A culturally informed model linking physiological stress regulation and behavioral and academic adjustment in Latinx children

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Project Summary/Abstract Latinx children experience behavioral and physical health disparities early in development that persist into adulthood. Early in development, Latinx children are behind their peers in cognitive self-regulation (e.g., poor executive functions) and behavioral adjustment (e.g., low school readiness). It is not known how children’s physiological stress regulation (PSR) relates to disparities in young Latinx children or how Latinx caregivers can buffer their children from these negative outcomes. These are critical gaps in developmental science because Latinx families face persistent, uncontrollable stress that can lead to chronic activation of stress response systems that in turn, have negative cascading effects on behavior and biology. From a life course perspective, identifying malleable risk and protective processes in Latinx families during the early childhood years is critical for ensuring the long-term health and productivity of the large and growing U.S. Latinx population. To address these serious research gaps, we use a novel cultural neurobiological approach to prospectively examine culturally sensitive indicators of positive parenting and parents’ own physiological stress regulation (PSR) as buffers of the link between child physiological stress regulation and critical developmental outcomes in Latinx families. To increase the translational impact of the work we examine both cultural stressors and strengths related to parenting in Latinx mothers and fathers. We specifically assess behavioral and academic adjustment given that these developmental indices are at the forefront for young school age children and difficulties in these domains can presage long-term outcomes. We follow children from the preschool age into the kindergarten year because the former represents a critical time for the emergence of stress regulation skills and the latter because the adjustment to the school setting represents a critical developmental juncture. We put forth the following aims, which are directly in line with research recommendations endorsed by NIH for advancing minority health and reducing health disparities: Aim 1: Identify associations between PSR in Latinx preschoolers and behavioral and academic adjustment in kindergarten; Aim 2: Examine positive parenting and parent PSR as moderators of the link between Latinx preschoolers’ PSR and behavioral and academic adjustment; Aim 3: Identify contextual stressors that influence Latinx parents’ positive parenting and PSR and cultural strengths that protect against these stressors. We use a longitudinal design and a multimethod assessment (physiological assessments, behavioral observations, self-report) of key constructs. The results of this project will provide critical data on how Latinx children’s PSR is associated with later adjustment and identify malleable factors that can be leveraged into culturally informed intervention programming to reduce disparities and improve the health and overall well-being of Latinx families.