Implicit motives and children's salivary cortisol reactivity to an adapted version of the Trier Social Stress Test for Children (TSST-C). (1st August 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Spengler, Benedikt; Hofer, Jan; Busch, Holger; Dzionsko, Inga; Emslander, Valentin
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 162(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-08-01
• Subjects: Psychosocial stress -- Implicit power motive -- Implicit affiliation motive -- Cortisol -- TSST-C; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2020.110010
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Abstract: This research addresses the interplay between two implicit motives, that are power (nPow) and affiliation (nAff), and the cortisol reactivity (CR) to a psychosocial stressor (an adaption of the Trier Social Stress Test for Children; TSST-C; Buske-Kirschbaum et al., 1997) in 89 healthy children (45 female; M age = 7.74, SD Age = 0.46). We assessed implicit motives by a 6-image Picture Story Exercise (PSE) and cortisol by 6 saliva samples. As hypothesized, the procedure triggered a significant cortisol reaction, F (1.44, 127.05Greenhouse-Geisser ) = 8.22, p = .002, η 2 part = 0.09. Contrary to our hypothesis, children high in nPow showed no significant increase in CR ( β = 0.06, p = .60). However, our results were in line with the findings of Wegner, Schüler, and Budde (2014) that a high implicit affiliation motive is associated with an attenuated CR ( β = −0.21, p = .05). Perspectives for future research on implicit motives and children's CR to psychosocial stress are discussed. Highlights: An adapted version of the Trier Social Stress Test for Children is introduced. The adapted Trier Social Stress Test for Children triggered a cortisol reaction. Children's implicit power motive did not correlate with their cortisol reaction. Implicit affiliation was positively associated with an attenuated cortisol reaction.