NCJ Number
241187
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 7-8 Dated: July/August 2012 Pages: 596-601
Date Published
August 2012
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the relationship between children's elevated total cortisol output levels and rates of uncontrolled asthma and the presence of parental intimate partner violence in the home.
Abstract
Findings from the study include the following: 53 percent of the families in the study returned child salivary samples following a child asthma visit to a pediatric asthma clinic; the socio-demographic characteristics of the families did not have a significant impact on the return rate of the samples; a 1-unit increase in the presence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the house was significantly associated with an increase in root-transformed total cortisol output (AUC); and for every increase in cortisol awakening response (CAR), the odds of uncontrolled asthma in the child were marginally higher. This study investigated the relationship between children's elevated AUC levels and rates of uncontrolled asthma and the presence of parental IPV in the home. Data for the study were obtained from 55 families with an asthmatic child that presented at 1 of 2 pediatric asthma clinics following an asthma attack in the child. The parents were asked to collect and return saliva samples from the children to determine whether increased levels of AUC and increased incidences of uncontrolled asthma were related to the presence of IPV in the home. The findings suggest that the presence of IPV in the home was associated with elevated levels of cortisol output and uncontrolled asthma, and that future studies should investigate whether cortisol levels influence the relationship between the presence of IPV in the home and incidences of child asthma. Study limitations and implications for future research are discussed. Table and references