Family Predictors and Socioemotional Outcomes Associated with Dynamics of Adolescent Sympathovagal Reactivity to Discipline

• In Event: 2-020 - Dynamics of Physiological Processes in Interpersonal Contexts: Correlates and Outcomes

Integrative Statement

The profound influence of parenting and family adversity (e.g., parent-child conflict) on adolescent socioemotional development has been demonstrated (e.g., Cummings, Davies, & Campbell, 2000). Family risk frameworks propose that the physiological stress response system may serve as important mechanism linking contextual risks and adolescent adjustment (e.g., Repetti, Taylor, Seeman, 2002), however much of the extant research has taken a linear approach to operationalizing these associations. According to allostatic load models (McEwen, 2002), different patterns in physiological stress reactivity may emerge under different contexts and have distinct implications for functioning (e.g., Sturge-Apple et al., 2011). Three patterns are proposed including: normative reactivity as well as hyper- and hypo-reactivity when repeatedly exposed to stress. Towards infusing a pattern-based approach to this area of research, we sought to test whether these patterns of adolescent sympathovagal reactivity—an index for balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic activities— emerged during a real-time conflict discussion (Davies, Martin, & Cummings, 2017). In addition, we investigated whether different patterns of sympathovagal activities are shaped by parenting and family adversities and are precursors of adolescent socioemotional functioning.

Participants were 192 families followed for two waves scheduled one year apart, with the mean age for adolescents being 12.4 years at wave 1. Family members participated in the 7-minute triadic conflict discussion at wave 1, during which adolescents’ EKG were recorded. Sympathovagal functioning was quantified by the low-frequency and high-frequency ratio of the IBI power spectral. Parent sensitivity was coded during the conflict discussion according to Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales (IFIRS, Melby & Conger, 2001). Parents reported verbal aggression on CPS (Kerig, 1996). Adolescents completed the Conflict Behavior Questionnaire (Prinz, Foster, Kent, & O’Leary, 1979), rating parents’ hostile conflict behavior. Risk taking was assessed by Columbia Card game (Figner, Mackinlay, Wilkening, & Weber, 2009). Empathy and overall social skills were assessed by adolescent-report on the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990).

Growth mixture modeling (GMM, e.g., Muthen, 2004) with a latent basis approach was selected to identify the unobserved patterns of the sympathovagal trajectories across the five epochs/minutes of the discussion. A three-class model was selected (Table 1), revealing a moderate reactivity, a hyperarousal and a hypoarousal group (Figure 1). Parenting and family contextual factors were then included as predictors of the class membership. Compared to the hypoarousal group (Table 1), greater parent sensitivity was associated with higher likelihood to be in the moderate and hyperarousal group. Parent verbal aggression predicted higher likelihood in hyperarousal than moderate group. The memberships of sympathovagal dynamics during discussion were associated with adolescent adjustment (Table 1). Significant between-group differences were observed for adolescent risk taking at wave 1, and empathy and overall social skills at wave 2. In particular, whereas teens from the hypoarousal group demonstrated highest risk-taking and lowest social skills and empathy, those from moderate reactivity group revealed the opposite pattern. Adolescents from hyperarousal group scored in the middle. Findings indicated physiological stress reactivity as a mechanism linking family adversities and adolescent social and emotional functioning.

Authors

• Zhi Li, University of Rochester
  Presenting Author

• Melissa Sturge-Apple, University of Rochester
  Non-Presenting Author

• Meredith Martin, University of Nebraska Lincoln
  Non-Presenting Author

• Patrick Davies, University of Rochester
  Non-Presenting Author