The benefits of nurturant-involved parenting for children’s internalizing symptoms and cardiometabolic health in high-risk contexts

Abstract

Abstract Despite evidence that nurturant-involved parenting is linked with children’s social, psychological, and physiological development, less is known about the specific contexts in which nurturant-involved parenting is most beneficial for children’s mental and physical health. The present study examined how associations between nurturant-involved parenting and children’s internalizing symptoms and cardiometabolic risk varied as a function of children’s stress and discrimination. Participants included 165 Black and Latinx children (Mage = 11.5 years) and their guardians. Children reported on their ongoing stress, experiences of discrimination, and internalizing symptoms (depression and anxiety). Guardians provided information about their nurturant-involved parenting practices. Children’s cardiometabolic risk was assessed as a composite reflecting a high level of systolic or diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, HbA1c, triglycerides, and low HDL cholesterol. Regression analyses indicated that among youth who reported high levels of stress and discrimination, nurturant-involved parenting was negatively associated with cardiometabolic risk. Although children’s stress and discrimination were significantly associated with their internalizing symptoms, neither stress nor discrimination moderated the relation between nurturant-involved parenting and internalizing symptoms. Results highlight the significant role that parents play in shaping children’s health, particularly among youth experiencing high levels of stress and discrimination.