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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

Children's affect regulation during a disappointment: psychophysiological responses and relation to parent history of

Erika E Forbes1, Nathan A Fox, Jeffrey F Cohn

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Sennott Square, 3rd Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. forbese@upmc.edu

Biological Psychology
|August 24, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Children with a parent history of childhood-onset depression (COD) show altered psychophysiological responses during affect regulation. These physiological markers may help identify children at risk for developing depression.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Child psychopathology
  • Psychophysiology

Background:

  • Parental history of childhood-onset depression (COD) is a significant risk factor for depression in offspring.
  • Understanding the psychophysiological underpinnings of affect regulation in at-risk children is crucial for early identification and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine psychophysiological responses during affect regulation in children with and without a parental history of COD.
  • To investigate the relationship between physiological measures, behavioral responses, and psychopathology in children.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty-seven children (ages 3-9) participated, with 41 having a parent with a history of COD.
  • Psychophysiological measures included frontal electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), heart period, and heart period variability.
  • Children underwent a laboratory task involving disappointment and desire, with concurrent behavioral coding.

Main Results:

  • Younger children (3-5 years) showed associations between frontal EEG asymmetry and withdrawal/approach behaviors.
  • Children of parents with COD displayed impaired heart period recovery following disappointment compared to controls.
  • For children of parents with COD, left frontal activity related to internalizing/externalizing problems, and low resting RSA related to internalizing problems.

Conclusions:

  • Specific psychophysiological patterns during affect regulation are associated with parental history of COD and behavioral/emotional problems in children.
  • Physiological responses during affect regulation may serve as early indicators for children at risk of developing depression.
  • This research highlights the importance of considering psychophysiological functioning in the context of familial risk for depression.

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