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P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
12:55

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants

Published on: December 26, 2013

An intervention that increases parental sensitivity in families referred to Child Protective Services also changes

Paul D Hastings1, Sarah Kahle2, Charles Fleming3

  • 1Center for Mind & Brain, Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, California.

Developmental Science
|August 30, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Childhood maltreatment impacts parasympathetic regulation. The Promoting First Relationships program improved toddlers' respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity, suggesting lasting benefits for children

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Childhood Trauma Research
  • Neuroscience of Emotion Regulation

Background:

  • Early childhood maltreatment is linked to impaired parasympathetic regulation, affecting physiological responses.
  • Low baseline parasympathetic activity and reduced parasympathetic influence during tasks characterize dysregulation.
  • Parental sensitivity is crucial for child development and emotional regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the long-term effects of the Promoting First Relationships (PFR) program on toddlers' parasympathetic regulation (respiratory sinus arrhythmia - RSA).
  • To examine if parental sensitive and responsive behavior mediates or moderates the relationship between PFR participation and children's RSA.
  • To compare RSA reactivity in toddlers of maltreating families receiving PFR versus a control condition.

Main Methods:

  • A subsample from a randomized control trial involving 29 families in the PFR group and 30 in the control group.
  • Home visits conducted over 6 months post-treatment to assess toddlers' RSA at baseline and during five challenging tasks.
  • Analysis of parental sensitive and responsive behavior as potential mediators/moderators.

Main Results:

  • No significant differences in baseline RSA between groups.
  • Toddlers in the PFR group showed significantly less decrease in RSA reactivity across tasks compared to the control group.
  • Parental sensitive behavior moderated PFR's effect, with improvements in RSA change observed in toddlers of highly sensitive parents in the PFR group.

Conclusions:

  • The PFR program demonstrates lasting positive effects on toddlers' parasympathetic regulation in response to everyday challenges.
  • Improved parental sensitivity following PFR is associated with enhanced parasympathetic regulation in young children.
  • Findings support PFR as an intervention for improving physiological self-regulation in children exposed to maltreatment.

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