Poor sympathetic recovery is linked with the anger dimension of externalizing problems

• In Event: Developmental psychophysiology and developmental psychopathology: Temporal and contextual considerations

Abstract

Research has demonstrated a link between children’s externalizing behaviors and the sympathetic nervous system. Externalizing behavior, which includes aggressive, angry, disruptive, and oppositional behaviors, has been linked with aberrant patterns of sympathetic reactivity in response to emotionally evocative situations (Beauchaine, Gatzke-Kopp, & Mead, 2007). However, the moments following a peak emotional event are also critical for adaptive behavior as the child chooses whether or not to reengage and move on. It is not known how physiology in this context, in recovery from challenge, is related to psychopathology. In this sample, we have previously shown that greater sympathetic recovery was linked with better emotion regulation (JECP, 2017). Because externalizing problems are characterized by deficits in self-regulation, in the current study we hypothesized that poor sympathetic recovery from anger would be linked with greater externalizing problems.

In a community sample of 58 children at 6 years (M = 6.18 years, SD = .21; 31 girls), we recorded cardiac autonomic activity during an anger induction where children attempted an impossible puzzle and during a recovery and repair period immediately following. Pre-ejection period (PEP) was derived from the impedance cardiography signal to index sympathetic activity. Piecewise latent growth curves were used to model dynamic change across separate reactivity and recovery slopes. Externalizing behaviors were indexed by mother reports on the Social Competence and Behavioral Evaluation (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1996).

On average, PEP shortened across the anger induction (Mslope = -0.37, p = .01), indicating sympathetic arousal. PEP lengthened during recovery (Mslope = 3.23, p = .01), showing return towards baseline. Individual differences in recovery were marginally predicted by externalizing problems. Higher externalizing problems were associated with less sympathetic recovery (B = 0.17, p = .06, β = 0.44) but not with reactivity.

Follow up analyses probed whether a dimensional approach toward externalizing problems clarified which aspects of behavior were linked with physiology. Only the dimension of Anger/Tolerance was associated with sympathetic recovery (B = 0.26, p = .02, β = 0.53), such that greater anger proneness was associated with less recovery. Aggressive, oppositional, and egotistical tendencies were not linked with physiology.

Together, these results build support for the hypothesis that sympathetic recovery may buffer against externalizing behaviors. However, it appears that physiology following an anger induction is most strongly linked with the anger proneness that contributes to externalizing problems. Examining recovery from other types of events (e.g., viewing an aggressive act) may reveal context specificity in this biobehavioral link. Interestingly, in this study, recovery was more strongly linked with behavior than reactivity, and future work should examine autonomic recovery as a potential biomarker of psychopathology.

Authors

• Sarah Kahle, University of California - Davis
  Presenting Author

• Jonas G. Miller, Stanford University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Natalie Troxel, University of California, Davis
  Non-Presenting Author

• Paul David Hastings, University of California - Davis
  Non-Presenting Author