Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding what contributes to individual variability in experiences of stress. Increases in stress related to the pandemic have been especially pronounced in parents, indicating a need for research examining what factors contribute...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39572-x |
| _version_ | 1827634526891802624 |
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| author | Karen E. Smith Eileen Graf Kelly E. Faig Stephanie J. Dimitroff Frederica Rockwood Marc W. Hernandez Greg J. Norman |
| author_facet | Karen E. Smith Eileen Graf Kelly E. Faig Stephanie J. Dimitroff Frederica Rockwood Marc W. Hernandez Greg J. Norman |
| author_sort | Karen E. Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding what contributes to individual variability in experiences of stress. Increases in stress related to the pandemic have been especially pronounced in parents, indicating a need for research examining what factors contribute to parents’ perceptions of stress. Here, we assessed the relationship between parents’ perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and experiences of childhood trauma in two populations of caregivers. In Study 1, we examined the relationship between perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and history of early stress, along with indices of socioeconomic risk and resting parasympathetic nervous systema activity, which has been linked to variability in perceptions of stress, in caregivers of young children. Perceived control, loneliness, childhood stress, and resting parasympathetic nervous system activity predicted caregivers’ stress. In Study 2, we replicated these initial findings in a second sample of caregivers. Additionally, we examined how these processes change over time. Caregivers demonstrated significant changes in perceptions of control, loneliness, and stress, and changes in control and childhood trauma history were associated with changes in perceptions of stress. Together these results indicate the importance of assessing how caregivers perceive their environment when examining what contributes to increased risk for stress. Additionally, they suggest that caregivers’ stress-related processes are malleable and provide insight into potential targets for interventions aimed at reducing parents’ stress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:15:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5d108fe46d55493cb5396db02b83dbbb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:15:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-5d108fe46d55493cb5396db02b83dbbb2023-11-26T13:07:03ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-08-0113111210.1038/s41598-023-39572-xPerceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stressKaren E. Smith0Eileen Graf1Kelly E. Faig2Stephanie J. Dimitroff3Frederica Rockwood4Marc W. Hernandez5Greg J. Norman6University of ChicagoNORC at the University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoNORC at the University of ChicagoUniversity of ChicagoAbstract The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding what contributes to individual variability in experiences of stress. Increases in stress related to the pandemic have been especially pronounced in parents, indicating a need for research examining what factors contribute to parents’ perceptions of stress. Here, we assessed the relationship between parents’ perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and experiences of childhood trauma in two populations of caregivers. In Study 1, we examined the relationship between perceptions of stress, control, loneliness, and history of early stress, along with indices of socioeconomic risk and resting parasympathetic nervous systema activity, which has been linked to variability in perceptions of stress, in caregivers of young children. Perceived control, loneliness, childhood stress, and resting parasympathetic nervous system activity predicted caregivers’ stress. In Study 2, we replicated these initial findings in a second sample of caregivers. Additionally, we examined how these processes change over time. Caregivers demonstrated significant changes in perceptions of control, loneliness, and stress, and changes in control and childhood trauma history were associated with changes in perceptions of stress. Together these results indicate the importance of assessing how caregivers perceive their environment when examining what contributes to increased risk for stress. Additionally, they suggest that caregivers’ stress-related processes are malleable and provide insight into potential targets for interventions aimed at reducing parents’ stress.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39572-x |
| spellingShingle | Karen E. Smith Eileen Graf Kelly E. Faig Stephanie J. Dimitroff Frederica Rockwood Marc W. Hernandez Greg J. Norman Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress Scientific Reports |
| title | Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress |
| title_full | Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress |
| title_fullStr | Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress |
| title_short | Perceived control, loneliness, early-life stress, and parents’ perceptions of stress |
| title_sort | perceived control loneliness early life stress and parents perceptions of stress |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39572-x |
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