Poster #121 - Effects of Self-regulation and Salivary Alpha Amylase on Bullying and Aggression in Preschool

• In Event: Poster Session 14

Abstract

Although bullying and aggression are often used interchangeably, these terms signify distinct behavioral patterns, aggressive behavior defined as behaviors intended to hurt or harm others, and bullying defined as aggression that occurs repeatedly and in the context of a power imbalance (Ostrov et al., 2018). Further, both bullying and aggression can be relational (i.e., harming others via damage to relationships; e.g., ignoring) or physical (i.e., harming others via damage to physical well-being; e.g., hitting) in form (Ostrov et al., 2018). As deficits in self-regulation, including emotion regulation (ER) and executive functioning (EF), appear to predict heightened aggression (Crick & Dodge, 1994), self-regulation may help differentiate between bullying (Verlinden et al., 2013) and aggression. Further, salivary alpha amylase (sAA), reflecting sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, may serve as an important physiological marker for children’s level of physiological arousal (Nater & Rohleder, 2009) with implications for children’s forms of aggression (Kliewer et al., 2012).
This study explored the roles of self-regulation and salivary alpha amylase in differentiating between physical and relational aggressive and bullying behavior during early childhood. We hypothesized that lower regulatory processes and higher sAA levels would be associated with aggressive behavior, whereas higher regulatory processes and blunted sAA levels would be associated with bullying.
Participants included 201 children (M age = 51.71 months; SD = 3.723; 47.8% female; 5.5% African American or Black, 9.5% Asian, 78.1% White; 2% Hispanic/Latinx, 4.5% more than one race, and 2.5% other race/ethnicity) who were part of an ongoing longitudinal study. Participants were assessed in the Fall (T1) and Spring (T2) of preschool. Data were collected from teacher reports on aggressive behavior (PSBS-TF, Crick et al., 1997), bullying behavior (PPRAB-TR, Ostrov et al., 2015), emotion regulation (ERC, Shields & Cicchetti, 1997; Anger/Frustration, Hubbard et al., 2004), and executive functioning (CHEXI, Thorell & Nyberg, 2008). Measures of ER and EF were standardized and averaged to make the composite variable of self-regulation. Salivary samples were collected on three mornings while children played a food game to stimulate saliva production and were assayed by Salimeterics following standardized procedures. All measures demonstrated good reliability with Cronbach’s 𝛼 > .70.
Four hierarchical regressions were run separately by outcome (i.e., physical aggression, relational aggression, physical bullying, relational bullying), controlling for the non-focal form of the behavior (e.g., when physical aggression was the outcome, relational aggression was controlled). Findings indicated that sAA and self-regulation were not associated with relational aggression, physical aggression, or relational bullying. Unexpectedly, less self-regulation and higher levels of salivary alpha amylase were significantly related to physical bullying (see Table 1). These preliminary findings support further exploration for how self-regulation and sAA uniquely relate to forms of aggression and bullying in preschool. Additional data will be available and an analysis of change from T1 to T2 forms of aggression and bullying will be completed for the meeting. Implications will be discussed.

Authors

• Sarah J Lucas, State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)
  Presenting Author

• Gretchen R. Perhamus, State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)

• Dianna Murray-Close, University of Vermont

• Jamie M. Ostrov, State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)