Young-Southward, G., Svelnys, C., Gajwani, R., Bosquet Enlow, M. and Minnis, H. (2019) Child maltreatment, autonomic nervous system responsivity, and psychopathology: current state of the literature and future directions. Child Maltreatment, (Abstract Child maltreatment may affect autonomic nervous system (ANS) responsivity, and ANS responsivity may influence the impact of child maltreatment on later outcomes, including long-term mental/physical health. This review systematically evaluated the evidence regarding effects of maltreatment on ANS responsivity in children and examined how ANS responsivity may influence the association between maltreatment and psychopathology, with attention to relevant developmental issues. We searched the literature for relevant studies using PRISMA guidelines. We searched five electronic databases, performed keyword searches in relevant journals, hand searched reference sections of relevant articles, and contacted experts in the field. Articles were extracted according to inclusion criteria and their quality assessed. The search produced 1,388 articles; 22 met inclusion criteria. Most of the studies suggested blunted cardiovascular responsivity generally and sympathetic activation specifically in response to stress in maltreated children compared to non-maltreated children.Findings around vagal responsivity and skin conductance were mixed. Limited evidence was found for ANS responsivity as a moderator or mediator of psychopathology risk among maltreated children. Maltreatment may be associated with blunted sympathetic activation in stressful situations. Differences in ANS responsivity may influence psychopathology risk among maltreated children. Further research is needed to confirm the nature and magnitude of such effects.

We examined the roles of maternal and child lifetime stress exposures, infant temperament (orienting/regulation, surgency/extraversion), and maternal caregiving during infancy and preschool on preschoolers' working memory and inhibitory control in a sociodemographically diverse pregnancy cohort. Working memory was predicted by infant orienting/regulation, with differential effects by level of maternal cognitive support in infancy; maternal lifetime stress exposures exerted independent negative effects on working memory. Inhibitory control was positively associated with maternal emotionally supportive behaviors in infancy, which mediated the effects of maternal lifetime stress exposures on inhibitory control. These findings have implications for interventions designed to optimize child executive functioning.