James Thompson
Pronouns:
Research Mentor(s): Esra Ascigil
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 2 – 11am – 11:50am
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: James Thompson, Esra Ascigil, Robin Edelstein
Presenter: 7
Abstract
Couples who co-parent often do so under stressful conditions. Do women and men respond similarly to these kinds of stressors? Previous works suggest that men are more likely to exhibit a “fight-or-flight†response, whereas women are more likely to exhibit a “tend-or-befriend†response (Taylor et al 2000). The present study seeks to understand how stress affects men and women differently during co-parenting. We examine how external stress, indexed by physiological reactivity to a stress manipulation, affects opposite-sex couples’ co-parenting behaviors during a subsequent caregiving task. Stress in this study is defined by changes in cortisol– a major stress hormone– measured before (T1) and after the stress manipulation (T2), and after the caregiving task (T3). Previous research suggests that, following a stress manipulation, men experience a decreased caretaking motivation but a heightened cortisol response, whereas women showed an increase in caretaking motivation and no significant cortisol response (Probst et al., 2017). Men also showed higher caretaking motivation when their cortisol levels were moderately increased as opposed to small or large increases. However, it remains unclear how couples respond to stress when they co-parent together. In the current study, we are collecting data from cohabiting couples aged 20-40 who do not have children, and are not currently pregnant. We examine experimental conditions in which (1) neither partner is stressed, (2) only the female partner is stressed, (3) only the male partner is stressed, or (4) both partners are stressed. Participants in the stress condition undergo the Trier Social Stress Test; those in the control condition complete a non-stressful task. Couples then participate in a simulated infant caregiving task. We hypothesize that, compared to the control condition, those in the stressed condition will exhibit more caregiving behaviors. This study will help understand co-parenting strategies during stressful times, which could help couples with infants.
Interdisciplinary, Social Sciences
