title: Socioeconomic Adversity, Negativity in the Parent Child-Relationship, and Physiological Reactivity: An Examination of Pathways and Interactive Processes Affecting Young Children's Physical Health.
abstract: We tested the hypothesis that socioeconomic status (SES) would predict children's physical health problems at the end of kindergarten among children whose parent reported greater parent-child relationship (PCR) negativity and/or who exhibited greater parasympathetic (RSA) reactivity. We also tested whether RSA and PCR negativity mediated the SES-health association.
  
  
  
  Data were collected from 338 children (mean [SD] age, 5.32 [.32] years) and their primary caregivers (87% biological mothers) during the fall and subsequent spring of kindergarten. In the fall, parents reported income and education level (SES) and PCR negativity, and RSA reactivity was assessed via a standardized challenge protocol for young children. In the fall and then spring, parents reported children's chronic medical conditions and physical health impairments. Multivariate regression was conducted within a structural equation-modeling framework to test hypotheses.
  
  
  
  Significant interactions were found between SES and PCR negativity (b = -0.074, p = .035) and between SES and RSA reactivity (b = 0.169, p = .019) as predicts children's spring health impairment, adjusting for health in the preceding fall. Lower SES was associated with greater health impairment among children whose parents reported more PCR negativity (b = -0.110, p = .024) and children who showed greater RSA reactivity (b = -0.106, p = .011). Socioeconomic status was unrelated to physical health at low PCR negativity or RSA reactivity. Mediation models were not supported.
  
  
  
  Parent-child relationship quality and individual differences in stress reactivity may modulate the influence of SES on physical health in childhood.
authors.affiliation: From the San Francisco State University (Hagan), San Francisco, California; and the University of California (Hagan, Roubinov, Adler, Boyce, Bush), San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Melissa J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Hagan
authors.forename: Danielle S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Roubinov
authors.forename: Nancy E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: William Thomas
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Boyce
authors.forename: Nicole R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Bush
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D065809:Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia / Q000502:physiology*; D012923:Social Class; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*