A culturally informed model linking physiological stress regulation and behavioral and academic adjustment in Latin American children

Modified Project Summary/Abstract Section Latin American children in the United States (U.S.) experience behavioral and physical health disparities early in development that persist into adulthood. Early in development, Latin American children are behind their peers in cognitive self-regulation (e.g., poor executive functions) and behavioral adjustment (e.g., low school readiness). It is not known how children’s physiological stress regulation (PSR) relates to disparities in young Latin American children or how Latin American caregivers can buffer their children from these negative outcomes. From a life course perspective, identifying malleable risk and protective processes in Latin American families during the early childhood years is critical for ensuring the long-term health and productivity of the large and growing U.S. Latin American population. To address these serious research gaps, we use a novel cultural neurobiological approach to prospectively examine culturally sensitive indicators of positive parenting and parents’ own physiological stress regulation (PSR) as buffers of the link between child physiological stress regulation and critical developmental outcomes in Latin American families in the U.S. To increase the translational impact of the work we examine cultural strengths related to parenting in Latin American mothers and fathers. We specifically assess behavioral and academic adjustment given that these developmental indices are at the forefront for young school age children and difficulties in these domains can presage long-term outcomes. We follow children from the preschool age into the kindergarten year because the former represents a critical time for the emergence of stress regulation skills and the latter because the adjustment to the school setting represents a critical developmental juncture. We put forth the following aims, which are directly in line with research recommendations endorsed by NIH for advancing minority health: Aim 1: Identify associations between PSR in Latin American preschoolers and behavioral and academic adjustment in kindergarten; Aim 2: Examine positive parenting and parent PSR as moderators of the link between Latin American preschoolers’ PSR and behavioral and academic adjustment; Aim 3: Identify cultural strengths related to positive Latino/a parenting. We use a longitudinal design and a multimethod assessment (physiological assessments, behavioral observations, self-report) of key constructs. The results of this project will provide critical data on how Latin American children’s PSR is associated with later adjustment and identify malleable factors that can be leveraged into culturally informed intervention programming to improve the health and overall well-being of Latin American families in the U.S.