Adrenocorticol Levels, Reactivity, and Attunement: The Role of Religious and Social Support
Open Access
Author:
Drake, Emily Smith
Area of Honors:
Biobehavioral Health
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Douglas A. Granger, Ph D, Thesis Supervisor Douglas A. Granger, Ph D, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Lori Anne Francis, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
religious support social support attunement adrenocortisol levels
Abstract:
The present study examined associations between salivary indicators of stress responses and religious and social support using data from the Family Life Project. Main effects of religious social support, social support, mother and infant levels of cortisol, mother and infant cortisol reactivity, and mother and infant levels of α-amylase were the primary variables, and partial correlations were calculated for each of them. Dyads were split at different times into groups of high and low levels of religious social support and social support in general based on the mothers’ survey responses. Analyses revealed that different levels of religious and social support have some differing effects on baseline levels of the stress indicators and on cortisol reactivity in mothers. However, due to some limitations, future study is necessary.