry · doi:10.1038/mp.2011.53 · Cited by 316
Pruessner, M., Cullen, A. E., Aas, M., & Walker, E. F. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.013 · Cited by 315
Socio-economic status, cortisol and allostatic load: a review of the literature
Dowd, J. B., Simanek, A. M., & Aiello, A. E. (2009) · International Journal of Epidemiology · doi:10.1093/ije/dyp277 · Cited by 285
Juster, R.-P., Bizik, G., Picard, M., Arsenault-Lapierre, G., Sindi, S., Trepanier, L., Marin, M.-F., Wan, N., Sekerovic, Z., Lord, C., et al. (2011) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579411000289 · Cited by 268
Self-citationLow salivary cortisol levels and externalizing behavior problems in youth
SHIRTCLIFF, E. A., GRANGER, D. A., BOOTH, A., & JOHNSON, D. (2005) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579405050091 · Cited by 264
Putting the concept of biological embedding in historical perspective
Hertzman, C. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1202203109 · Cited by 242
Socioeconomic status and functional brain development – associations in early infancy
Tomalski, P., Moore, D. G., Ribeiro, H., Axelsson, E. L., Murphy, E., Karmiloff‐Smith, A., Johnson, M. H., & Kushnerenko, E. (2013) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/desc.12079 · Cited by 240
Essex, M. J., Shirtcliff, E. A., Burk, L. R., Ruttle, P. L., Klein, M. H., Slattery, M. J., Kalin, N. H., & Armstrong, J. M. (2011) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579411000484 · Cited by 212
The hormonal costs of subtle forms of infant maltreatment
Bugental, D. B., Martorell, G. A., & Barraza, V. (2003) · Hormones and Behavior · doi:10.1016/s0018-506x(02)00008-9 · Cited by 204
Blair, C., Family Life Project Investigators, Granger, D. A., Kivlighan, K. T., Mills-Koonce, R., Willoughby, M., Greenberg, M. T., Hibel, L. C., & Fortunato, C. K. (2008) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.44.4.1095 · Cited by 177
Davies, P. T., Sturge-Apple, M. L., Cicchetti, D., & Cummings, E. M. (2007) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.43.4.918 · Cited by 171
Homelessness Among Families, Children, and Adolescents: An Ecological–Developmental Perspective
Haber, M. G., & Toro, P. A. (2004) · Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review · doi:10.1023/b:ccfp.0000045124.09503.f1 · Cited by 166
Badanes, L. S., Watamura, S. E., & Hankin, B. L. (2011) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s095457941100037x · Cited by 147
Rogosch, F. A., Dackis, M. N., & Cicchetti, D. (2011) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579411000587 · Cited by 138
Karb, R. A., Elliott, M. R., Dowd, J. B., & Morenoff, J. D. (2012) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.03.031 · Cited by 136
Allwood, M. A., Handwerger, K., Kivlighan, K. T., Granger, D. A., & Stroud, L. R. (2011) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2011.06.008 · Cited by 135
Ouellet-Morin, I., Boivin, M., Dionne, G., Lupien, S. J., Arsenault, L., Barr, R. G., Pérusse, D., & Tremblay, R. E. (2008) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.27 · Cited by 125
Self-citationThe association of neighborhood poverty with personality change in childhood
Hart, D., Atkins, R., & Matsuba, M. K. (2008) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.94.6.1048 · Cited by 110
Bevans, K., Cerbone, A., & Overstreet, S. (2008) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579408000126 · Cited by 110
Longitudinal Patterns of Cortisol Regulation Differ in Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children
Doom, J. R., Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2014) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2014.08.006 · Cited by 98
Facebook behaviors associated with diurnal cortisol in adolescents: Is befriending stressful?
Morin-Major, J. K., Marin, M.-F., Durand, N., Wan, N., Juster, R.-P., & Lupien, S. J. (2016) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.10.005 · Cited by 90
Self-citationGustafsson, P. E., Anckarsäter, H., Lichtenstein, P., Nelson, N., & Gustafsson, P. A. (2010) · Psychoneuroendocrinology · doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.04.004 · Cited by 73
Davies, P. T., Sturge-Apple, M. L., & Cicchetti, D. (2011) · Development and Psychopathology · doi:10.1017/s0954579411000319 · Cited by 54
Ford, R. M., McDougall, S. J. P., & Evans, D. (2009) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1348/000712609x406762 · Cited by 51
Jensen, S. K. G., Xie, W., Kumar, S., Haque, R., Petri, W. A., & Nelson, C. A. (2021) · Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience · doi:10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100981 · Cited by 41
Neuro-, Cardio-, and Immunoplasticity: Effects of Early Adversity
Pakulak, E., Stevens, C., & Neville, H. (2018) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044115 · Cited by 37
Henley, P., Lowthers, M., Koren, G., Fedha, P. T., Russell, E., VanUum, S., Arya, S., Darnell, R., Creed, I. F., Trick, C. G., et al. (2014) · Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology · doi:10.1139/cjpp-2014-0035 · Cited by 36
A Developmental Systems Approach to Executive Function
Müller, U., Baker, L., & Yeung, E. (2013) · Advances in Child Development and Behavior · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-397946-9.00003-8 · Cited by 33
He, Z.-H., & Yin, W.-G. (2016) · The Journal of Genetic Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221325.2016.1218322 · Cited by 28
Stressed-Out Oral Immunity: A Gateway From Socioeconomic Adversity to Periodontal Disease
Gomaa, N., Glogauer, M., Nicolau, B., Tenenbaum, H., Siddiqi, A., Fine, N., & Quiñonez, C. (2020) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000000774 · Cited by 25
Poverty, Stress, and Autonomic Reactivity
Alkon, A., Wolff, B., & Boyce, W. T. (2012) · The Oxford Handbook of Poverty and Child Development · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199769100.013.0012 · Cited by 20
(2015) · USF Scholarship Repository (University of San Francisco) · Cited by 3
Metadata
- Authors
- LUPIEN, S. J., KING, S., MEANEY, M. J., & MCEWEN, B. S.
- Venue
- Development and Psychopathology
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2001-09
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 653-676
- ISSN
- 0954-5794 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-2198
- OpenAlex
- W2166596324
- Cited by
- 594
- References
- 0
- FWCI
- 2.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
Data sources
Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.
