Parenting, Cortisol, and Risky Behaviors in Emerging Adulthood: Diverging Patterns for Males and Females

Objective

Parenting behaviors in early development are associated with risk-taking behaviors in emerging adulthood. Risky behaviors are also shown to be associated with cortisol response to stressors. This study examined the moderating effect of neuroendocrine response to stressors on the link between parenting behaviors in early development and risky behaviors in emerging adulthood.

Methods

Participants were 78 healthy college students (38 males). Following a habituation session, participants completed a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Task prior to completing measures of risky behavior. Salivary cortisol was measured before the stressor, 20, and 40 min post-stressor.

Results

Parenting behaviors and cortisol response to stressor were seen to be linked risky behavior. For males, the link between harsh father behaviors and risky behavior was significantly moderated by cortisol response to stressor such that higher cortisol response was related to decreased risky behaviors. For females, risk-taking was associated with harsh and warm parenting behaviors, but the link between parenting and risky behaviors was not related to or moderated by cortisol response.

Conclusions

These results provide evidence that parents might have separate effect on predicting risky behaviors and provides support for literature that chronic stressors can influence sensitivity to acute stressors and subsequent risk-taking behaviors.