Parents' psychological stress over time may affect children's cortisol at age 8.
OBJECTIVE
To examine possible relations between parents' psychological stress and children's saliva cortisol levels in connection with a mild stressor (drawing a blood sample).


METHODS
Parenting stress and serious life events at birth, age 1, age 2, age 5, and age 8 were assessed. Eighty-two paired saliva samples collected from their 8-year-old children just before and 30 min after blood was drawn were analyzed.


RESULTS
Instead of increasing, cortisol levels significantly decreased. Repeated measures GLM indicated a significant relation between higher parenting stress at child age 1 and at age 8, and elevated cortisol levels. A t-test indicated that cortisol levels after the blood draw were significantly higher in children whose parents reported a serious life event at age 8.


CONCLUSIONS
Parenting stress could be a relevant factor for children's adjustment of the HPA axis with long-term effects and leave children more vulnerable to experiences of stress.
Koch
Felix-Sebastian
FS
Division of Pediatrics, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. felix.koch@liu.se
Ludvigsson
Johnny
J
Sepa
Anneli
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008016:Life Change Events; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D006854:Hydrocortisone