Firm parenting and youth adjustment: Stress reactivity and dyadic synchrony of respiratory sinus arrhythmia

Abstract

Parental behaviors are potent risk and protective factors for youth development of externalizing problems. Firm control is a parenting strategy that is inconsistently linked to youth adjustment, possibly due to variations in individual biological contexts. Growing research shows that dyadic coregulation of the autonomic nervous system (e.g., parent-child physiological synchrony) is a neurobiological mechanism that links parenting to youth adjustment. However, physiological synchrony may be context-dependent (e.g., adaptive in positive interactions, maladaptive in negative interactions). We aimed to test the role of dyadic synchrony in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) during parent-child conflict as a mediator between parent firm control and youth's externalizing problems. To capture youth's stress reactivity, we also tested how galvanic skin response reactivity (GSR-R) moderated this indirect path. The sample included 101 dyads of low socioeconomic-status at-risk preadolescents and parents. Results indicated that youth higher levels of GSR-R significantly intensified the link between parent firm control and dyadic RSA synchrony during conflict. Dyadic RSA synchrony further predicted youth increased in externalizing problems. Overall, results suggest that when parents employ firm control parenting with highly reactive teens, dyadic RSA synchrony elevates, potentially modeling less optimal coping with conflict for the youth, which is associated with increased externalizing problems. K E Y W O R D S acute stress response, externalizing problems, parent-child dyadic synchrony, parenting | 471

Adolescent girls’ intrapersonal and interpersonal parasympathetic regulation during peer support is moderated by trait and state co‐rumination

“…Along these lines, Butler and Randall (2013) suggest that physiological synchrony in dyadic interactions may be beneficial when partners help stabilize each other around an optimal set point (i.e., morphostatic synchrony), but synchrony can also interrupt regulatory processes when it results in leading each other away from an optimal setpoint (i.e., morphogenic synchrony; also see Helm et al., 2014). Indeed, a few parent/adolescent studies have found that PNS synchrony (Oshri et al., 2020) and SNS synchrony (McKone et al., 2020) during conflict tasks were associated with the amplification of negative affect and associated expressions. To date, no studies have examined changes in PNS activity during interactions between adolescent friends.…”

“…Initial research on PNS synchrony has largely focused on parent–infant/toddler dyads (Palumbo et al., 2017), and more recently, among parent–child/adolescent interactions (e.g., Amole et al., 2017; Han et al., 2019; Li et al., 2020; McKillop & Connell, 2018; Oshri et al., 2020; Roman‐Juan et al., 2020; Suveg et al., 2019; Woody et al., 2016). Among adults, PNS synchrony has focused primarily on romantic couples (e.g., Helm et al., 2014).…”

Neurophysiological Synchrony Between Children With Severe Physical Disabilities and Their Parents During Music Therapy

“…Future research may nonetheless consider documenting the mental health of caregivers as parental stress can diminish brain-to-brain synchrony between mothers and their young children (Azhari et al, 2019). Conversely, the presence of physiological synchrony may not always connote positive experiences and can in fact be maladaptive in response to negative interactions (Oshri et al, 2020).…”

Introduction to the SEED Science special issue

“…First, to better understand bidirectional influences between children and parents, Oshri et al. (2022) examined RSA synchrony in a sample of preadolescents during a conflict paradigm, finding that youth with higher galvanized skin response reactivity exhibited a stronger relation between parental use of firm control and dyadic RSA synchrony, which in turn predicted increased externalizing problems. Next, Ehrlich et al.…”

“…First, to better understand bidirectional influences between children and parents,Oshri et al (2022) examined RSA synchrony in a sample of preadolescents during a conflict paradigm, finding that youth with higher galvanized skin response reactivity exhibited a stronger relation between parental use of firm control and dyadic RSA synchrony, which in turn predicted increased externalizing problems. Next,Ehrlich et al (2022) report results of a study examining relations between substantiated maltreatment exposure and an inflammatory profile (C-reactive protein and inflammatory cytokines) during childhood and more proximal to the maltreatment, in order to consider the development of stress-health pathways.…”