Under my skin: Parenting behavior and children's cortisol in the Los Angeles family and neighborhood survey

Dev Psychobiol. 2022 May;64(4):e22263. doi: 10.1002/dev.22263.

Abstract

This study examined links between aspects of parenting behavior and children's cortisol and whether those links varied by child behavioral problems and ethnicity. Participants included children ages 9-15 (N = 159, 75% Latinx) and their primary caregivers from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS; Wave 2). Children provided saliva upon waking, 30 min after waking, and at bedtime which was analyzed for cortisol. Analyses revealed associations between parenting behavior and cortisol were greater among children who had behavioral problems and these associations were stronger among non-Latinx White children compared to Latinx children. This study moves beyond the current literature by investigating these important associations in a predominately Latinx urban sample of children.

Keywords: behavioral problems; cortisol; ethnicity; parent-child relationship; parenting.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child Behavior
  • Humans
  • Hydrocortisone* / analysis
  • Los Angeles
  • Parenting*
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Saliva / chemistry

Substances

  • Hydrocortisone