Respiratory sinus arrhythmia moderates the impact of maternal prenatal anxiety on infant negative affectivity

Abstract

Maternal prenatal anxiety is associated with infants’ temperamental negative affectivity (NA), but it is unclear to what extent children vary in their susceptibility to prenatal influences. We tested a hypothesis that infants’ respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic vagal tone and a potential marker of differential susceptibility to environmental influences, moderates the effects of maternal prenatal anxiety on the development of infant NA. Prenatal anxiety was assessed during the last trimester of pregnancy in a low‐risk community sample. Infant NA, baseline RSA, and maternal postnatal anxiety were assessed at 8–10 months of infant age. Regression analyses were performed to predict infant NA on the basis of prenatal anxiety, infant baseline RSA, and their interaction (N = 173). Maternal prenatal anxiety and infant RSA interactively predicted infant NA at 8–10 months. Among infants with high RSA, a significant positive association between prenatal anxiety and infant NA was observed, whereas prenatal anxiety did not predict infant NA among infants with low RSA. Vagal tone, as indexed by baseline RSA, may provide a promising marker of differential susceptibility to the long‐term effects of varying intrauterine conditions.

Thinking Across Generations: Unique Contributions of Maternal Early Life and Prenatal Stress to Infant Physiology

“…Prenatal stress influenced RSA reactivity over time with infants whose mothers reported high prenatal stress, demonstrating persistent RSA suppression following removal of the stressor, consistent with previous literature. 2,4 Clear sex effects were demonstrated in relation to prenatal stress, consistent with the frequently observed relation between prenatal anxiety and infant outcomes, including RSA. 2 We extend this work and demonstrate a unique effect of maternal ACEs on infant RSA.…”

“…1 Beyond the effect of adversity on an individual’s SRSs, there is evidence that mothers’ experiences of stress during pregnancy can affect her developing child’s SRSs, including the autonomic nervous system (ANS). 2–4 ACEs also appear to have effects on the next generation, as preconception maternal early life adversity is associated with preterm birth and low birth weight, and maternal sexual abuse history independently predicts poorer birth outcomes. 5,6 Furthermore, maternal history of childhood abuse predicts hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis functioning in her offspring.…”

Patterns of RSA and observed distress during the still‐face paradigm predict later attachment, compliance and behavior problems: A person‐centered approach

“…Even though there was a break in between the previous tasks and the still‐face task, it is possible that infants might have carried over some distress to the still‐face procedure. Additionally, recent research has found that RSA levels can be considered as a biological sensitivity factor as RSA levels interact with children's social environment/maternal characteristics to predict children's subsequent outcome (Conradt, Measelle, & Ablow, ; Peltola et al, ). Therefore, to better understand the role of RSA levels play in children's adjustment, the caregiving environment/maternal characteristics may need to be considered in the future.…”

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

“…Children with certain profiles may be more influenced by negative aspects of the caregiving environment, and simultaneously, better able to benefit from supportive aspects of the caregiving environment. The differential susceptibility framework has been supported with behavioral (Belsky, Bakermans‐Kranenburg, & van Ijzendoorn, ), genetic (van Ijzendoorn & Bakermans‐Kranenburg, ), and biological (Wagner, Mills‐Koonce, Willoughby, & Cox, in press) markers, including RSA (Peltola et al, ). Housed within the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which functions to regulate unconscious biobehavioral response (Beauchaine, ), the parasympathetic nervous system promotes homeostasis and regulates response to stress (Beuchaine, ; Perry, Swingler, Calkins, & Bell, ; Porges, ).…”