TY  - JOUR
A1  - Effenberger, Pauline S.
A1  - Send, Tabea
A1  - Gilles, Maria
A1  - Wolf, Isabell Ann-Cathrin
A1  - Frank, Josef
A1  - Bongard, Stephan
A1  - Kumsta, Robert
A1  - Witt, Stephanie
A1  - Rietschel, Marcella
A1  - Rietschel, Marcella
A1  - Deuschle, Michael
A1  - Streit, Fabian
T1  - Urbanicity, behavior problems and HPA axis regulation in preschoolers
T2  - Psychoneuroendocrinology
N2  - Growing up in cities is associated with increased risk for developing mental health problems. Stress exposure and altered stress regulation have been proposed as mechanisms linking urbanicity and psychopathology, with most research conducted in adult populations. Here, we focus on early childhood, and investigate urbanicity, behavior problems and the regulation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a central circuit of the stress system, in a sample of N = 399 preschoolers aged 45 months. Urbanicity was coded dichotomously distinguishing between residences with more or less than 100,000 inhabitants. Behavior problems were measured using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) 1½ - 5. Cortisol stress reactivity was assessed using an age-appropriated game-like stress task, and cortisol in the first morning urine was measured to assess nocturnal HPA axis activity. Urbanicity was not associated with behavior problems, urinary cortisol or the cortisol stress response. Neither urinary cortisol nor salivary cortisol response after stress exposure were identified as mediators of the relationship between urbanicity and behavior problems. The findings suggest no strong association of urbanicity with behavior problems and HPA axis regulation in preschool age. To our knowledge, this is the youngest sample to date studying the relationship between urbanicity and behavior problems as well as HPA axis regulation. Future research should examine at which age associations can first be identified and which mechanisms contribute to these relationships.
KW  - Urbanicity
KW  - Behavior problems
KW  - HPA axis reactivity
KW  - Nocturnal HPA axis activity
KW  - Cortisol
KW  - Children
Y1  - 2022
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/75142
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-751428
SN  - 1873-3360
N1  - Funding: DFG ; WI3429/3-2
N1  - Funding: BMBF ; 01ZX1614G
N1  - Funding: ERA-NET NEURON ; 01EW1904
N1  - Funding: ERA-NET NEURON ; 01EW1810
N1  - Funding: Dietmar Hopp Foundation
N1  - Funding: DFG ; FOR2107
N1  - Funding: DFG ; RI908/11-2
VL  - 137
IS  - art. 105660
SP  - 1
EP  - 6
PB  - Elsevier Science
CY  - Amsterdam [u.a.]
ER  -