OBJECTIVE: This study tests whether the individual differences in children's physiological stress systems may enhance our understanding of children's differential susceptibility to parental corporal punishment (CP) in Chinese families.
METHOD: One hundred fifty school-age children provided morning and late afternoon saliva samples on 3 consecutive days. Child report of parental CP and father report and mother report of child executive function (EF) were obtained.
RESULTS: The relations between maternal but not paternal CP and child EF varied as a function of diurnal cortisol change but not morning or afternoon cortisol. Maternal CP was more strongly associated with children's difficulties in EF in the low-declined cortisol group than in the high-declined cortisol group.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the importance of considering how the physiological stress system may interact with parental harsh discipline to influence child developmental outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Language: en
Keywords
Child Discipline; Chinese Cultural Groups; Executive Function; Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis; Individual Differences; Physiological Stress; Punishment; Test Construction