title: Family stress moderates relations between physiological and behavioral synchrony and child self-regulation in mother-preschooler dyads.
abstract: From a bio-behavioral framework, the relations between physiological synchrony, positive behavioral synchrony, and child self-regulation under varying levels of risk were examined among 93 mother- (M age = 30.44 years, SD = 5.98 years) preschooler (M age = 3.47 years, SD =.52 years, 58.70% male) dyads. Physiological synchrony was examined using interbeat interval (IBI) data and measures of positive behavioral synchrony and self-regulation were based on observations of a mother-child interaction task. Results supported the phenomenon of physiological synchrony among mother-preschooler dyads during an interaction, but not a baseline, task. Moderation analyses indicated that under conditions of high family risk, positive behavioral synchrony and child self-regulation were greater when physiological synchrony was low. Positive behavioral synchrony was positively associated with child self-regulation, regardless of risk status. The results document physiological synchrony among mothers and their preschool-aged children and the complex ways that physiological attunement relates to important developmental processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 110 Hooper Street, Athens, GA, 30602. csuveg@uga.edu.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suveg
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 110 Hooper Street, Athens, GA, 30602.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, 110 Hooper Street, Athens, GA, 30602.
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D000068356:Self-Control; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: parent-child interaction; preschool; risk; self-regulation; synchrony