Poster #21 - Symptoms and Synchrony: Mother and Child Internalizing Problems Moderate RSA Synchrony in Mother-Preadolescent Dyads

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Biological Processes: Psychophysiology

Integrative Statement

Positive behavioral synchrony where caregivers and children engage in a mutually positive reciprocal interaction, has been uniformly linked to adaptive outcomes (Davis et al., 2017). However, emerging research suggests that physiological synchrony, the matching of biological states between caregiver-child dyads, is not always reflective of healthy caregiver-child relationships. Further, physiological synchrony seems to vary as a function of the proximal (e.g., methods used to assess and analyze synchrony) and distal (e.g., presence of psychopathology symptoms) contexts in which it is assessed. It is important to better understand this process given potential implications for long-term child outcomes.

The present study examined physiological synchrony of RSA (i.e., indicator of parasympathetic activity) among 87 mothers (Mage = 35.30 years, SD = 6.71 years) and their preadolescent children (Mage = 10.36 years, SD = 1.19 years, 52.9% girls) from economically-impoverished backgrounds. The majority of the sample identified as African American (77%). Physiological synchrony was examined across three different tasks (i.e., baseline, child stress task, conflict discussion) that required varying levels of interaction between caregivers and their children. Mothers reported on their own depressive symptoms using the Beck’s Depression Inventory-Second Edition (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) and their child’s internalizing and externalizing symptoms using the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach, 1991). Multilevel models were run to examine the presence of physiological synchrony, and the impact of maternal and child psychopathology on synchrony.

During baseline, mothers with higher average RSA had children who also displayed higher average RSA (γ01 = .26, p = .02). However, maternal and child psychopathology symptoms were not significantly related to physiological synchrony during baseline.

During the child stress task, maternal depressive symptoms (γ11 = -.01, p = .02) and child internalizing problems (γ12 = -.01, p < .01) were significantly related to physiological synchrony. The high maternal depressive symptoms group showed negative synchrony (n = 24; M = -.06, SD = .09) whereas the low maternal depressive symptoms group (n = 63; M = .06, SD = .10) showed positive synchrony. Similarly, the high internalizing symptoms group showed negative synchrony (n = 16; M = -.08, SD = .07); the low symptom group (n = 71; M = .05, SD = .11) showed positive synchrony.

During the conflict discussion task, mothers’ and children’s average levels of RSA were positively related (γ01 = .30, p < .001), and maternal depressive symptoms was significantly related to synchrony (γ11 = -.01, p = .01). The high depressive symptoms group showed negative synchrony (n = 24; M = -.02, SD = .11); the low maternal depressive symptoms group showed positive synchrony (n = 63; M = .04, SD = .06).

In sum, RSA synchrony was positive in the context of low levels of maternal depressive and child internalizing symptoms, and negative in the context of high levels of such symptoms, though results varied by task. This study deepens our understanding of the impact of maternal and child psychopathology symptoms on physiological synchrony. Future work needs to examine how physiological synchrony relates to important indicators of adjustment.

Authors

• Kara West, University of Georgia
  Presenting Author

• Cynthia Suveg, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Molly Davis, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Emilie Smith, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Margaret Caughy, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Assaf Oshri, University of Georgia
  Non-Presenting Author