The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Utah State University, Logan, USA.
J Aging Health. 2020 Oct;32(9):926-936. doi: 10.1177/0898264319863994. Epub 2019 Jul 22.
We examined whether providing daily support to generations above and below has a differential impact on midlife adults' diurnal cortisol. Midlife adults ( = 151) from the Wave 2 reported daily practical support, emotional support, and advice to adult children and aging parents and collected saliva samples four times a day for 4 days. Midlife adults experienced steeper cortisol awakening responses and steeper declines in cortisol (favorable cortisol functioning) on days when they provided support to children. Yet, they experienced higher overall cortisol levels (unfavorable cortisol functioning) on days when they provided support to aging parents. Providing daily support to children may be rewarding to midlife adults, but support to parents may be associated with physiological stress. Findings advance understanding of midlife adults' helping behaviors to multiple generations and carry implications for older adults' well-being by encouraging effective support strategies.
我们考察了向上和向下提供日常支持对中年成年人日间皮质醇是否有不同影响。来自第 2 波的中年成年人（=151）报告了每天向成年子女和老年父母提供的实际支持、情感支持和建议，并在 4 天内每天 4 次收集唾液样本。当中年成年人向子女提供支持时，他们的皮质醇觉醒反应和皮质醇下降幅度更大（有利于皮质醇功能）。然而，当他们向老年父母提供支持时，他们的总体皮质醇水平更高（不利于皮质醇功能）。向儿童提供日常支持可能对中年成年人有益，但向父母提供支持可能与生理压力有关。这些发现增进了对中年成年人向多代人提供帮助行为的理解，并通过鼓励有效的支持策略，对老年人的幸福感产生影响。
