Rieder Jenna K, Goshin Lorie S, Sissoko D R Gina, Kleshchova Olena, Weierich Mariann R
Jenna K. Rieder, BA, is Research Assistant, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, NY. Lorie S. Goshin, PhD, RN, is Assistant Professor; and D.R. Gina Sissoko, BA, is Research Assistant, Hunter College, The City University of New York, NY. Olena Kleshchova, MS, is Research Assistant, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, NY. Mariann R. Weierich, PhD, is Associate Professor, Hunter College, The City University of New York, NY.
Nurs Res. 2019 Jan/Feb;68(1):48-56. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000323.
Community criminal justice supervised mothers are an underserved population who experience high rates of psychological distress and unique parenting challenges, but little is known about physiological stress system function in this population.
We tested the salivary biomarkers of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function as predictors of subjective maternal stress.
We recruited 23 mothers (age: M = 35.6 years, SD = 9.3 years; 35% Hispanic, 22% Black, 22% White, 22% multiracial) who were court mandated to a residential treatment center. We measured salivary alpha-amylase (AA) and cortisol, which index SNS and HPA activity, respectively, before and after a naturalistic reminder of a stressful parenting experience. We assessed self-reported parenting stress using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) subscales Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interactions, and Difficult Child. We used regression to test AA and cortisol mean levels and reactivity as predictors of subscale scores.
Mean, but not reactive, salivary stress biomarker levels were associated with parenting stress domains. Mean cortisol levels predicted scores on the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale (adj. R = .48), whereas mean AA predicted Difficult Child subscale scores (adj. R = .28).
Our results demonstrate the potential predictive utility of AA and cortisol as salivary biomarkers of maternal stress in community-supervised mothers. Given that maternal stress is associated with criminal recidivism and child behavioral health in this population, these biomarkers could potentially inform interventions to improve dyadic health and social outcomes.
社区刑事司法监管下的母亲是一类未得到充分服务的人群，她们经历着高比率的心理困扰以及独特的育儿挑战，但对于该人群的生理应激系统功能却知之甚少。
我们测试了交感神经系统（SNS）和下丘脑 - 垂体 - 肾上腺（HPA）轴功能的唾液生物标志物，以作为母亲主观压力的预测指标。
我们招募了23名母亲（年龄：M = 35.6岁，SD = 9.3岁；35%为西班牙裔，22%为黑人，22%为白人，22%为多种族），她们是被法庭强制要求进入一个住宿治疗中心的。在自然地唤起一次压力性育儿经历前后，我们分别测量了唾液α - 淀粉酶（AA）和皮质醇，它们分别代表SNS和HPA的活动。我们使用育儿压力指数简表（PSI - SF）的父母困扰、亲子功能失调互动和难养子女分量表来评估自我报告的育儿压力。我们使用回归分析来测试AA和皮质醇的平均水平及反应性作为分量表得分的预测指标。
唾液应激生物标志物的平均水平（而非反应性）与育儿压力领域相关。平均皮质醇水平预测了亲子功能失调互动分量表的得分（调整后R = 0.48），而平均AA预测了难养子女分量表的得分（调整后R = 0.28）。
我们的结果证明了AA和皮质醇作为社区监管母亲中母亲压力的唾液生物标志物的潜在预测效用。鉴于该人群中母亲压力与再次犯罪及儿童行为健康相关，这些生物标志物可能为改善二元健康和社会结果的干预措施提供信息。
