Daily Covariation of Salivary Cortisol between Parents and Their Children

这项研究使用日常日记数据来调查父母和孩子是否以及如何影响每个功能 下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺皮质（HPA）系统。亲密的、积极的关系具有强烈的暗示性-- 为儿童和父母的健康。人际关系可能影响健康的一个途径是， 压力相关的生理学;特别是HPA系统的功能。皮质醇，荷尔蒙的副产品， HPA系统，增加对压力的反应，调动能源资源。慢性反复激活 HPA系统可以触发不健康的皮质醇模式，这与一系列长期的身体和 心理健康问题确定父母和孩子是否以及如何影响彼此的HPA功能， 对促进生命周期的健康至关重要。最近的研究表明，儿童和父母不仅影响， 父母和孩子的皮质醇也会“同步”或随着时间的推移而变化。然而， 关于亲子皮质醇协变是如何发生的，亲子间影响的方向， 二分体，或亲子皮质醇协变与儿童结局之间的联系。本研究将填补以下空白： 通过完成以下3个目标来测试这些未充分研究的领域：目标1测试关系的方向 父母和孩子每日皮质醇之间的联系以及这些联系的相对强度。为了解决这个 目的，我们将研究儿童和父母皮质醇之间的双向关系，检验假设 父母的皮质醇与孩子的皮质醇模式有关，反之亦然。目标2测试父母-子女是否- 大脑的相互作用调节了父母和孩子皮质醇之间的联系， 降低亲子皮质醇协变。中介因素包括积极/消极的父母-子女互动和父母-子女互动。 亲子时光在一起目的3测试亲子皮质醇协变是否与儿童外出有关- 来，如危险行为，抑郁症，和身体健康症状。Aim 4测试是否亲子Corti- 求解协变根据儿童年龄和生物性别而不同。我们将通过以下方式实现这些目标： 来自一项为期8天的每日日记研究的数据，该研究是NICHD研究工作、家庭、健康项目的一部分。 创新：每日日记的设计使我们能够捕捉皮质醇和父母的重要日常波动， 儿童互动。皮质醇的测量是在多个时间点从父母和孩子那里收集的， 日，使我们能够建立调查日常双向关联所需的时间顺序 调解过程。样本的多样性将使我们能够研究关键的调节机制- 比如孩子的性别和年龄。我们的统计方法将使我们能够测试亲子皮质醇是否 协变对儿童的健康影响超出了行为相互作用。公共卫生影响： 父母和孩子是否以及如何影响彼此的HPA功能， 长期健康结果。这项研究将促进我们对哪些家庭成员，行为， 以及旨在改善儿童和父母健康的干预措施的目标群体。

This study uses daily diary data to investigate if and how parents and children affect the functioning of each other's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system. Close, positive relationships have strong implica- tions for child and parent health. One avenue by which relationships may influence health is their impact on stress-related physiology; specifically, the functioning of the HPA system. Cortisol, the hormonal byproduct of the HPA system, increases in response to stress, mobilizing energy resources. Chronic, repeated activation of the HPA system can trigger unhealthy cortisol patterns, which are linked to a host of long-term physical and mental health problems. Determining if and how parents and children affect one another's HPA functioning is crucial to promoting health over the life course. Recent research suggests children and parents not only influ- ence the other's HPA system but that parent and child's cortisol will also “sync up” or covary over time. Yet, little is known about how parent–child cortisol covariation occurs, the direction of effects within the parent–child dyad, or the linkages between parent-child cortisol covariation and child outcomes. This study will fill gaps in these understudied areas by accomplishing the following 3 aims: Aim 1 tests the direction of the relations between parent and child daily cortisol and the relative strength of those associations. To address this aim, we will examine the bidirectional relationships between child and parent cortisol, testing the hypothesis that parental cortisol is linked to child cortisol patterns and vice versa. Aim 2 tests whether parent-child be- havioral interactions mediate the linkages between parent and child cortisol, unpacking the process un- derlying parent–child cortisol covariation. Mediators include positive/negative parent–child interactions and par- ent–child time together. Aim 3 tests if parent–child cortisol covariation is associated with child out- comes, such as risky behavior, depression, and physical health symptoms. Aim 4 tests if parent–child corti- sol covariation differs based on child age and biological sex. We will accomplish these aims using sec- ondary data from an 8-day daily diary study that was part of the Work, Family, Health Project, an NICHD study. Innovation: The daily diary design enables us to capture critical day-to-day fluctuations in cortisol and parent– child interactions. Measures of cortisol were collected from parents and children at multiple time points in a day, enabling us to establish the temporal ordering needed to investigate day-to-day bidirectional associations and mediational processes. The diversity of the sample will enable us to investigate key moderating mecha- nisms such as child sex and age. Our statistical approach will enable us to test whether parent–child cortisol covariation has health implications for children beyond behavioral interactions. Public Health Impact: Under- standing if and how parents and children affect one another's HPA functioning has important implications for long-term health outcomes. This study will advance our understanding of which family members, behaviors, and subgroups to target in interventions aimed to improve child and parent health.