Role Fulfillment Mediates the Association Between Daily Family Assistance and Cortisol Awakening Response in Adolescents

• Armstrong-Carter, Emma ^[1] ; Ivory, Susannah ^[2] ; Lin, Lynda C. ^[3] ; Muscatell, Keely A. ^[1] ; Telzer, Eva H. ^[1]
  1. [1] University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

     University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

     Township of Chapel Hill, Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] Pennsylvania State University

     Pennsylvania State University

     Borough of State College, Estados Unidos

     
  3. [3] University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign

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• Localización: Child development, ISSN 0009-3920, Vol. 91, Nº. 3, 2020, págs. 754-768
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Family assistance (helping the family) is associated with both positive and negative psychological and biological outcomes during adolescence. However, the association between family assistance and the hypothalamic?pituitary?adrenal (HPA) axis remains unstudied. Thus, we assess how helping the family relates to adolescents? diurnal cortisol, an index of HPA activity, and psychological outcomes. Three hundred and seventy ethnically diverse adolescents (ages 11?18) reported daily helping behaviors and psychological experiences for 14 days and provided four saliva samples per day for 4 days. Multilevel modeling revealed that cortisol awakening response was lower the day after adolescents helped their families more. This association was explained, in part, by perceived role fulfillment (feeling like a good son, daughter, and sibling). Results highlight a possible psychological and biological benefit of assisting the family during adolescence.