Relations Between Profiles of Autonomic Nervous System Functioning and Self-Regulation in Early Childhood

• In Event: 1-078 - Stress Physiology in Early Childhood: Interactions with Context and Neurodevelopmental Implications in Understudied Populations

Integrative Statement

As one of the fastest responding stress response systems, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulates individuals’ moment-to-moment responses toward challenges and therefore likely plays a key role in self-regulation. Although the relations between ANS functioning and self-regulation have been studied extensively (Holzman & Bridgett, 2017), few studies were conducted to examine (a) how the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches together support or undermine self-regulation, (b) how individuals’ baseline ANS functioning and responsivity towards challenges (deviation from baseline) together may play a role in self-regulation, and (c) whether there are non-linear relations between ANS functioning and self-regulation. To address these gaps, we adopted a person-centered approach to examine whether there are profiles of children with distinct patterns of ANS functioning in preschool and whether these multi-system profiles differ with respect to children’s self-regulation: executive functioning, emotional reactivity/regulation, and behavioral regulation at school.

Participants were 278 children (55% female, 59% European American) recruited as part of a longitudinal study. Sympathetic ANS activity was measured via pre-ejection period (PEP). Parasympathetic activity was measured via respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). ANS responses were assessed during baseline, 2 cognitive and 2 emotional challenges in preschool. Executive functioning was measured via tasks of working memory (backward span), inhibitory control (Go/No-Go), and cognitive flexibility (Dimensional Change Card Sort). Emotion regulation was observed in the lab and assessed via teacher-report. Behavioral regulation was assessed via teacher-report on children’s attention, discipline/persistence, and work habits.

Latent profile analyses were conducted via Mplus 8.0. Fit indices suggested that a four-profile solution fit the data well. These profiles were: (a) a buffered profile with moderate ANS responsivity, (b) a sensitive profile with high ANS responsivity, (c) a coinhibition profile, and (d) a vigilant profile. Sensitive profile (30% sample) showed high levels of parasympathetic inhibition (RSA withdrawal) and moderate sympathetic activation (PEP shortening) across all tasks. The buffered group (41% of sample) showed moderate parasympathetic inhibition across all tasks and low sympathetic activation only during the challenging cognitive task. The coinhibition profile (24% of sample) showed moderate parasympathetic and sympathetic inhibition. The vigilant profile (4% of sample) showed low parasympathetic activity and high sympathetic activation.

Executive functioning of the sensitive group (M=.18, SE=.09) was better than that of the buffered group (M=-.09, SE=.09), χ2=4.27, p=.04, and the vigilant group (M=-.34, SE=.22), χ2=5.06, p=.02. Emotional reactivity of the sensitive group (M=1.69, SE=.10) was larger than that of the buffered group (M=1.30, SE=.03), χ2=13.87, p<.001. Behavioral regulation of the buffered group (M=.50, SE=.06) was larger than that of the sensitive group (M=-.23, SE=.18), χ2=14.03, p<.001 and that of the coinhibition group (M=-.27, SE=.19), χ2=13.74, p<.001, and the vigilant group (M=-.42, SE=.51), χ2=3.22, p=.07.

This study suggests that there may be groups of children with distinct ANS functioning patterns and that these ANS patterns may be associated with different self-regulation outcomes. Children with a buffered profile showed better emotional and behavioral regulation, whereas sensitive children showed better executive functioning. This study, with its novel methodology, contributes to our understanding of the relations between ANS functioning and self-regulation.

Authors

• Selin Zeytinoglu, University of Maryland, College Park
  Presenting Author

• Susan Calkins, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author

• Esther Leerkes, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Non-Presenting Author