The Influence of Caregiving Experience on Paternal Anxiety in Nonfathers

Although fathers are increasingly involved in caregiving, less is known about how parenting-related anxiety develops in men prior to parenthood. The present study examines how prior caregiving experience and parenting-specific anxiety relate to physiological responses during a simulated infant caregiving task in men without children. Participants will complete self-report measures and interact with a programmable infant simulator, with salivary testosterone and cortisol collected before and after the task. The study aims to investigate how individual differences in caregiving experience and parenting-specific anxiety relate to testosterone and cortisol reactivity during caregiving.