Can Allostatic Load Cross Over? Short-Term Work and Nonwork Stressor Pile-Up on Parent and Adolescent Diurnal Cortisol, Physical Symptoms, and Sleep

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: French, Kimberly A.; Smith, Claire E.; Lee, Soomi; Chen, Zheng
• 署名单位: Colorado State University System; Colorado State University Fort Collins; State University System of Florida; University of South Florida; Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE); Pennsylvania State University; Pennsylvania State University - University Park; State University System of Florida; University of South Florida
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0021-9010
• DOI: 10.1037/apl0001284
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 1350-1370
• 关键词: allostatic load; crossover; cortisol; physical symptoms; sleep

摘要

Grounded in and expanding upon the allostatic load model, the present study examined how repeated exposure to work and nonwork stressors (i.e., stressor pile-up) across an 8-day study period relates to daily strain-related outcomes-diurnal cortisol, physical symptoms, and sleep quantity and quality-in both parents and their adolescent children. Nonlinear associations between daily stressor pile-up and daily strain were explored. Data from the Work, Family, and Health Network study (N = 131 parent-child dyads, n = 1,014 daily survey observations, n = 465 daily observations with cortisol) were used to test the study hypotheses. Parent work stressor pile-up and adolescent stressor pile-up were associated with increased daily physical symptom likelihood in parents and adolescents, respectively. Counter to expectations, parent nonwork stressor pile-up was associated with steeper daily cortisol slopes. Additionally, we found curvilinear crossover effects for sleep quantity, such that parent nonwork stressor pile-up and adolescent stressor pile-up were associated with shorter sleep duration among adolescents and parents (respectively), but this relationship plateaued and reversed as daily pile-up increased to more extreme levels. Our article explores conceptual and operational pile-up definitions (level of analysis, length of time window, inclusion of the current-day stressor events). Individual-level analyses supported more consistent, positive linear relationships between stressor pile-up and strains. Time window had little consequences for conclusions, but inclusion of the current day yields some alternative conclusions. We discuss implications for understanding stressor pile-up across domains and across parent-child dyads as it relates to daily strain within the family system.