Abstract

Infants placed into foster care often experience maternal separation and early inadequate care. Such experiences have been associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system in nonhuman animals. However, few studies have examined stress reactivity in human children who have experienced early adversity. In this study, salivary cortisol production following the Strange Situation procedure (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978) was examined among 28 foster and 27 comparison children (ages 12 to 24 months). Saliva samples were taken at pretest, 15 minute posttest, and 30 minute posttest time intervals. A main effect of group (foster vs. comparison) emerged, in which foster children showed higher cortisol levels than comparison children across the 3 assessment time points. However, both groups did not show cortisol reactivity to the Strange Situation. Attachment classifications derived from the Strange Situation were not associated with children's cortisol levels. Findings suggest that foster care placement is associated with increases in children's basal levels of cortisol production, but not with increases in their cortisol reactivity to stress.