Does Social Buffering Continue to be Effective Over the Peripubertal Period When Friends Share the Stressor Experience?

Not Applicable

Recruiting

• Conditions: Adolescent Behavior; Social Stress
• Interventions: Other: Questionnaires; Other: TSST

• Registration Number: NCT04311996
• Lead Sponsor: University of Minnesota

Brief Summary

The purpose of this experiment is to determine whether social buffering by friends of stress physiology remains effective later in puberty when friends share the load versus when they provide support but are not undergoing the stressor with the target child. There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).

Detailed Description

Adolescents experience social evaluation stress frequently. However, it is likely that often they are not alone, but with friends who are also going through the same experience. Thus, it is possible that under these conditions, social buffering by friends does not wane over the peripubertal period. Participants will be assigned to social conditions while engaging in an evaluative stressor task.

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2020-03-13
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-03-13
• Study First Posted: 2020-03-17
• Study Start: 2021-10-25
• Status Verified: 2024-03
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-03-08
• Last Update Posted: 2024-03-12
• Primary Completion: 2024-10
• Study Completion: 2024-10

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: RECRUITING
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 200

Inclusion Criteria

• sufficient vision, hearing, and language skills to provide verbal and written assent
• ability to see and read stimuli presented on the computer screen
• ability to hear verbal instructions provided by the experimenter and judges

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Exclusion Criteria

• premature birth (less than 37 weeks)
• congenital and/or chromosomal disorders (e.g. cerebral palsy, FAS, mental retardation, Turner Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Fragile X)
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• history of serious medical illness (e.g., cancer, organ transplant)
• serious psychiatric illness
• systemic glucocorticoids or beta-adrenergic medication use

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Friend and Target Both	TSST	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Friend Provides Support	Questionnaires	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Unfamiliar Peer and Target	Questionnaires	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Unfamiliar Peer and Target	TSST	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Friend Provides Support	TSST	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Alone	Questionnaires	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Friend and Target Both	Questionnaires	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).
Alone	TSST	There are four conditions: (1) Friend and Target both undergo the stressor, (2) Friend provides support but does not undergo the stressor, (3) Unfamiliar Peer and Target undergo the stressor, and (4) Alone (no partner).

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in salivary Alpha Amylase, AUCi	2 hours	salivary Alpha Amylase is used to index autonomic/sympathetic function. From 3 of the saliva samples already taken during the course of the assessment, alpha amylase will be determined by assay. Area under the curve will be calculated during periods of stress (social evaluation) and non-stress (no evaluation) during the course of the assessment. Outcome is reported as the difference between condition scores.
Change in Cortisol AUCi	2 hours	8 samples will be taken during the course of the assessment. Area under the curve from initial (baseline) will be calculated and used in the analyses.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Self Report of Stress	2 hours	The Self Report of Stress is an 8-item questionnaire assessing participant level of stress at various time points across the session. Items are rated on a 5 point Likert scale. Total score is the unweighted mean of item scores. Total scores range from 0 to 40, with higher scores indicating greater stress. The assessment will be administered at baseline (no stress) and during a period of stress. The outcome will be reported as the difference between the baseline period and experimental stress period.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Minnesota; 🇺🇸 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States