---
title: Does Social Buffering Continue to be Effective Over the Peripubertal Period When Friends Share the Stressor Experience?
nct_id: NCT04311996
overall_status: COMPLETED
phase: NA
sponsor: University of Minnesota
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
primary_condition: Adolescent Behavior
countries: United States
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT04311996.md"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04311996"
ct_last_update_post_date: 2025-02-24
last_seen_at: "2026-05-12T06:13:56.585Z"
source: ClinicalTrials.gov (mirrored, no enrichment)
---
# Does Social Buffering Continue to be Effective Over the Peripubertal Period When Friends Share the Stressor Experience?

**NCT ID:** [NCT04311996](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04311996)

## Key Facts

- **Status:** COMPLETED
- **Phase:** NA
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Target Enrollment:** 269
- **Lead Sponsor:** University of Minnesota
- **Conditions:** Adolescent Behavior, Social Stress
- **Start Date:** 2021-10-25
- **Completion Date:** 2023-06-24
- **CT.gov Last Update:** 2025-02-24

## 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.

## Eligibility

- **Minimum age:** 11 Years
- **Maximum age:** 14 Years
- **Sex:** ALL
- **Healthy Volunteers:** Yes

```
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

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
```

## Arms

- **Experimental: Friend and Target Both** (EXPERIMENTAL) — 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).
- **Experimental: Friend Provides Support** (EXPERIMENTAL) — 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).
- **Experimental: Unfamiliar Peer and Target** (EXPERIMENTAL) — 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).
- **Experimental: Alone** (EXPERIMENTAL) — 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).

## Interventions

- **Friend and target** (OTHER) — random assignment to Friend and Target Both condition
- **Friend support** (OTHER) — random assignment to Friend Provides Support condition
- **unfamiliar peer and target** (OTHER) — random assignment to Unfamiliar Peer and Target condition
- **alone** (OTHER) — random assignment to Alone condition

## Primary Outcomes

- **Cortisol AUCi** _(time frame: 2 hours)_ — Cortisol response to the TSST, measured as Area Under the Curve, increase from baseline. 7 Samples were taken during the course of the assessment, at (1) arrival for training purposes; (2) after the calming video, 30 minutes after arrival; (3) after 5 minutes of speech preparation; (4) after 10+minutes of speech and math performance; (5) 15 minutes after sample 4; (6) 10 minutes after sample 5; (7) 10 minutes after sample 6. Area under the curve at intercept (AUCi) is calculated using samples 2-7 with sample 2 as the intercept.
- **sAA AUCi** _(time frame: 2 hours)_ — Salivary Alpha Amylase response to the TSST, measured as Area Under the Curve, increase from baseline. 7 Samples were taken during the course of the assessment, at (1) arrival for training purposes; (2) after the calming video, 30 minutes after arrival; (3) after 5 minutes of speech preparation; (4) after 10+minutes of speech and math performance; (5) 15 minutes after sample 4; (6) 10 minutes after sample 5; (7) 10 minutes after sample 6. Of those, samples (2, 4, 5) are assayed for salivary alpha amylase (sAA) in micrograms per milliliter. Area under the curve at intercept (AUCi) is calculated using samples 2, 4, 5 with sample 2 as the intercept.

## Secondary Outcomes

- **Self Report of Stress** _(time frame: 2 hours)_

## Locations (1)

- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

## Recent Field Changes (last 30 days)

- `results.hasResults` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.overallStatus` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.primaryCompletionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.completionDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `status.lastUpdatePostDate` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.phases` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `design.enrollmentCount` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.criteria` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.minAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.maxAge` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `eligibility.sex` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.primary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `outcomes.secondary` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.arms` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `armsInterventions.interventions` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `sponsor.lead` — added _(2026-05-12)_
- `locations.university of minnesota|minneapolis|minnesota|united states` — added _(2026-05-12)_

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/agent/trials/NCT04311996.md*  
*Source data (authoritative): https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04311996*  
*This page is a raw mirror with no AI summary, no editorial enrichment, and no Parkinson's-specific filtering.*