TY - JOUR
T1 - Father-adolescent engagement in shared activities
T2 - Effects on cortisol stress response in young adulthood
AU - Ibrahim, Mariam Hanna
AU - Somers, Jennifer A.
AU - Luecken, Linda
AU - Fabricius, William
AU - Cookston, Jeffrey T.
PY - 2017/6
Y1 - 2017/6
N2 - Parent-child relationships can critically affect youth physiological development. Most studies have focused on the influence of maternal behaviors, with little attention to paternal influences. The current study investigated father engagement with their adolescents in household (shopping, cooking) and discretionary leisure activities as a predictor of youth cortisol response to a challenging interpersonal task in young adulthood. The sample (N = 213) was roughly divided between Mexican American (MA; n = 101) and European American (EA; n = 112) families, and included resident biological-father (n = 131) and resident stepfather families (n = 82). Salivary cortisol was collected before, immediately after, and at 20 and 40 min after an interpersonal challenge task; area under the curve (AUCg) was calculated to capture total cortisol output. Results suggested that more frequent father engagement in shared activities with adolescents (ages 11-16), but not mother engagement, predicted lower AUCg cortisol response in young adulthood (ages 19 -22). The relation remained significant after adjusting for current mother and father engagement and current mental health. Further, the relation did not differ given family ethnicity, father type (step or biological), or adolescent sex. Future research should consider unique influences of fathers when investigating the effects of parent- child relationships on youth physiological development and health.
AB - Parent-child relationships can critically affect youth physiological development. Most studies have focused on the influence of maternal behaviors, with little attention to paternal influences. The current study investigated father engagement with their adolescents in household (shopping, cooking) and discretionary leisure activities as a predictor of youth cortisol response to a challenging interpersonal task in young adulthood. The sample (N = 213) was roughly divided between Mexican American (MA; n = 101) and European American (EA; n = 112) families, and included resident biological-father (n = 131) and resident stepfather families (n = 82). Salivary cortisol was collected before, immediately after, and at 20 and 40 min after an interpersonal challenge task; area under the curve (AUCg) was calculated to capture total cortisol output. Results suggested that more frequent father engagement in shared activities with adolescents (ages 11-16), but not mother engagement, predicted lower AUCg cortisol response in young adulthood (ages 19 -22). The relation remained significant after adjusting for current mother and father engagement and current mental health. Further, the relation did not differ given family ethnicity, father type (step or biological), or adolescent sex. Future research should consider unique influences of fathers when investigating the effects of parent- child relationships on youth physiological development and health.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Cortisol
KW - Father engagement
KW - Young adulthood
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85007148075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85007148075&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/fam0000259
DO - 10.1037/fam0000259
M3 - Article
C2 - 27808523
AN - SCOPUS:85007148075
VL - 31
SP - 485
EP - 494
JO - Journal of Family Psychology
JF - Journal of Family Psychology
SN - 0893-3200
IS - 4
ER -