title: Parental accuracy regarding adolescent daily experiences: relationships with adolescent psychological adjustment and inflammatory regulation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is evidence that parents play an important role in their adolescent's health and well-being, but the links between specific daily processes and biological mechanisms relevant to health remain to be determined. In this study, we examined the role of parental accuracy-that is, whether parents who are more accurate about their adolescents' daily experiences have adolescents with better psychological functioning and inflammatory regulation.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a 2-week daily diary study of 116 parent-adolescent dyads, we examined whether parental accuracy about their adolescent's daily demands and the positivity of their day together were associated with markers of psychological functioning and with regulation of the inflammatory response in terms of glucocorticoid sensitivity (the extent to which cortisol is able to dampen the production of inflammatory proteins) in adolescents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Adolescents whose daily experiences were perceived more accurately by their parents reported better psychological adjustment (lower stress and depression) and a greater sensitivity of their immune cells to anti-inflammatory signals from cortisol (i.e., diminished production of inflammatory proteins when cells were stimulated with the combination of a bacterial product [lipopolysaccharide] and cortisol; |β| range, 0.38-0.53, all p values <.041).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater parental accuracy regarding adolescents' daily experiences is associated with better adolescent psychological adjustment and a more sensitive anti-inflammatory response to cortisol. These results provide preliminary evidence that parental accuracy regarding their adolescent's daily experiences may be one specific daily parent factor that plays a role in adolescent health and well-being.
authors.affiliation: From the Psychiatry Department (L.J.H.), University of San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Psychology Department (A.D., L.R.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia; Psychology Department (M.C., G.E.M., E.C.), Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois; and Institute for Policy Research (G.E.M., E.C.), Cells to Society (C2S): The Center on Social Disparities and Health, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.
authors.forename: Lauren J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Human
authors.forename: Meanne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: DeLongis
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Gregory E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D015850:Interleukin-6; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D002097:C-Reactive Protein