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Afternoon Cortisol in Elementary School Classrooms: Associations with Peer and Teacher Support and Child Behavior

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Abstract

In response to a general paucity of research exploring biological markers of behavior in children in elementary school classrooms, this study investigated associations among cortisol, aggression, and prosocial (sharing and helping) behaviors, and peer and teacher supportive relationships in school-aged children. Salivary cortisol was obtained from children (N = 89, Mean age = 10.4 years, SD = .62) in classrooms three times a day (9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm) across four consecutive days. Multiple informants (i.e., peers and teachers) completed questionnaires on children’s social behavior, peer acceptance (peers only), and student–teacher closeness (teachers only). The results indicated a unique mediating influence of peer acceptance and teacher closeness on the association of afternoon cortisol with prosocial and specific subtypes of aggressive behavior (proactive, reactive, social). Findings highlight the importance of peer and teacher relationships in studies of biobehavioral development and demonstrate the utility of integrating neurobiological processes in classroom-based research.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Child and Family Research Institute (UBC), and the Human Early Learning Partnership (UBC). The authors would like to thank the participants and Ursula Brain, Leah Gillespie, and David Nordstokke for assistance with data collection.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada

    Nicole L. A. Catherine

  2. Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl

  3. Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Clyde Hertzman

  4. Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Tim F. Oberlander

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  1. Nicole L. A. Catherine
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  2. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl
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Correspondence to Nicole L. A. Catherine.

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Catherine, N.L.A., Schonert-Reichl, K.A., Hertzman, C. et al. Afternoon Cortisol in Elementary School Classrooms: Associations with Peer and Teacher Support and Child Behavior. School Mental Health 4, 181–192 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-012-9076-y

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