Parental Status and Biological Functioning: Findings from the Nashville Stress and Health Study

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,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Population research and policy review 2020-04, Vol.39 (2), p.365-373
Main Authors: DeAngelis, Reed T., Taylor, John
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Biological markers
Biomarkers
Black white differences
Black white relations
Blood pressure
Cell division
Childlessness
Childrearing practices
Children
Demography
Health problems
Hispanic Americans
Interviews
Leukocytes
Mental health
Parental status
Parents
Parents & parenting
Population
Population Economics
Regression analysis
Research Briefs
Respondents
Social factors
Social Sciences
Socioeconomic data
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomics
Sociology
Statistical analysis
Stress
Stress response
Telomerase
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Summary: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  = 1252). 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.
ISSN:0167-5923
1573-7829
DOI:10.1007/s11113-019-09534-1