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Child diurnal cortisol rhythms, parenting quality, and externalizing behaviors in preadolescence

Christina Gamache Martin1, Hyoun K Kim2, Jacqueline Bruce2

  • 1University of Oregon, USA.

Psychoneuroendocrinology
|February 4, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Parental monitoring impacts child externalizing behaviors, potentially through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Poor monitoring is linked to flatter cortisol slopes, influencing behavior development.

Area of Science:

  • Child psychology
  • Neurobiology
  • Developmental science

Background:

  • Child externalizing behaviors are a significant concern.
  • Parenting factors like discipline and monitoring are known influences.
  • The role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in behavior is increasingly recognized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate a neurobiologically informed model of child externalizing behaviors.
  • To examine the relationship between parenting practices, cortisol rhythms, and externalizing behaviors.
  • To understand the mediating role of diurnal cortisol patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Study of 232 ethnically diverse children aged 9-12.
  • Assessment of parental inconsistent discipline and monitoring quality.
  • Measurement of child morning-to-evening cortisol slope (diurnal cortisol rhythm).

Main Results:

  • Inconsistent discipline and poor monitoring predicted externalizing behaviors.
  • Poor parental monitoring, not inconsistent discipline, correlated with a flatter cortisol slope.
  • A flatter cortisol slope was associated with higher externalizing behaviors.
  • Indirect effect of parental monitoring on externalizing behaviors via cortisol rhythms was supported.

Conclusions:

  • Parental monitoring is a key factor in child externalizing behaviors.
  • Child diurnal cortisol rhythms, regulated by the HPA axis, mediate this relationship.
  • Caregiving environment influences behavior through neurobiological pathways involving cortisol.

Keywords:
CortisolExternalizing behaviorsInconsistent disciplineParental monitoringParenting

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