Abstract. Parent behaviors strongly predict child responses to acute pain; less studied are the factors shaping parent behaviors. Heart rate variability (HRV) is considered a physiological correlate of emotional responding. Resting or “trait” HRV is indicative of the capacity for emotion regulation, while momentary changes or “state” HRV is reflective of current emotion regulatory efforts. This study aimed to examine: (1) parent state HRV as a contributor to parent verbal behaviors before and during child pain and (2) parent trait HRV as a moderator between parent emotional states (anxiety, catastrophizing) and parent behaviors. Children 7–12 years of age completed the cold pressor task (CPT) in the presence of a primary caregiver. Parents rated their state anxiety and catastrophizing about child pain. Parent HRV was examined at 30-second epochs at rest (“trait HRV”), before (“state HRV-warm”), and during their child’s CPT (“state HRV-cold”). Parent behaviors were video recorded and coded as coping-promoting or distress-promoting. Thirty-one parents had complete cardiac, observational, and self-report data. A small to moderate negative correlation emerged between state HRV-cold and CP behaviors during CPT. Trait HRV moderated the association between parent state catastrophizing and distress-promoting behaviors. Parents experiencing state catastrophizing were more likely to engage in distress-promoting behavior if they had low trait HRV. This novel work suggests parents who generally have a low (vs. high) HRV, reflective of low capacity for emotion regulation, may be at risk of engaging in behaviors that increase child distress when catastrophizing about their child’s pain.

Concerns have been raised about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with lived experience of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). Yet, few efforts have explored this. Accordingly, using a mixed-methods approach, we sought to examine whether emerging adults who have self-injured experienced changes in NSSI urges and behavior during the pandemic and what may have accounted for these changes. To do so, university students with lived experience of NSSI completed online questions asking about NSSI and self-reported changes in urges and behavior since the onset of COVID-19. They then answered openended questions asking what contributed to these changes and how they have coped during this timeframe. Approximately 80% of participants reported no change or a decrease in NSSI urges and behavior. Participants discussed removal from stressors (e.g., social stress) that previously evoked NSSI, as well as having time for self-care and to develop resilience as accounting for this. Nevertheless, some participants reported challenges amid the pandemic (i.e., exacerbated stress, isolation); approximately one fifth of participants reported increases in NSSI urges and behavior. Our findings add to recent evidence that many individuals with prior mental health difficulties, including NSSI, can demonstrate resilience in the face of collective adversity. Research and clinician implications are discussed.