Toward Tailored Interventions: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Functioning Predicts Responses to an Intervention for...

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Coping Power is an evidence-based intervention for youth aggression.
• Traditional group formats may have limitations for high-risk youth.
• An individual format (Individual Coping Power) has been developed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if physiological characteristics predict effectiveness of different Coping Power delivery formats.
• To determine if nervous system functioning indicates optimal intervention format for aggressive youth.

Main Methods:

• 360 fourth-graders were randomly assigned to Group Coping Power (GCP) or Individual Coping Power (ICP).
• Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system functioning were measured pre-intervention.
• Teacher- and parent-reported aggression were assessed over a 1-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• Children with higher aggression and lower parasympathetic functioning showed greater proactive aggression reduction with ICP versus GCP.
• Youth with lower sympathetic functioning showed reduced proactive aggression regardless of intervention format.
• No differential format effects were observed for children with high parasympathetic functioning.

Conclusions:

• Physiological indicators, specifically nervous system functioning, may help personalize intervention delivery for aggressive youth.
• Considering individual physiological profiles could optimize treatment matching for improved aggression reduction.
• Future research should explore these biomarkers for tailored preventive interventions.