Abstract
IntroductionTestosterone and oxytocin are psychobiological mechanisms that interrelate with relationship quality between parents and the quantity and quality of parenting behaviors, thereby affecting child outcomes. Their joint production based on family dynamics has rarely been tested, particularly cross‐culturally.MethodsWe explored family function and salivary testosterone and oxytocin in mothers and fathers in a small‐scale, fishing‐farming society in Republic of the Congo. Fathers ranked one another in three domains of family life pertaining to the local cultural model of fatherhood.ResultsFathers who were viewed as better providers had relatively lower oxytocin and higher testosterone than men seen as poorer providers, who had lower testosterone and higher oxytocin. Fathers also had higher testosterone and lower oxytocin in marriages with more conflict, while those who had less marital conflict had reduced testosterone and higher oxytocin. In contrast, mothers in conflicted marriages showed the opposite profiles of relatively lower testosterone and higher oxytocin. Mothers had higher oxytocin and lower testosterone if fathers were uninvolved as direct caregivers, while mothers showed an opposing pattern for the two hormones if fathers were seen as involved with direct care.ConclusionsThese results shed new light on parents' dual oxytocin and testosterone profiles in a small‐scale society setting and highlight the flexibility of human parental psychobiology when fathers' roles and functions within families differ across cultures.
Highlights
Testosterone and oxytocin are psychobiological mechanisms that in‐ terrelate with relationship quality between parents and the quantity and quality of parenting behaviors, thereby affecting child outcomes
In a similar model for maternal OT, we found that mothers' tended to have higher OT when their spouses were not involved with direct caregiving (p = 0.056; Figure 2; see Tables 5 and S3)
We found that Bondongo mothers had higher OT and lower T, respectively, when their partners were seen as less involved with direct caregiving, which is theoretically consistent with heightened maternal roles as nurturant caregivers in this setting
Summary
Testosterone and oxytocin are psychobiological mechanisms that in‐ terrelate with relationship quality between parents and the quantity and quality of parenting behaviors, thereby affecting child outcomes. T is a psychobiological mechanism that can influence relationship dynamics between parents, shape how parents allocate limited time and energy to diverse parenting behaviors, and affect the quality of parental engagement in those behaviors (van Anders, 2013; Gettler, 2014). Through these pathways, T has broad implica‐ tions for family system function as well as child development and well‐being (Boyette, Lew‐Levy, Sarma, & Gettler, 2019; Rosenbaum & Gettler, 2018)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have