Examining the Relations Between Children’s Vagal Flexibility Across Social Stressor Tasks and Parent- and Clinician-Rated Anxiety Using Baseline Data from an Early Intervention for Inhibited Preschoolers

Wagner, Nicholas J.; Shakiba, Nila; Bui, Hong; Sem, Kathy; Novick, Danielle R.; Danko, Christina M.; Dougherty, Lea R.; Chronis‐Tuscano, Andrea; Rubin, Kenneth H.

doi:10.1007/s10802-023-01050-3

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 70 publications

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“…In contrast, research shows that vagal activation (RSA increase) or a flattened RSA response in the face of social challenges may reflect poorer adaptation to stress (e.g., Wagner et al, 2023) such has been observed in the face of frequent exposure to interparental conflict (e.g., El-Sheikh et al, 2001;Katz & Gottman, 1995) or children exhibiting ambivalent attachment (Paret et al, 2015). By comparison, vagal activation (RSA increase) in the face of nonthreatening social stimuli, such as when children are watching a calming video vignette, is believed to be indicative of increased attention and physiological regulation (Porter, Stockdale, et al, 2022;Wagner et al, 2023) At the same time, we recognize that some toddlers may demonstrate a contrasting pattern of physiological response to parents mobile device distraction, experiencing vagal activation (RSA increase) rather than vagal withdrawal. We suspect that children exposed more frequently to parents' technoference may develop less adaptive physiological responses to parents' cell phone distractions.…”

Section: Polyvagal Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Prior research shows that across a broad range of ages (infants to school age), children often suppress RSA (vagal withdrawal) in the face of a various challenge conditions (e.g., still face, arm-restraint, spontaneous speech tasks, increased cognitive load, frustration paradigms, effortful control tasks, etc. ; Calkins et al, 2007;El-Sheikh et al, 2001;Porter & Jones, 2011;Stockdale et al, 2023;Wagner et al, 2023). However, contradictions have been noted in the literature, at times showing differential patterns of vagal response across individuals, task conditions, sample characteristics, and contexts (see Beauchaine et al, 2019;Graziano & Derefinko, 2013).…”

Section: Polyvagal Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Toddlers’ physiological response to parent's mobile device distraction and technoference

Porter,

Coyne,

Chojnacki

et al. 2024

Developmental Psychobiology

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Given the prevalence of mobile device use, especially among parents of young children, the current study examines the impact of mobile device distraction (technoference) on toddlers’ physiological and emotional functioning. We suspected that toddlers’ would demonstrate difficultly maintaining physiological and emotional homeostasis when parents became distracted by a mobile device. In this study, we examined toddlers’ (N = 129, M age = 29.05 months) physiological and behavioral responses across three conditions in an induced technoference task that mimicked elements of a traditional still face paradigm (i.e., social engagement, phone distraction, and social recovery). Similar to previous studies employing still face with younger infants, a majority of toddlers demonstrated a loss of positive affective tone mirrored by heart rate increase and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) decrease (vagal withdrawal) during the phone distraction condition relative to the initial and final social engagement conditions. However, some toddlers demonstrated vagal activation (RSA increase) to parents’ phone distraction. Greater RSA withdrawal was linked to decreased positive affect and increased negative affect for children during parents’ phone distraction. Parents who reported higher levels of technoference were more likely to have children who demonstrated lower vagal reactivity (greater vagal withdrawal) to parents’ phone distraction while parents attitudes about technoference (e.g., “it is okay to use a mobile device in front of my child”) was found to be linked to higher RSA reactivity (greater vagal activation). Findings are discussed in relation to Porges’ polyvagal theory and the possible role that interactive dynamics play in children's emerging regulatory systems.

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Section: Polyvagal Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Polyvagal Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Toddlers’ physiological response to parent's mobile device distraction and technoference

Porter,

Coyne,

Chojnacki

et al. 2024

Developmental Psychobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Individual differences in parasympathetic functioning across social stressor tasks: Relations with child and parent anxiety

Bui,

Chronis‐Tuscano,

Shakiba

et al. 2024

Infant and Child Development

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Children with elevated behavioural inhibition (BI) show context‐inappropriate fear and dysregulated RSA across stressor tasks. However, few studies have examined dynamic RSA within tasks and relations to parent and child anxiety. Using piecewise growth modelling and multimethod baseline data from an intervention study of 151 3.5–5‐year‐old children and their parents, we examined relations between child social anxiety (SA), parent anxiety and their interaction in predicting children's RSA across social stressor tasks (e.g. learning about unfamiliar peers, Trier Social Stress). Within the sample, 49.63% of children were reported to be White, non‐Hispanic/Latine (n = 67), 22% multiracial (n = 31), 14.81% Asian/Pacific Islander (n = 20) and 12.59% Black/African‐American (n = 17). Furthermore, 64.44% of the parents were reported to be White, non‐Hispanic/Latine (n = 87), 20% Asian/Pacific Islander (n = 27), 13.33% Black/African‐American (n = 18) and 2.22% multiracial (n = 3). Children showed differentiated RSA reactivity and recovery within an anticipatory social learning task based on their level of clinically appraised SA. Relations between child SA and RSA across tasks was moderated by parent anxiety, specifically for dyads matched in anxiety. Findings provide support for the potential influence of both child and parent anxiety on children's parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) responses across specific self‐regulatory tasks.

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Vagal Flexibility Moderates the Links between Observed Sensitive Caregiving in Infancy and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Middle Childhood

Shakiba

Lynch

Propper

et al. 2023

Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol

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Examining the Relations Between Children’s Vagal Flexibility Across Social Stressor Tasks and Parent- and Clinician-Rated Anxiety Using Baseline Data from an Early Intervention for Inhibited Preschoolers

Cited by 5 publications

References 70 publications

Toddlers’ physiological response to parent's mobile device distraction and technoference

Toddlers’ physiological response to parent's mobile device distraction and technoference

Individual differences in parasympathetic functioning across social stressor tasks: Relations with child and parent anxiety

Vagal Flexibility Moderates the Links between Observed Sensitive Caregiving in Infancy and Externalizing Behavior Problems in Middle Childhood

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