DeAngelis Reed T, Taylor John, Friedman Katherine L
Department of Sociology and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Department of Sociology, Florida State University.
Popul Res Policy Rev. 2020 Apr;39(2):365-373. doi: 10.1007/s11113-019-09534-1. Epub 2019 Jun 12.
Does childrearing affect the biological functioning of parents? To address this question, we analyze cross-sectional survey and biomarker data from Vanderbilt University's Nashville Stress and Health Study, a probability sample of non-Hispanic white and black working-age adults from Davidson County, Tennessee (2011-2014; n = 1,252). Multivariable regression analyses reveal a linear dose-response relationship between the number of children living in a respondent's home and (a) increased allostatic load, and (b) decreased leukocyte telomere length. We found no differences in biological functioning between childless respondents and empty-nest parents. These findings also withstood controls for a battery of socioeconomic factors. The implications of these findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
养育子女会影响父母的生理机能吗？为了回答这个问题，我们分析了范德堡大学纳什维尔压力与健康研究中的横断面调查和生物标志物数据，该研究是对田纳西州戴维森县非西班牙裔白人和黑人工作年龄成年人的概率抽样（2011 - 2014年；n = 1252）。多变量回归分析揭示了居住在受访者家中的子女数量与（a）应激负荷增加以及（b）白细胞端粒长度缩短之间存在线性剂量反应关系。我们发现无子女受访者和空巢父母在生理机能方面没有差异。这些发现也在一系列社会经济因素的对照下依然成立。本文讨论了这些发现的意义以及对未来研究的建议。
