Fathering across contexts: The moderating role of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in predicting toddler emotion regulation

Parents and preschoolers show respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) synchrony, but it is unclear how child self‐regulation and the dyadic affective climate shape RSA synchrony and how synchrony differs for mothers and fathers. We examined child average RSA, externalizing problems, and dyadic positive affect as moderators of the synchrony of dynamic, within‐epoch child and parent RSA reactivity during a challenging task. Mothers (N = 82) and fathers (N = 60) oversampled for familial risk participated with their 3‐year‐olds. For mothers, when children showed either higher externalizing or lower average RSA, negative RSA synchrony was observed as dynamic coupling of maternal RSA augmentation and child RSA withdrawal, suggesting inadequate support of the child during challenge. However, when children showed both higher externalizing and lower average RSA, indicating greater regulatory difficulties overall, positive synchrony was observed as joint RSA withdrawal. The same patterns were found for father–child RSA synchrony but instead with respect to the moderators of higher externalizing and lower dyadic positive affect. Findings suggest moderators of RSA synchrony differ by parent and shared positive affect plays a robust role in fathers’ RSA reactivity and synchrony. Mothers may be more attuned to children's regulatory capacities, whereas fathers may be more influenced by the immediate behavioral context.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Differences in mother–child and father–child RSA synchrony: Moderation by child self‐regulation and dyadic affect

Lunkenheimer

Brown

Fuchs

2021

“…Alternatively, parents of children with lower average RSA may be even more attuned to their children due to their higher needs for external regulation. Second, recent findings suggest that average RSA constitutes a biological susceptibility to environmental influences, influencing how children react and respond to negative or positive qualities of the caregiving environment (Eisenberg et al., 2012; Richardson et al., 2019). For example, children with higher average RSA may be more sensitive to external influences such as parent physiology and behavior than children with lower average RSA (Eisenberg et al., 2012; Richardson et al., 2019).…”

Section: Average Rsa As a Moderator Of Rsa Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, recent findings suggest that average RSA constitutes a biological susceptibility to environmental influences, influencing how children react and respond to negative or positive qualities of the caregiving environment (Eisenberg et al., 2012; Richardson et al., 2019). For example, children with higher average RSA may be more sensitive to external influences such as parent physiology and behavior than children with lower average RSA (Eisenberg et al., 2012; Richardson et al., 2019). Although continued work is needed to better understand its role in dyadic RSA, recent studies showed that child average RSA interacted with parental psychological distress and child externalizing symptoms to shape parent–preschooler RSA synchrony (Fuchs et al., 2021; Lunkenheimer et al., 2021), underscoring its relevance for RSA synchrony.…”

Section: Average Rsa As a Moderator Of Rsa Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

Parental history of childhood maltreatment and child average RSA shape parent–child RSA synchrony

Fuchs

Lunkenheimer

Brown

2021

We examined whether dynamic parent–child RSA synchrony varied by individual differences in child average RSA and parental history of childhood maltreatment (CM), which has been linked to parental behavioral and physiological dysregulation. We also examined whether RSA synchrony was curvilinear, reflecting homeostatic regulation. Synchrony was defined as the dynamic association between parent and child RSA reactivity (change relative to their own mean) within epoch across a challenging task. Eighty‐three mother–preschooler and 61 father–preschooler dyads participated. State‐trait modeling showed that RSA synchrony was curvilinear such that significant relations were only found at lower and higher child reactivity. Children's higher task average RSA predicted maternal RSA augmentation and lower task average RSA predicted maternal RSA withdrawal, regardless of whether child reactivity in the moment was low or high, suggesting individual differences in child regulatory capacity were associated with dynamic maternal reactivity. When maternal CM history and child average RSA were both higher, mothers showed RSA augmentation. Father–child synchrony was not moderated by child average RSA but greater paternal CM history predicted fathers’ greater RSA withdrawal regardless of whether child RSA reactivity was low or high. Findings offer novel insights into the nature and meaning of RSA synchrony with parents at risk.

“…In contrast to the burgeoning research on infant biological characteristics that interact with maternal caregiving to influence child outcomes, only a few researchers have examined children's susceptibility to paternal engagement in caregiving. Among a sample of predominantly low‐income, Black children, those with moderate and higher resting RSA were more susceptible to the effects of paternal engagement on toddler emotion regulation, such that these children were likely to have better emotion regulation when their fathers were more engaged (Richardson et al., 2019). Boyce et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant biological sensitivity to father engagement in low‐income Mexican American families

Luecken

Somers

Roubinov

2020

Despite a sizeable literature documenting meaningful contributions of father involvement to child health and development, researchers have paid little attention to biological characteristics that may render a child more or less sensitive to fathering behavior. The identification of child and paternal characteristics that promote child behavioral health is particularly critical in the context of sociocultural risk. We hypothesized that respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) measured during infancy would moderate the impact of father engagement in caregiving activities on child behavioral health. In a sample of 181 Mexican American families, we evaluated the impact of infant RSA at 6 weeks, mother‐ and father‐reported father engagement in caregiving activities at 15 and 21 weeks, and their interaction on toddler social or emotional behavior problems and competence at 2 years of age. Only infants with average or higher RSA exhibited more behavior problems in the context of low father engagement (p = .021). Neither RSA nor father engagement predicted behavioral competence. The results are consistent with a stress‐diathesis process such that higher infant RSA increases vulnerability to suboptimal father involvement, but does not enhance the benefits of high father involvement.