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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
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Autonomic nervous system reactivity to emotion and childhood trajectories of relational and physical aggression

Dianna Murray-Close1, Maria C Lent1, Amanda Sadri2

  • 1Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA.

Development and Psychopathology
|February 3, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity to sadness impacts relational aggression, while reactivity to fear, happiness, and sadness affects physical aggression in children. These ANS patterns differ between girls and boys.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Aggression in children manifests as relational or physical behaviors.
  • Autonomic nervous system (ANS) regulation plays a crucial role in emotional responses.
  • Understanding gender differences in aggression development is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the link between ANS reactivity to specific emotions and the development of relational and physical aggression in children.
  • To examine how these associations differ between girls and boys.
  • To explore the role of ANS coordination in emotional processing and aggressive behaviors.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study tracking aggression from ages 6 to 10 in 232 children.
  • Measurement of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system reactivity (using pre-ejection period and respiratory sinus arrhythmia) at age 7.
  • Assessment of ANS responses to video clips eliciting fear, happiness, and sadness.

Main Results:

  • ANS reactivity to sadness was associated with relational aggression trajectories.
  • ANS reactivity to fear, happiness, and sadness correlated with physical aggression trajectories.
  • Significant gender differences were observed in ANS reactivity patterns related to aggression development.

Conclusions:

  • ANS reactivity to specific emotions is differentially associated with relational and physical aggression.
  • Distinct ANS-emotion-aggression pathways may exist for girls and boys.
  • Findings highlight the importance of ANS regulation in understanding the development of childhood aggression.

Keywords:
autonomic nervous system reactivityemotion inductiongrowth curve modelingphysical aggressionrelational aggression

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