Attachment status and mother–preschooler parasympathetic response to the strange situation procedure

Abstract

Background Early attachment relationships are important for children’s development of behavioral and physiological regulation strategies. Parasympathetic nervous system activity, indexed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), is a key indicator of self-regulation, with links to numerous developmental outcomes. Attachment-related changes in and associations between mother and child RSA during the Strange Situation procedure (SSP) can elucidate individual differences in physiological response to stress that are important for understanding the development of and intervention for psychopathology. Methods A sample of 142 at-risk mothers and preschool-age children participated in the SSP and provided time-synchronized RSA data during the 7 episodes, which included 2 separations and 2 reunions. Attachment classifications were obtained using the Cassidy and Marvin (1992) coding system. Linear mixed-effects models were constructed to examine attachment-related change in RSA during the SSP and the concordance between mother and child RSA over time. Results Findings demonstrated attachment-related differences in children’s RSA. Secure children’s RSA was relatively stable over time, whereas insecure–avoidant children showed RSA increases during the first separation and insecure–resistant children’s RSA declined across the SSP. Mothers showed RSA withdrawal during separation regardless of child’s attachment classification. Mother–child RSA showed a positive concordance that was strongest in the insecure–resistant group, compared with the other groups. Conclusions Results support attachment theories concerning parasympathetic response to stress and the role of the mother–child relationship in physiological regulation. Our findings advance previous research by focusing on at-risk mother–preschooler dyads within diverse attachment classifications.

A systematic review of parent–child synchrony: It is more than skin deep

“…Yet, the strength and direction of RSA synchrony vary by context and, in turn, such synchrony may not be beneficial in all contexts. Of note, the majority of literature on parent–child synchrony in vagal responsiveness has focused on the preschool period (e.g., Creaven et al, ; Lunkenheimer et al, ; Smith, Woodhouse, Clark, & Skowron, ), with one identified study involving school‐age youth (Woody et al, ) and one relying on an adolescent sample (Amole et al, ). Thus, further research beyond the preschool period is needed to allow for developmental comparisons.…”

The effects of children’s proximity‐seeking to maternal attachment figures during mild stress exposure on mood and physiological responses: An experimental study

“…positive social engagement that uses the mother as a secure base) was related to higher RSA (Bazhenova, Plonskaia, & Porges, ; Skowron et al, ). However, the literature linking attachment style to parasympathetic reactions to stressors is mixed (e.g., Smith, Woudhouse, Clark & Skowron, ), potentially because this association may be dependent on developmental stage and/or the presence or absence of incentives to regulate emotions.…”

Attachment Security Priming Decreases Children's Physiological Response to Threat

“…For example, Smith et al. () found that secure preschool children had RSA that remained steady across the strange situation; avoidant children's RSA increased during the first separation, whereas ambivalent children's RSA decreased across the strange situation. Smith et al.…”

“…Smith et al. () suggested that these RSA patterns may reflect the emotional and behavioral regulation strategies associated with each of the attachment classifications. For example, the pattern of high RSA (vagal augmentation) found in the avoidant children may reflect use of PNS activation to cope with stressors, consistent with the deactivating strategies of insecure–avoidant children.…”