Dynamic changes in parent affect and adolescent cardiac vagal regulation: a real-time analysis.
The current study explored the role of parents' negative and positive affect in adolescent respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity during a parent-adolescent conflict discussion task and the moderating effects of adolescent sex and age. Questionnaire data were collected from 206 adolescents (10-18 years of age; M = 13.37 years) and their primary caregivers (83.3% biological mothers). Electrocardiogram and respiration data were collected from adolescents, and RSA variables were computed. Parent affect was coded during the conflict discussion task. Multilevel modeling was used to distinguish the between- and within-individual effects of parent affect on adolescent RSA. Results indicated that observed within-parent-teen dyad anger was negatively associated with adolescent RSA, controlling for previous-minute RSA level, particularly among adolescents 13 years and older. In addition, observed between-dyad positive affect was positively linked to RSA for both boys and girls when previous-minute RSA level was controlled. Within-dyad positive affect was positively related to girl's RSA only. These findings suggest that expressions of positive affect may be related to better vagal regulation (RSA increases), whereas expressions of anger may be related to poor vagal regulation (RSA decreases) during social engagement.
Department of Psychology, University of Toronto.
Lixian
L
Cui
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University.
Amanda Sheffield
AS
Morris
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University.
Amanda W
AW
Harrist
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University.
Robert E
RE
Larzelere
Department of Human Development and Family Science, Oklahoma State University.
Michael M
MM
Criss
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D017677:Age Distribution; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology; D001146:Arrhythmia, Sinus / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012119:Respiration; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires