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Chong LS, Yeo AJ, Lin B. Childhood Family Stress and Women's Health: Parasympathetic Activity as a Risk and Resiliency Factor. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2024:10.1007/s10484-024-09661-2. [PMID: 39179946 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-024-09661-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/14/2024] [Indexed: 08/26/2024]
Abstract
Childhood family stress (CFS) exacerbates risk for physical health problems across the lifespan. Health risks associated with CFS are particularly relevant for women who tend to endorse more CFS than men. Importantly, some evidence suggests that individuals may vary in their susceptibility to CFS. Parasympathetic activity, which helps to regulate automatic bodily activity (e.g., breathing, digestion), has been proposed to represent a marker of plasticity to environmental exposure. However, no research to date has tested whether parasympathetic activity may modulate the impact of early adversity on health. We examined whether parasympathetic activity would moderate the link between CFS and health complaints in a sample of 68 undergraduate women (Mean age = 19.44). Participants self-reported CFS and health complaints. Parasympathetic activity was indexed using high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) and was evaluated by measuring changes in HF-HRV in response to and following a laboratory-based stress induction. Multiple regression analyses indicated that CFS was significantly associated with more health complaints. Further, HF-HRV in response to stress and during recovery relative to baseline significantly moderated relationship between CFS and health complaints. Specifically, more CFS was significantly associated with more health complaints among women who showed mean or greater decreases in HF-HRV in response to stress. Additionally, lower levels of CFS were associated with fewer health complaints among women who showed mean or greater HF-HRV during recovery relative to baseline. Findings highlight the importance of parasympathetic activity in modulating stress-health links.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Shen Chong
- Department of Psychology, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, 95192, USA.
| | - Anna J Yeo
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA
- The Mirriam Hospital, Providence, RI, 02906, USA
| | - Betty Lin
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
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Ding J, Wu Y, Wang B, Sun Z. The relationship between depression severity and heart rate variability in children and adolescents: A meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res 2024; 182:111804. [PMID: 38788284 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2024.111804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Depression in children and adolescents has gradually attracted social attention. Heart rate variability (HRV) has been found to be influenced by depression severity, but results have not been uniformed in children and adolescents. This study investigated the relationship between depression severity and heart rate variability in children and adolescents, aiming to provide additional evidence for an objective, effective, and convenient depression screening tool in this population. METHODS Literature searching was conducted in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO. Relevant studies investigating the relationship between depression severity and HRV in children and adolescents were selected for meta-analysis. RESULTS 31 articles were included in this meta-analysis, involving 4534 participants. Depression severity in children and adolescents was significantly negatively correlated with high frequency (HF) and root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) in HRV (HF: r = -0.10, 95% CI: -0.17 to -0.04, p = 0.001; RMSSD: r = -0.18, 95% CI: -0.30 to -0.05, p = 0.01). The relationship between HF and depression severity was moderated by age, higher among those aged >12 than among those aged <12 (r = -0.17, -0.02, Q = 7.32, p = 0.007). CONCLUSION Heart rate variability is associated with depression severity in children and adolescents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Ding
- Institute of Applied Psychology, College of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, 310023 Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Yi Wu
- Institute of Applied Psychology, College of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, 310023 Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Institute of Applied Psychology, College of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, 310023 Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
| | - Zaoyi Sun
- Institute of Applied Psychology, College of Education, Zhejiang University of Technology, 288 Liuhe Road, 310023 Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
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Felton JW, Shadur JM, Havewala M, Cassidy J, Lejuez CW, Chronis-Tuscano A. Specific Pathways from Parental Distress Reactions to Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: The Mediating Role of Youths' Reactions to Negative Life Events. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2022; 44:750-762. [PMID: 36189339 PMCID: PMC9523721 DOI: 10.1007/s10862-022-09954-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The current multimethod longitudinal study examines how parents' distress reactions to adolescents' negative emotions may shape youths' own perceptions of negative life events and subsequent increases in depressive symptomology. Ninety adolescents (41 girls, 49 boys, average age = 16.5 years old) and their parents were assessed over three timepoints. We found that greater parent-reported distress reactions to adolescents' emotions predicted subsequent increase in youths' own self-reported negative reactions to stressful experiences over a two-week period, which in turn predicted steeper increases in youth-reported depressive symptoms across this same two-week period. Moreover, youths' negative reactions mediated the relation between parent emotion socialization and increases in adolescent depressive symptoms. These findings support the use of interventions that simultaneously target parent and child distress to prevent the onset of adolescent depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia W. Felton
