SynthesisPediatrics2014
Interventions to improve cortisol regulation in children: a systematic review.
Synthesis in Pediatrics, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 90 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
90 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Childhood violence exposure and externalizing behaviors: A systematic review of the role of physiological biomarkers.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of parenting interventions on child and caregiver cortisol levels: systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2020Pooled it
- Pain and distress outcomes in infants and children: a systematic review.Brazilian journal of medical and biological research = Revista brasileira de pesquisas medicas e biologica · 2017Pooled it
- A cluster-randomized trial of water, sanitation, handwashing and nutritional interventions on stress and epigenetic programming.Nature communications · 2024Trial
- Environmental determinants of physiological reactivity to stress: The interacting effects of early life deprivation, caregiving quality, and stressful life events.Development and psychopathology · 2020Trial
- Enhancing diurnal cortisol regulation among young children adopted internationally: A randomized controlled trial of a parenting-based intervention.Development and psychopathology · 2020Trial
- Parental sensitivity mediates the sustained effect of Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up on cortisol in middle childhood: A randomized clinical trial.Psychoneuroendocrinology · 2020Trial
- Effects of an attachment-based intervention in infancy on children's autonomic regulation during middle childhood.Biological psychology · 2019Trial
- Healthy Foundations Study: a randomised controlled trial to evaluate biological embedding of early-life experiences.BMJ open · 2018Trial
- Trial
- Mechanisms of change: Testing how preventative interventions impact psychological and physiological stress functioning in mothers in neglectful families.Development and psychopathology · 2015Trial
- Causal effects of the early caregiving environment on development of stress response systems in children.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2015Trial
- Intervention effects on diurnal cortisol rhythms of Child Protective Services-referred infants in early childhood: preschool follow-up results of a randomized clinical trial.JAMA pediatrics · 2015Trial
- Early Childhood Emotional, Relational, and Stress-Related Outcomes Following Infant Cardiac Surgery.Developmental psychobiology · 2026Article
- Families Implementing Resilient Systems Together (FIRST).Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Article
- Unpredictability is a childhood adversity that contributes to mental health problems.Nature. Mental health · 2026Article
- Assessment of Dental Fear and Anxiety Tools for Children: A Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Mediational effect analysis of childhood emotional abuse on prodromal psychotic symptoms in self-taught examination students.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Providing Buffers, Solving Barriers: Value-Driven Policies and Actions that Protect Clients Today and Increase the Chances of Thriving Tomorrow.Behavior analysis in practice · 2025Article
30 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Childhood adversity is associated with physiologic dysregulation across multiple biological systems; however, relatively little is known about whether these changes are reversible with intervention. The objective of this review was to examine evidence for the effectiveness of interventions to promote healthy cortisol regulation in children. We selected articles from English-language publications in PubMed and EBSCO databases through 2012. Two independent reviewers assessed articles against eligibility criteria. Eligible studies were randomized controlled or quasi-experimental studies designed to improve relationships, environments, or psychosocial functioning in children and examined cortisol as an outcome. We identified 19 articles. There was substantial heterogeneity across studies with regard to age, selection criteria, intervention design, cortisol assessment, and follow-up duration. Eighteen of the 19 articles reported at least 1 difference in baseline cortisol, diurnal cortisol, or cortisol responsivity between intervention and control participants. Importantly, however, there was remarkable inconsistency with regard to how the interventions influenced cortisol. Therefore, studies that included a low-risk comparison group (n = 8) provided critical insight, and each found some evidence that postintervention cortisol levels in the intervention group approximated the low-risk comparison group and differed from children receiving usual care. In conclusion, existing studies show that cortisol activity can be altered by psychosocial interventions. These findings are promising, not only because they indicate physiologic plasticity that can be leveraged by interventions but also because they suggest it may be possible to repair regulatory systems after childhood adversity, which could inform strategies for reducing health disparities and promoting lasting improvements in health.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.