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Foster parent responsiveness and young children's diurnal cortisol production
Author(s) -
Szenczy Aline K.,
Bernard Kristin,
Raby K. Lee,
Garnett Mallory,
Dozier Mary
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.22074
Subject(s) - bedtime , psychology , intrusiveness , cortisol awakening response , developmental psychology , hydrocortisone , maternal sensitivity , clinical psychology , endocrinology , medicine , psychiatry
Foster children are at risk for dysregulated hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis functioning, conferring risk for negative health outcomes. Responsive parenting may support young children's HPA axis regulation; however, few studies have examined the association between responsive parenting and cortisol production among children in foster care. In a sample of 97 foster parent–child dyads, we examined whether variation in foster parent responsiveness was linked to children's waking and bedtime levels of cortisol. Children's saliva samples were collected at wake‐up and bedtime for three consecutive days. Foster parent responsiveness, as indicated by parent sensitivity, intrusiveness, and positive regard, was assessed during video‐recorded semistructured play interactions between foster parents and children. Foster parent responsiveness significantly predicted children's waking cortisol levels (β = 0.26, p = .023). Follow‐up analyses revealed that foster parent sensitivity uniquely predicted waking cortisol (β = 0.46, p = .006), over and above other dimensions of parenting, such that children with more sensitive foster parents had higher waking cortisol than children with less sensitive foster parents. The association between foster parent sensitivity and the waking‐to‐bedtime slope of cortisol across the day was nonsignificant. Findings suggest that sensitive caregiving may support foster children's healthy HPA axis functioning.