Adverse Parenting Is Indirectly Linked to Delayed Reward Discounting via Blunted RSA Reactivity: the Protective Role of a Shift-and-Persist Coping Strategy

Abstract

Exposure to adverse parenting experiences, either from being reared under conditions of threat or deprivation, is a major source of chronic stress that is linked to youths' dysregulated stress responses and impulsive decision-making. Many youth, however, adapt well and develop optimal decision-making despite the experience of adversity. Research has shown that the use of cognitive strategies to cope with stress, such as accepting and adapting to an acute stressor (i.e., shifting) and effortfully pursuing future goals (i.e., persisting), can mitigate the influence of adverse parenting experiences on impulsive decision-making and risk behaviors. However, scarce research examines the role of shift-and-persist in mitigating the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of adverse parenting on youths' decision-making. The current study investigated whether shift-and-persist strategy can buffer the indirect link between adverse parenting and youths' impulsive decision-making via dysregulated stress reactivity gauged by blunted respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity. Data were obtained from a longitudinal sample of mostly minority (75.2% African American) low-SES preadolescents and their primary caregivers (N = 101). The youths' decision-making was indexed by an assessment of delayed reward discounting (DRD). Results indicated that the threat dimension of adverse parenting was significantly linked to youths' blunted RSA reactivity. Further, employing a shift-and-persist coping strategy significantly mitigated the indirect effect of threatening parenting behaviors on youths' impulsive DRD via blunted RSA reactivity. Findings from the current study can inform prevention and intervention programs that aim to promote the development of resilience among youth who experience adverse and threatening rearing environments.

Does shift-and-persist strategy buffer career choice anxiety and affect career exploration?

“…5 Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare, Kurashiki, Japan. 6 Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.…”

“…Hence, we focused on the shift-and-persist strategy (S-P; [ 5 , 6 ]), which is considered an effective coping strategy for protecting psychological health and reducing risky and impulsive decision-making of low SES individuals. Furthermore, we addressed a moderated mediation model in which SES led to career choice anxiety and influenced career exploration, as in Fig.…”

Socioeconomic status in early adolescence predicts blunted stress responses in adulthood

“…On the other hand, some studies have found blunted cardiovascular responding to be predictive of cardiac events and even death in the long term (Eguchi et al., 2009; Phillips, 2011). Similarly, chronically stressed individuals who show reduced persistence may be displaying an effective short‐term strategy to preserve energy—though reduced persistence may carry long‐term consequences for academic, vocational, and social domains (Del Giudice et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2020).…”

“…Human studies suggest that blunted heart rate or bradycardia can be indicative of a freeze-type response (Lojowska et al, 2018;Löw et al, 2015;Roelofs, 2017). Similarly, human studies have found that the freeze response is associated with attenuated RSA withdrawal (i.e., keeping on the parasympathetic "brake" in the face of a stressor) (Buss et al, 2018;Liu et al, 2020). Blunted heart rate acceleration and attenuated or absent RSA withdrawal under stress suggests a lack of mobilization (and potentially a degree of burnout) in the body's "fight-or-flight" responses (Brotman et al, 2007;McLaughlin et al, 2014).…”

“…Blunted heart rate acceleration and attenuated or absent RSA withdrawal under stress suggests a lack of mobilization (and potentially a degree of burnout) in the body's “fight‐or‐flight” responses (Brotman et al., 2007; McLaughlin et al., 2014). Both types of blunted reactivity are associated with poor health outcomes (Bylsma et al., 2014; Cavanagh & Obasi, 2021; Liu et al., 2020; Phillips et al., 2013).…”