title: Social Adversity and Antisocial Behavior: Mediating Effects of Autonomic Nervous System Activity.
abstract: The display of antisocial behaviors in children and adolescents has been of interest to criminologists and developmental psychologists for years. Exposure to social adversity is a well-documented predictor of antisocial behavior. Additionally, measures of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, including heart rate variability (HRV), pre-ejection period (PEP), and heart rate, have been associated with antisocial behaviors including rule-breaking and aggression. Social neuroscience research has begun to investigate how neurobiological underpinnings affect the relationship between social adversity and antisocial/psychopathic behavior in children and adolescents. This study investigated the potential mediating effects of ANS activity on the relationship between social adversity and antisocial behavior in a group of 7- to 10-year-old children from the community (N = 339; 48.2% male). Moderated multiple mediation analyses revealed that low resting heart rate, but not PEP or HRV, mediated the relationship between social adversity and antisocial behavior in males only. Social adversity but not ANS measures were associated with antisocial behavior in females. Findings have implications for understanding the neural influences that underlie antisocial behavior, illustrate the importance of the social environment regarding the expression of these behaviors, and highlight essential gender differences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA. sfagan@gradcenter.cuny.edu.|Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA. sfagan@gradcenter.cuny.edu.
authors.forename: Shawn E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Fagan
authors.affiliation: Queens College, City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, NY, 11367, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 5th Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA.|Department of Psychology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment
keywords: Aggression; Antisocial behavior; Arousal; Gender; Heart rate; Social adversity