Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

This within-subjects experimental study investigated the influence of the arts on cortisol for economically disadvantaged children. Participants were 310 children, ages 3–5 years, who attended a Head Start preschool and were randomly assigned to participate in different schedules of arts and homeroom classes on different days of the week. Cortisol was sampled at morning baseline and after arts and homeroom classes on two different days at start, middle, and end of the year. For music, dance, and visual arts, grouped and separately, results of piecewise hierarchical linear modeling with time-varying predictors suggested cortisol was lower after an arts versus homeroom class at middle and end of the year but not start of the year. Implications concern the impact of arts on cortisol for children facing poverty risks.

Publication Title

Child Development

ISSN

0009-3920

Publisher

Wiley and the Society for Research in Child Development

Volume

88

Issue

4

First Page

1368

Last Page

1381

DOI

10.1111/cdev.12652

Comments

The final post-refereed draft of this article is available from this digital archive.

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