title: The contributions of early adverse experiences and trajectories of respiratory sinus arrhythmia on the development of neurobehavioral disinhibition among children with prenatal substance exposure.
abstract: Neurobehavioral disinhibition (ND) is a complex condition reflecting a wide range of problems involving difficulties with emotion regulation and behavior control. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a physiological correlate of emotion regulation that has been studied in a variety of at-risk populations; however, there are no studies of RSA in children with ND. Data were drawn from a prospective longitudinal study of prenatal substance exposure that included 1,073 participants. Baseline RSA and RSA reactivity to an attention-demanding task were assessed at 3, 4, 5, and 6 years. ND was assessed at ages 8/9, 11, and 13/14 years via behavioral dysregulation and executive dysfunction composite measures. Greater exposure to early adversity was related to less RSA reactivity at 3 years, increases in RSA reactivity from ages 3 to 6 years, and increased behavioral dysregulation from ages 8/9 to 13/14. RSA reactivity was examined as a moderator of the association between early adversity and changes in ND. A significant Early Adversity × RSA Reactivity quadratic interaction revealed that children with decelerations in RSA reactivity exhibited increases in behavioral dysregulation, regardless of their exposure to early adversity. However, greater exposure to early adversity was related to greater increases in behavioral dysregulation, but only if children exhibited accelerations in RSA reactivity from ages 3 to 6 years. The results contribute to our understanding of how interactions across multiple levels of analysis contribute to the development of ND.
authors.affiliation: Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Conradt
authors.affiliation: Oregon Social Learning Center.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Degarmo
authors.affiliation: Oregon Social Learning Center.
authors.forename: Phil
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Beau
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Abar
authors.affiliation: Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Barry M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lester
authors.affiliation: Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Linda L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lagasse
authors.affiliation: Wayne State University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Seetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shankaran
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
authors.forename: Henrietta
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bada
authors.affiliation: University of Miami.
authors.forename: Charles R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee.
authors.forename: Toni M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Whitaker
authors.affiliation: Research Triangle Institute.
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hammond
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000523:psychology*; D065809:Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications