The prism of reactivity: Concordance between biobehavioral domains of infant stress reactivity

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Updated: Oct 2, 2025

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System ANS Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
08:22

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System ANS Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges

Published on: February 25, 2016

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Kristen L Rudd1, Zoe Caron2, Karen Jones-Mason1

  • 1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.

Infant Behavior & Development
|February 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Infant stress responses involve complex biobehavioral systems. This study found varying concordance between Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) and Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis indicators, behavior, and temperament.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Psychophysiology
  • Infant Behavior

Background:

  • Infant stress responses are critical for navigating challenges.
  • Previous research often examined single stress systems (e.g., Autonomic Nervous System [ANS], Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis) in isolation.
  • Integrated biobehavioral assessments are needed to understand infant stress regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate biobehavioral concordance across multiple infant stress response systems.
  • To examine associations between ANS (cardiac and salivary), HPA axis, observed behavior, and temperament.
  • To provide foundational data on infant stress response integration.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 135 diverse mother-infant dyads.
  • Measured ANS via cardiac and salivary indicators.
  • Assessed HPA axis via salivary cortisol, observed behavior, and maternal temperament reports.

Main Results:

  • Moderate negative associations were found between ANS and HPA axis indicators.
  • Moderate negative associations linked ANS to infant negative behavior.
  • Small-to-moderate positive associations connected ANS to object engagement and social behavior.
  • Cardiac ANS indicators showed higher concordance than salivary indicators and temperament reports.

Conclusions:

  • Biobehavioral concordance varies across different infant stress response systems and domains.
  • Cardiac ANS measures may offer more integrated insights than salivary measures or temperament reports.
  • Findings advance understanding of integrated stress responses during a critical developmental period.

Keywords:
ANSBehaviorConcordanceHPATemperament

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