Dataset Information

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Child-Reported Maternal Warmth on Cortisol Stress Response 15 Years After Parental Divorce.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The experience of parental divorce during childhood is associated with an increased risk of behavioral and physical health problems. Alterations in adrenocortical activity may be a mechanism in this relation. Parent-child relationships have been linked to cortisol regulation in children exposed to adversity, but prospective research is lacking. We examined maternal warmth in adolescence as a predictor of young adults' cortisol stress response 15 years after parental divorce.

Methods

Participants included 240 youth from recently divorced families. Mother and child reports of maternal warmth were assessed at 6 time points across childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood. Offspring salivary cortisol was measured in young adulthood before and after a social stress task. Structural equation modeling was used to predict cortisol response from maternal warmth across early and late adolescence.

Results

Higher child-reported maternal warmth in early adolescence predicted higher child-reported maternal warmth in late adolescence (standardized regression = 0.45, standard error = 0.065, p < .01), which predicted lower cortisol response to a challenging interpersonal task in young adulthood (standardized regression = -0.20, standard error = 0.094, p = .031). Neither mother-reported warmth in early adolescence nor late adolescence was significantly related to offspring cortisol response in young adulthood.

Conclusions

Results suggest that for children from divorced families, a warm mother-child relationship after divorce and across development, as perceived by the child, may promote efficient biological regulation later in life.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01407120.

SUBMITTER: Luecken LJ

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4738014 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb-Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Child-Reported Maternal Warmth on Cortisol Stress Response 15 Years After Parental Divorce.

Luecken Linda J LJ Hagan Melissa J MJ Wolchik Sharlene A SA Sandler Irwin N IN Tein Jenn-Yun JY

Psychosomatic medicine 20160201 2

<h4>Objectives</h4>The experience of parental divorce during childhood is associated with an increased risk of behavioral and physical health problems. Alterations in adrenocortical activity may be a mechanism in this relation. Parent-child relationships have been linked to cortisol regulation in children exposed to adversity, but prospective research is lacking. We examined maternal warmth in adolescence as a predictor of young adults' cortisol stress response 15 years after parental divorce.<h ...[more]

PMID: 26465217

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectiveThe aim of the study was to investigate prospective, longitudinal associations between maternal prenatal cortisol response to an interpersonal stressor and child health for the subsequent 3 years.MethodsOne hundred twenty-three women expecting their first child provided salivary cortisol samples between 12 and 32 weeks of gestation (M (SD) = 22.4 (4.9) weeks) before and after a videotaped couple conflict discussion with their partner. Mothers reported on overall child health and several indicators of child illness (sick doctor visits, fevers, ear, and respiratory infections) when children were 6 months (n = 114), 1 (n = 116), and 3 (n = 105) years old. Associations between maternal prenatal cortisol reactivity and recovery and later child health at each of the three time points were analyzed using longitudinal regression models.ResultsGreater cortisol reactivity in response to the couple conflict discussion was associated with maternal self-report of better overall child health (p = .016, 95% CI = 0.06-1.30, Cohen's f = 0.045) across the study period. Greater cortisol reactivity was also associated with lower incidence rate ratios for maternal reports of sick doctor visits (incidence rate ratio 95% CI = 0.25-0.83, p = .006), fevers (95% CI = 0.25-0.73, p = .002), ear infections (95% CI = 0.25-0.58, p < .001), and respiratory infections (95% CI = 0.08-1.11, p = .073). Cortisol recovery was unrelated to study outcomes (all p's > 0.05). Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms moderated the association between cortisol reactivity and overall child health (p = .034, 95% CI = 0.07-1.87 for interaction term) but no other health outcomes (p's > 0.05). Among women with lower depressive symptoms, cortisol reactivity was not associated with overall child health; among women with higher levels of depressive symptoms, greater cortisol reactivity was associated with better overall child health.ConclusionsThis study provides longitudinal evidence that greater maternal cortisol reactivity to a salient interpersonal stressor during pregnancy is associated with fewer child health problems and better maternal report of overall child health during infancy and into early childhood.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov ID NCT01901536.

Project description:BackgroundFood parenting practices are associated with child weight. Such associations may reflect the effects of parents' practices on children's food intake and weight. However, longitudinal, qualitative, and behavioral genetic evidence suggests these associations could, in some cases, reflect parents' response to children's genetic risk for obesity, an instance of gene-environment correlation. We tested for gene-environment correlations across multiple domains of food parenting practices and explored the role of parent-reported child appetite in these relationships.Materials and methodsData on relevant variables were available for N = 197 parent-child dyads (7.54 ± 2.67 years; 44.4% girls) participating in RESONANCE, an ongoing pediatric cohort study. Children's body mass index (BMI) polygenic risk score (PRS) were derived based on adult GWAS data. Parents reported on their feeding practices (Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire) and their child's eating behavior (Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire). Moderation effects of child eating behaviors on associations between child BMI PRS and parental feeding practices were examined, adjusting for relevant covariates.ResultsOf the 12 parental feeding practices, 2 were associated with child BMI PRS, namely, restriction for weight control (β = 0.182, p = 0.011) and teaching about nutrition (β = -0.217, p = 0.003). Moderation analyses demonstrated that when children had high genetic obesity risk and showed moderate/high (vs. low) food responsiveness, parents were more likely to restrict food intake to control weight.ConclusionOur results indicate that parents may adjust their feeding practices in response to a child's genetic propensity toward higher or lower bodyweight, and the adoption of food restriction to control weight may depend on parental perceptions of the child's appetite. Research using prospective data on child weight and appetite and food parenting from infancy is needed to further investigate how gene-environment relationships evolve through development.

Dataset Information

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Child-Reported Maternal Warmth on Cortisol Stress Response 15 Years After Parental Divorce.

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Trial registration

Publications

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Child-Reported Maternal Warmth on Cortisol Stress Response 15 Years After Parental Divorce.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets