Reuters – Kathryn Doyle
“In a new study of low-income children in the U.S., those with more family instability and an emotionally unavailable mother early in life also had higher levels of a stress hormone and more learning delays. The research ties specific patterns of the hormone cortisol, released into the bloodstream in times of stress, with cognitive abilities for children in poverty. Insensitive parenting and family instability were the strongest predictors of children’s cortisol profiles, even stronger than other factors like interpartner violence, said lead author Jennifer H. Suor, a doctoral student in clinical psychology at the University of Rochester. “Extensive research has shown that many low-income children face a variety of social stressors, such as chaotic and unpredictable family environments and problematic parenting practices as economic hardship is known to place considerable burden on the family system,” Suor told Reuters Health by email. The researchers studied 201 pairs of low-income mothers and their two-year old children recruited through community assistance programs in Rochester, New York. Almost all were receiving public assistance and living below the federal poverty line.”(more)