Growth models of dyadic synchrony and mother-child vagal tone in the context of parenting at-risk

Abstract

We used multilevel modeling to examine dynamic changes in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and observer-coded interactive synchrony for mother-child dyads engaged in a laboratory interaction, to characterize parenting-at-risk. Seventy-nine preschooler-mother dyads including a subset with documented child maltreatment (CM; n=43) were observed completing a joint puzzle task while physiological measures were recorded. Dyads led by CM mothers showed decreases in positive synchrony over time, whereas no variation was observed in non-CM dyads. Growth models of maternal RSA indicated that mothers who maintained high levels of positive interactive synchrony with their child evidenced greater RSA reactivity, characterized by an initial withdrawal followed by augmentation as the task progressed, after accounting for CM group status. These results help to clarify patterns of RSA responding in the context of caregiver-child interactions, and demonstrate the importance of modeling dynamic changes in physiology over time in order to better understanding biological correlates of parenting-at-risk.

Keywords: Child maltreatment; Parenting; RSA; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Figures

Figure 1

SASB simplified cluster model. Labels in bold print describe actions directed toward another person. Labels in underline print describe actions in response to the other. Adapted from Interpersonal Diagnosis and Treatment of Personality Disorders (2nd ed.) by L.S. Benjamin, 1996, New York, NY: Guilford Press. Copyright © 1996 by Guilford Press. Reprinted with permission.

Figure 2

The Moderating Impact of Child Maltreatment on Growth Models of Dyadic Synchrony During the Joint Puzzle Task.

Figure 3

Growth Models of Mother's Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) Reactivity as a Function of Task-Average Dyadic Synchrony.