This study investigated associations between parenting stress in parents and self-reported stress in children with children's diurnal cortisol secretion and whether these associations are moderated by known stress-regulating capacities, namely child cognitive control. Salivary cortisol concentrations were assessed from awakening to evening on two weekend days from 53 6-to-7-year-old children. Children completed a cognitive control task and a self-report stress questionnaire with an experimenter, while parents completed a parenting stress inventory. Hierarchical, linear mixed effects models revealed that higher parenting stress was associated with overall reduced cortisol secretion in children, and this effect was moderated by cognitive control. Specifically, parenting stress was associated with reduced diurnal cortisol levels in children with lower cognitive control ability and not in children with higher cognitive control ability. There were no effects of self-reported stress in children on their cortisol secretion, presumably because 6-to-7-year-old children cannot yet self-report on stress experiences. Our results suggest that higher cognitive control skills may buffer the effects of parenting stress in parents on their children’s stress regulation in middle childhood. This could indicate that training cognitive control skills in early life could be a target to prevent stress-related disorders.

这项研究调查了父母的父母压力与儿童昼夜皮质醇分泌的儿童自我报告的压力之间的关联，以及这些关联是否被已知的压力调节能力（即儿童认知控制）所缓解。从53名6至7岁的儿童的觉醒到两个周末的晚上评估唾液皮质醇浓度。孩子们完成了一项认知控制任务，并与一名实验者完成了一份自我报告的压力问卷，而父母则完成了一项父母压力调查。分层线性混合效应模型显示，较高的父母压力与儿童皮质醇分泌总体减少有关，并且这种效应通过认知控制得以缓解。具体来说，父母的压力与认知控制能力较低的儿童而不是认知控制能力较高的儿童的每日皮质醇水平降低有关。自我报告的压力对儿童的皮质醇分泌没有影响，大概是因为6至7岁的儿童尚无法对压力经历进行自我报告。我们的结果表明，较高的认知控制技能可能会缓冲父母的父母压力对中儿童期孩子的压力调节的影响。这可能表明，在早期阶段训练认知控制技能可能是预防与压力相关的疾病的目标。大概是因为6至7岁的孩子尚无法根据压力经历进行自我报告。我们的结果表明，较高的认知控制技能可能会缓冲父母的父母压力对中儿童期孩子的压力调节的影响。这可能表明，在早期阶段训练认知控制技能可能是预防与压力相关的疾病的目标。大概是因为6至7岁的孩子尚无法根据压力经历进行自我报告。我们的结果表明，较高的认知控制技能可能会缓冲父母的父母压力对中儿童期孩子的压力调节的影响。这可能表明，在早期阶段训练认知控制技能可能是预防与压力相关的疾病的目标。