- Center for Health Policy & Health Services Research, Henry Ford Health Systems, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
| | - Julia M. Shadur
- School of Integrative Studies (Childhood Studies) and Human Development & Family Science, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Mazneen Havewala
- Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Jude Cassidy
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Carl W. Lejuez
- Office of the Provost and Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
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Alen NV, Shields GS, Nemer A, D'Souza IA, Ohlgart MJ, Hostinar CE. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between parenting and child autonomic nervous system activity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 139:104734. [PMID: 35716874 PMCID: PMC11023739 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Parental socialization may influence the development of children's autonomic nervous system (ANS), a key stress-response system. However, to date no quantitative synthesis of the literature linking parenting and child ANS physiology has been conducted. To address this gap, we conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis. A systematic review of the literature identified 103 studies (n = 13,044 participants) with available effect sizes describing the association between parenting and either parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) or sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity in children. The overall analysis revealed non-significant associations between parenting and child ANS physiology on average. However, moderation analyses revealed a positive association between more positive parenting and higher resting PNS activity that was stronger when a study was experimental rather than correlational, and when the sample included children with a clinical condition. In conclusion, well-controlled experimental studies show that positive parenting is associated with the development of higher resting PNS activity, an effect that may be stronger among children who are at elevated developmental risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas V Alen
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA; Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Trier, Germany
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA; Department of Psychological Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Adele Nemer
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA
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Lisitsa E, Bolden CR, Johnson BD, Mezulis AH. Impact of stress and parenting on respiratory sinus arrythmia trajectories in early adolescence. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22165. [PMID: 34292618 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The effects of stress and parenting on 1-year trajectories of physiological emotion regulation capacity among adolescents were examined. Consistent with the vulnerability-stress and allostatic load models, stress (chronic family and marital) was hypothesized to be associated with less favorable trajectories of basal respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) over 1 year. This relationship was further hypothesized to be moderated by parenting practices (warmth, neglect, and rejection) and adolescent sex. Participants included 150 adolescents (51.3% female), 11-15 years of age (M = 13.04, SD = 0.89). Basal RSA and stress were assessed four times across 1 year. Results indicated a significant decrease in RSA over the course of 1 year (β = -0.15, p = .010). Warm parenting style was associated with lower RSA in environments of low marital stress and was also related with higher RSA in environments of high marital stress (β = 0.86, p = .021). Rejecting parenting styles were associated with higher RSA in environments of low family stress and lower RSA in environments of high family stress (β = -0.60, p = .014). These findings may be explained by the Yerkes-Dodson law of optimal stress, suggesting that sufficient environmental challenge is needed to catalyze regulatory development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellie Lisitsa
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - China R Bolden
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Benjamin D Johnson
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Amy H Mezulis
- Department of Clinical Psychology, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Moffitt JM, Baker JK, Fenning RM, Erath SA, Messinger DS, Zeedyk SM, Paez SA, Seel S. Parental Socialization of Emotion and Psychophysiological Arousal Patterns in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2021; 49:401-412. [PMID: 33459921 PMCID: PMC10826638 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-020-00745-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at considerable risk for difficulties with emotion regulation and related functioning. Although it is commonly accepted that parents contribute to adaptive child regulation, as indexed by observable child behavior, theory and recent evidence suggest that parenting may also influence relevant underlying child physiological tendencies. The current study examined concurrent associations between two elements of parental socialization of emotion and measures of both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity in 61 children with ASD aged 6 to 10 years. To index parental socialization, parents reported on their reactions to their children's negative emotions, and parental scaffolding was coded from a dyadic problem-solving task. Children's baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), electrodermal reactivity (EDA-R), and RSA reactivity in response to challenge were obtained as measures of the children's physiological activity. Regression analyses indicated that supportive parent reactions were related to higher child baseline RSA, a biomarker of regulatory capacity. Fewer unsupportive parent reactions and higher quality scaffolding were associated with higher EDA-R, a physiological index of inhibition. The identification of these concurrent associations represents a first step in understanding the complex and likely bidirectional interplay between parent socialization and child physiological reactivity and regulation in this high-risk population.
