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Updated: Sep 7, 2025
Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System ANS Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between parenting and child autonomic nervous system
Nicholas V Alen1, Grant S Shields2, Adele Nemer3
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA; Department of Biological and Clinical Psychology, University of Trier, Germany.
Insights
Positive parenting is linked to better stress response in children. Specifically, it supports a more active parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), especially in at-risk youth.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Parental socialization impacts children's autonomic nervous system (ANS) development.
- The ANS is crucial for regulating stress responses.
- No prior meta-analysis synthesized research on parenting and child ANS physiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively synthesize the literature on the association between parenting and child ANS.
- To investigate potential moderators of this relationship.
Main Methods:
- A pre-registered meta-analysis was conducted.
- Systematic review identified 103 studies (n=13,044) examining parenting and child PNS or SNS activity.
- Effect sizes were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Overall, no significant average association was found between parenting and child ANS physiology.
- Positive parenting showed a positive association with higher resting parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity.
- This association was stronger in experimental studies and samples including children with clinical conditions.
Conclusions:
- Well-controlled experimental studies indicate positive parenting fosters higher resting PNS activity.
- This effect may be more pronounced in children with elevated developmental risks.
- Findings highlight the role of positive parenting in developing children's stress regulation.
Abstract:
Parental socialization may influence the development of children's autonomic nervous system (ANS), a key stress-response system. However, to date no quantitative synthesis of the literature linking parenting and child ANS physiology has been conducted. To address this gap, we conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis. A systematic review of the literature identified 103 studies (n = 13,044 participants) with available effect sizes describing the association between parenting and either parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) or sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity in children. The overall analysis revealed non-significant associations between parenting and child ANS physiology on average. However, moderation analyses revealed a positive association between more positive parenting and higher resting PNS activity that was stronger when a study was experimental rather than correlational, and when the sample included children with a clinical condition. In conclusion, well-controlled experimental studies show that positive parenting is associated with the development of higher resting PNS activity, an effect that may be stronger among children who are at elevated developmental risk.
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