TitlePsychosocial and biological markers of daily lives of midlife parents of children with disabilities.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2009
AuthorsSeltzer, MMailick, Almeida, DM, Greenberg, JS, Savla, J, Stawski, RS, Hong, J, Taylor, JLounds
JournalJ Health Soc Behav
Volume50
Issue1
Pagination1-15
Date Published2009 Mar
ISSN0022-1465
KeywordsAdaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Case-Control Studies, Disabled Persons, Female, Health Status, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Middle Aged, Parent-Child Relations, Parents, Stress, Psychological, United States
Abstract

<p>Using daily telephone interviews, 82 midlife parents (mean age = 57.4) of children with disabilities (mean age = 29.9) were compared with a closely matched sample of unaffected parents (N = 82) to elucidate the daily experience of nonnormative parenting. In addition, salivary cortisol samples were obtained to examine whether parents of children with disabilities had dysregulated diurnal rhythms and the extent to which the amount of time spent with children was associated with divergent patterns of cortisol expression. We found that parents of children with disabilities had similar patterns of daily time use and similar likelihood of positive daily events as the comparison group, but they had elevated levels of stress, negative affect, and physical symptoms, all reported on a daily basis. In addition, their diurnal rhythm of cortisol expression differed significantly from the comparison group, a pattern that was strongest for parents of children with disabilities on days when they spent more time with their children.</p>

DOI10.1177/002214650905000101
Alternate JournalJ Health Soc Behav
PubMed ID19413131
PubMed Central IDPMC2679175
Grant ListP30 HD003352 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG21079 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG020166-069002 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG021079 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG021079-050003 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG019239 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01AG019239 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
R01 AG019239-05 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
P30 HD003352-42 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
P30 HD03352 / HD / NICHD NIH HHS / United States
P01 AG020166 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States