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West KB, Shaffer A, Wickrama KAS, Han ZR, Suveg C. Preschoolers' dynamic respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) change during a challenging parent-child interactive task: Relations with preschoolers' socioemotional health. Dev Psychobiol 2020; 63:1132-1145. [PMID: 33146405 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a biomarker of physiological functioning that has been implicated in self-regulatory processes and shown to relate to children's socioemotional health. RSA is a dynamic process reflecting an individual's response to their environment; thus, temporally sensitive methods are critical to better understanding this self-regulatory process in different contexts. Prior work has studied young children's RSA change in the context of emotion clips and interactions with a stranger. The present study meaningfully expanded upon this work by examining: (a) preschoolers' dynamic RSA change during a challenging task with their mothers, and (b) factors that may explain variability in children's dynamic RSA change. Preschoolers (N = 108; Mage = 3.56 years) and their mothers from diverse backgrounds completed a challenging activity together while children's physiological activity was monitored. Mothers reported on children's positive affect, parent emotional support, and family cohesion and indicators of socioemotional health. Children's positive affect and family cohesion explained variability in children's dynamic RSA change, which concurrently related to better socioemotional health. This study advances research and theory on biological correlates implicated in the development of children's self-regulation and furthers our understanding of factors that may support children's developing self-regulation at the physiological level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara B West
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Anne Shaffer
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Kandauda A S Wickrama
- Department of Human Development and Family Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
| | - Zhuo Rachel Han
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Cynthia Suveg
- Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
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Wang H, Suveg C, West KB, Han ZR, Zhang X, Hu X, Yi L. Synchrony of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Parents and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Moderation by Interaction Quality and Child Behavior Problems. Autism Res 2020; 14:512-522. [PMID: 33001539 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 09/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Parent-child physiological synchrony, the matching of physiological states between parents and children, is theorized to be important for typically developing (TD) children, but less is known about this process in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In a sample of 29 children (M age = 8.00 years, SD = 1.51 years) with ASD and 39 TD-matched children (M age = 7.32 years, SD = 1.36 years) and their primary caregivers (n = 68), we examined whether parent-child dyads showed physiological synchrony indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during an interaction, and whether RSA synchrony differed by parent-child interaction quality and child behavior problems. Results indicated that dyads with TD children showed stronger positive RSA synchrony than dyads with children with ASD. Furthermore, for families of children with ASD, RSA synchrony was stronger in families with higher interaction quality and fewer child internalizing problems. These results provide preliminary evidence of parent-child RSA synchrony in families of children with ASD and identify factors that may influence this physiological process. Implications of these findings for social and emotional development in children with ASD are discussed. LAY SUMMARY: Parents and children can get "in tune" with one another at the biological level - a process called physiological synchrony. We studied physiological synchrony in families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to same-aged children who had no mental health disorders. We also examined how physiological synchrony might be associated with parent-child interaction quality and child behavior problems. We found that families with a child with ASD showed weaker physiological synchrony than families with a child who was typically developing. Further, we found that physiological synchrony was stronger when parents and children with ASD showed higher interaction quality and when children with ASD had lower internalizing problems. These findings contribute to our understanding of family functioning in the context of ASD and have potential implications for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Cynthia Suveg
- Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Kara B West
- Department of Psychology, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Zhuo R Han
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Xutong Zhang
- Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Xiaoyi Hu
- Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Yi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Alen NV, Sloan RP, Seeman TE, Hostinar CE. Childhood Parental Warmth and Heart Rate Variability in Midlife: Implications for Health. PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS 2020; 27:506-525. [PMID: 33244293 PMCID: PMC7685289 DOI: 10.1111/pere.12329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The current study investigated high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV) as a potential mediator between childhood parental warmth and later health and mortality outcomes. Participants were 1,255 adults (56.9% female). Childhood parental warmth was reported retrospectively at mean age 46; resting HF-HRV was measured at mean age 57; cardiovascular health and self-evaluated health were assessed at mean age 57 and 63, and mortality records extracted at mean age 63. Results revealed a positive association between childhood parental warmth and resting HF-HRV, as well as associations between higher HF-HRV and reduced risk of having a later cardiovascular health problem and of mortality by age 63. Mediation analyses revealed a small significant indirect effect of parental warmth, through HF-HRV, on cardiovascular health.
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