Elizabeth Shirtcliff, Ph.D.
Professor
mailto:eshirtcl@uno.edu
Research Interests
The
Stress Physiology in Teens (SPIT) laboratory seeks to understand the
development of psychopathology by enhancing our understanding of
psychobiological risk factors and inter-related social contextual factors in
adolescents. This
interdisciplinary research examines both short term responses to stressors
such as laboratory challenges, as well as changes that are not necessarily
temporary but can consistently or even permanently change an
individual’s biology. Dr.
Shirtcliff’s focus is on hormones because the endocrine system is stress
responsive, often mirroring an individual’s social environment. Because
this research involves adolescent humans, Dr. Shirtcliff uses a variety of
noninvasive tools to investigate psychobiological development, primarily
saliva. In addition to cortisol,
other biological measures that are responsive to the social environment are
regularly examined, including testosterone, estradiol and
dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) as well as measures of immune competence.
The
SPIT lab investigates how developmental trajectories are established and
activated across development. The
focus is on adolescence because it represents a period of intensification,
where many maturational processes that took place earlier in development
coalesce. Adolescents experience many biological changes as they undergo
puberty, but these changes are not new events. Their development is shaped
and organized by earlier events and stressors, particularly their
hormones. Biological changes are
just one part of a greater suite of changes across several domains, making
this developmental stage one of the most exciting times to conduct
interdisciplinary research. This
is also one of the first times that early psychobiological vulnerabilities
are evinced as overt psychopathology or health problems. Rarely does stress
lead to a specific type of health issue, however, so Dr. Shirtcliff maintains
a broad definition of developmental psychopathology, does not focus on a
single diagnostic spectrum, and considers symptoms ranging from normative to
clinical impairment. Ultimately, the goal of understanding the interplay
between stress exposure, biological trajectories and adolescent development
in the SPIT lab is to understand why certain individuals will develop
psychopathology.
Selected Publications
Shirtcliff, E. A., Essex, M. J. (in press). Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations of Basal and Diurnal Cortisol with Mental Health Symptoms in Early Adolescence. Developmental Psychobiology.
Shirtcliff, E. A., Dahl, R.
E., Pollak, S. D., (in press). Pubertal Development: Correspondence between
hormonal and physical development. Child Development.
Wismer-Fries, A., Shirtcliff, E. A., Pollak, S.
D., (in press). Neuroendocrine dysregulation following early social
deprivation in children, Developmental Psychobiology.
Shirtcliff,
E. A., Zahn-Waxler, C., Klimes-Dougan, B, & Slattery, M. J. (2007).
Salivary dehydroepiandrosterone responsiveness to social challenge in
adolescents with internalizing problems, The Journal of Child Psychology
and Psychiatry, 48 (6), 580-591.
Shirtcliff,
E. A., Granger, D. A., Booth, A., & Johnson, D. (2005). Low salivary
cortisol levels and externalizing behavior problems in youth. Development
and Psychopathology, 17, 167-184.
Granger, D. A., Shirtcliff, E. A., Zahn-Waxler, C., Usher, B., Klimes-Dougan, B., & Hastings, P. (2003). Salivary testosterone diurnal variation and psychopathology in adolescent males and females: individual differences and developmental effects. Development and Psychopathology, 15(2), 431-449.
last modified 7/15/08
