Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume 35, Issue 8 , Pages 1156-1166, September 2010

Child care setting affects salivary cortisol and antibody secretion in young children

  • Sarah Enos Watamura

      Affiliations

    • Department of Human Development, MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States
    • Now at the Department of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 S. Race St., Denver, CO 80208, United States.
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +1 303 871 4130; fax: +1 303 871 4747.
    • ,
  • Christopher L. Coe

      Affiliations

    • Harlow Center for Biological Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Department of Psychology, Madison, WI 53715, United States
    • ,
  • Mark L. Laudenslager

      Affiliations

    • Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Denver, CO 80220, United States
    • ,
  • Steven S. Robertson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Human Development, MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, United States

Received 27 July 2009; received in revised form 26 January 2010; accepted 2 February 2010.

Summary 

Elevated afternoon levels of cortisol have been found repeatedly in children during child care. However, it is unclear whether these elevations have any consequences. Because physiologic stress systems and the immune system are functionally linked, we examined the relationship between salivary cortisol concentration and antibody secretion across the day at home and in child care, and their relationships with parent-reported illnesses. Salivary antibody provides a critical line of defense against pathogens entering via the mouth, but little is known about its diurnal rhythm in young children or the effect of different environmental contexts. Saliva samples were taken at approximately 10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on two child care and two home days in a sample of 65 3–5-year-old children attending very high quality, full time child care centers. Results indicated that (1) a rising cortisol profile at child care, driven by higher afternoon levels, predicted lower antibody levels on the subsequent weekend, (2) higher cortisol on weekend days was related to greater parent-reported illness, and (3) a declining daily pattern in sIgA was evident on weekend and child care days for older preschoolers, but only on weekend days for younger preschoolers. The results suggest that elevated cortisol in children during child care may be related to both lowered antibody levels and greater illness frequency.

Keywords: Stress, Cortisol, Child care, Immunity, Illness, URI, Early childhood

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PII: S0306-4530(10)00032-6

doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2010.02.001

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Volume 35, Issue 8 , Pages 1156-1166, September 2010

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