A small study evaluating cortisol production of undocumented immigrant Latino parents and their US-born adolescents

While cortisol production has been studied in parent-child dyads, research has not specifically examined cortisol production of US-born adolescents and their undocumented immigrant Latino parents, despite the elevated stress associated with mixed status. The purpose of the small study was to 1) assess the cortisol production of undocumented immigrant parent-US-born adolescent dyads and 2) examine the cortisol production of the dyads identified as being at heightened risk for immigrant and economic stress. A community-based strategy was used to locate and recruit self-identifying undocumented immigrant, Latino parents and their US-born adolescents (12-16 years) in the Houston-area (September 2019-January 2020). Each participant within the dyad self-reported on immigration and economic stress, socio-demographic characteristics, and parents self-reported on their immigration documentation status. Each participant within the dyad also provided four saliva samples collected at-home during designated time points within the same day. Paired t-test were conducted to compare cortisol production at each of the four time-points among undocumented parent-US-born adolescent dyads and among mixed-status dyads whose parents reported elevated immigration and economic stress. Nineteen mixed-status dyads participated (adolescents: 63% male; average age 13.68 years; parents: 96% female; average age 41.95 years; primarily from Mexico). Cortisol production comparisons within mixed-status dyads did not differ at any of the four time points (i.e. cortisol production appeared to be the same) [t1(18)=1.54, p=0.14; t2(18)=-1.32, p=0.20; t3(18)=-0.43, p=0.67; t4(18)=-1.65, p=0.12]. Among mixed-status dyads whose parents reported elevated immigrant-related stress [t1(10)=1.15, p=0.28; t2(10)=-0.85, p=0.42; t3(10)=-1.31, p=0.22; t4(10)=-1.46, p=0.18] and economic stress [t1(10)=0.17, p=0.87; t2(10)=0.12, p=0.91; t3(10)=-0.25, p=0.80; t4(10)=-0.19, p=0.85], cortisol production did not differ at any of the four time points. The shared environment among mixed-status families appears to be co-activating adolescent-parent physiology, contributing to similar cortisol production. The constant level of stress may shape all members of the family similarly, regardless of documentation status.