Parenting, Pesticides and Adolescent Psychological Adjustment: A Brief Report

Joseph G. Grzywacz, Jason B. Belden, Amy M. Robertson, Daphne C. Hernandez, Fiorella L. Carlos Chavez and Michael J. Merten
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Joseph G. Grzywacz: Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Jason B. Belden: Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
Amy M. Robertson: Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
Daphne C. Hernandez: Cizik School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Fiorella L. Carlos Chavez: Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
Michael J. Merten: Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Pesticides used to control insects, such as pyrethroids, are neurotoxicants, yet adolescent researchers often overlook their potential role in adolescent psychological adjustment. This brief report is guided by bioecological theory and considers the possible independent and interactive effects of environmental pyrethroid pesticide exposure for adolescent depressive symptoms. Self-reported adolescent appraisals of the parent–child relationship and depressive symptoms were obtained from a convenience sample of impoverished, predominantly Latino urban youth ( n = 44). Exposure to environmental pyrethroids was obtained from wipe samples using a standardized protocol. Parent–adolescent conflict was higher in households with bifenthrin than those without, and adolescent depressive symptoms were elevated in homes where cypermethrin was detected. In addition, the presence of bifenthrin in the home attenuated the protective effects of parental involvement on adolescent depressive symptoms. The current results suggest that adolescent mental health researchers must consider the synergistic combinations of adolescents’ environments’ physical and social features. Given the endemic presence of pesticides and their neurotoxic function, pesticide exposure may demand specific attention.

Keywords: pesticides; adolescent depression; immigrants (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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