Abstract
Little research addresses how parental self-efficacy is related to stress responses, and no research does so among parents of early adolescents. To fill this research gap, the current study examined the association between maternal self-efficacy and physiological stress responses during early adolescence. Participants were 68 mother–early adolescent dyads with youth in the 6th grade (M = 11 years; 56% female). Physiological responses (i.e., skin conductance, respiratory sinus arrythmia, cortisol) were measured before and after mothers observed their children engage in a modified Trier Social Stress Test for Children. Mothers reported on parental self-efficacy. Mothers with higher parental self-efficacy exhibited a more moderate skin conductance response to the speech portion of the task, and a smaller increase in cortisol, compared to mothers with lower parental self-efficacy. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia change was not related to parental self-efficacy. The findings are consistent with a “caring but confident” physiological profile among mothers with high parental self-efficacy, suggesting that greater confidence about parental influence might reduce parents’ experience of stress/anxiety as they observe children face certain challenges.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the mothers and adolescents who participated in this study, and the research team that assisted in recruitment and data collection.
Authors’ Contributions
C.M.B. participated in the design of the study, conceptualized this paper, and drafted the manuscript; M.J.G. performed statistical analyses and contributed to the writing of the manuscript; A.L.M. performed statistical analyses and contributed to the writing of the manuscript; A.C.F. participated in the design of the study, supervised data collection, and contributed to the writing of the manuscript; C.B. participated in the design of the study, supervised data collection, and contributed to the writing of the manuscript. All read and approved the final manuscript.
Funding
This research was made possible by grants to C.B. and A.C.F. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and to C.M.B. from Wake Forest University.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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All procedures in the current study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the University of North Carolina-Greensboro Institutional Review Board. They were also approved by Wake Forest University through an IRB Authorization Agreement with the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.
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Informed consent was obtained from all mothers for their own and their children’s participation. Informed assent was obtained from all youth.
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Buchanan, C.M., Gangel, M.J., McCurdy, A.L. et al. Parental Self-Efficacy and Physiological Responses to Stress among Mothers of Early Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 51, 643–658 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01577-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01577-6