The Interaction Between Child Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Early Sensitive Parenting in the Prediction of Children's Executive Functions

Abstract

This study investigated the interaction between children's parasympathetic functioning and maternal sensitive parenting behaviors during infancy and toddlerhood in the prediction of children's executive functions (EF) at the age of 5 years. Participants included 137 children and their mothers who were followed from the age of 3 months to 5 years. Children's cardiac activity was recorded at rest at multiple times from ages 3 to 36 months, and estimates of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA; a measure of parasympathetic functioning) were calculated. Sensitive parenting was assessed during a mother–child play task at ages 6, 12, 24, and 36 months, and 5 years. Children completed age appropriate EF tasks at the age of 5 years. The link between sensitive parenting during toddlerhood (ages 24 and 36 months) and children's later EF was moderated by children's RSA such that this positive link was evident only among children who had low levels of baseline RSA, and not among those who had high levels of baseline RSA. These findings were obtained while controlling for concurrent sensitive parenting and maternal and child verbal abilities. Results from this study provide evidence for the significant role of biopsychosocial processes in early childhood in the development of EF.

Sociodemographic risk, parenting, and inhibitory control in early childhood: the role of respiratory sinus arrhythmia

“…Although this finding is consistent with previous studies that found high RSAB to be a protective factor (e.g. Gueron‐Sela et al., ), it contradicts our hypothesis that high RSAB would exacerbate the effects of risk. This hypothesis was based, in part, on studies reporting high RSAB to be a susceptibility factor (Conradt, Measelle, & Ablow, ) and Sturge‐Apple et al.…”

“…Some of these differences may be explained by the fact that the role of RSAB was examined with respect to different outcomes (as in the case of Conradt et al., ; Gueron‐Sela et al., ), as well as differences in study design, including the precise constructs measured (risk vs. poverty), the ages at which measurement occurred, and the measures used. For example, Sturge‐Apple et al.…”

“…(2016)'s finding that children from low-income backgrounds with high RSAB exhibited poorer performance on a snack delay task than low-income children with low RSAB. Some of these differences may be explained by the fact that the role of RSAB was examined with respect to different outcomes (as in the case of Conradt et al, 2013;Gueron-Sela et al, 2016), as well as differences in study design, including the precise constructs measured (risk vs. poverty), the ages at which measurement occurred, and the measures used. For example, Sturge-Apple et al (2016) used a snack delay task in which children were given the choice to eat a small amount of candy now or a larger amount later.…”

Early experiences of insensitive caregiving and children's self-regulation: Vagal tone as a differential susceptibility factor

“…However, there are some inconsistencies in the literature with studies demonstrating that low resting RSA may operate as the moderating factor (Bagner et al, 2012; Hasting & De, 2008). Germane to the present study, Gueron-Sela, Wagner, Propper, Mills-Koonce, Moore, and Cox (2017) examined the moderating role of resting RSA in the development of executive functions, a domain of children's functioning that is related to effortful control. The findings revealed that associations between sensitive parenting during toddlerhood and children's executive function capacity were evident only for children who had low levels of resting RSA.…”

Infants’ Biological Sensitivity to the Effects of Maternal Social Support: Evidence Among Mexican American Families

“…For example, Gueron‐Sela et al. () found that children with lower resting RSA in the first 3 years of life who experienced sensitive parenting during the toddler years exhibited the highest levels of executive functioning at 5 years of age relative to other children in the sample (Gueron‐Sela et al., ). More work is needed to evaluate whether high or low resting RSA can confer sensitivity to positive environments in infancy, particularly in the broader context of adversity as experienced by low‐income ethnic minority children.…”