The longitudinal association between COVID‐19 stressors and adolescents' diurnal cortisol: The mediating effects of parental anxiety and behaviours

IF 2.8 4区心理学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Infant and Child Development Pub Date : 2024-08-24 DOI:10.1002/icd.2541

Man Li, Fengjiao He, Qili Lan, Chen Zhang, Yinyin Zang, Li Wang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

During the COVID‐19 pandemic, research indicated increased psychological distress among adolescents. However, limited research has investigated the association between COVID‐19‐related stress and the adolescent hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, a critical stress response system. To address this gap, we conducted a longitudinal study exploring the relationship between COVID‐19 stressors and adolescent HPA activity. We recruited 121 adolescents (Mage = 10.02) and their parents. One parent reported COVID‐19 stressors and their own anxiety, while adolescents reported parenting behaviours. Diurnal cortisol levels in adolescents were assessed 4 months later. Our results found that the association between COVID‐19 stressors and diurnal cortisol levels was sequentially mediated by parental anxiety and indifference, but not parental caring. These findings underscore the detrimental effects of negative parental behaviours on adolescent HPA axis during the pandemic. Therefore, interventions targeting reduced parental anxiety and negative parental behaviours may effectively protect adolescents' mental health in such circumstances.

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COVID-19 压力源与青少年昼间皮质醇之间的纵向联系：父母焦虑和行为的中介效应

研究表明，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，青少年的心理压力有所增加。然而，有关 COVID-19 相关压力与青少年下丘脑-垂体-肾上腺（HPA）轴（一种重要的压力反应系统）之间关系的研究却十分有限。为了填补这一空白，我们开展了一项纵向研究，探索 COVID-19 压力源与青少年 HPA 活动之间的关系。我们招募了 121 名青少年（Mage = 10.02）及其父母。父母一方报告 COVID-19 压力源及其自身的焦虑，而青少年则报告父母的养育行为。4 个月后对青少年的昼皮质醇水平进行了评估。我们的结果发现，COVID-19 压力源与昼间皮质醇水平之间的关系依次由父母的焦虑和冷漠而非父母的关爱所中介。这些发现强调了在大流行期间父母的负面行为对青少年 HPA 轴的不利影响。因此，在这种情况下，针对减少父母焦虑和父母消极行为的干预措施可有效保护青少年的心理健康。

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来源期刊

Infant and Child Development PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL-

CiteScore

2.90

自引率

9.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Infant and Child Development publishes high quality empirical, theoretical and methodological papers addressing psychological development from the antenatal period through to adolescence. The journal brings together research on: - social and emotional development - perceptual and motor development - cognitive development - language development atypical development (including conduct problems, anxiety and depressive conditions, language impairments, autistic spectrum disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders)