Diurnal testosterone variability is differentially associated with parenting quality in mothers and fathers |
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| Institution: | 1. Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands;2. Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands;3. Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands;4. Leiden University Centre for Linguistics, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands;1. Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States;2. The Eck Institute for Global Health, University of Notre Dame, United States;3. Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States;4. Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States;5. Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, University of Washington, Seattle, United States;6. Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States;7. Center for Genetic Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60611, United States;8. USC Office of Population Studies Foundation and Department of Anthropology, Sociology, and History, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Carlos, Talamban Cebu City, Philippines;9. Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, United States |
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| Abstract: | Previous studies on the relation between testosterone (T) levels and parenting have found ample evidence for the challenge hypothesis, demonstrating that high T levels inhibit parental involvement and that becoming a parent is related to a decrease in T levels in both mothers and fathers. However, less is known about the relation between T levels and more qualitative aspects of parenting. In the current study we examined basal T levels and diurnal variability in T levels in relation to mothers' and fathers' parenting quality. Participants included 217 fathers and 124 mothers with two children (3 and 5 years of age). Evening and morning salivary T samples were analyzed with radio-immunoassays to determine circulating T levels. Parental sensitivity (i.e., child-centered responsiveness) and respect for children's autonomy were observed during free play in the family home. The results showed that higher evening T levels in mothers were associated with more sensitivity to the oldest and youngest child. Diurnal T variability was more consistently associated with parenting behavior towards their children than basal T levels. For fathers, more diurnal variability in T was associated with more sensitivity and more respect for autonomy with their youngest children. For mothers, more diurnal variability in T was associated with less sensitivity to both children and less respect for the youngest child's autonomy. These findings suggest that the T system might act differently in relation to parenting behavior in males and females. |
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