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Linking Mothers' Autonomic Functioning and Their Autonomy-Relevant Parenting

Tianying Cai1, Kelly M Tu2

  • 1Department of Human Development and Family Science, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.

Developmental Psychobiology
|February 17, 2026
PubMed

Because autonomy-relevant parenting has implications for early adolescent development, understanding correlates of parenting may be important. The current study investigated mothers' independent and joint autonomic nervous system functioning (parasympathetic, sympathetic) in relation to their observed parenting behaviors-autonomy support and control-during a mother-youth conversation task about youth peer problems. With a sample of 100 mothers (Mage = 41.25 years, SD = 6.22) of 10- to 12-year-olds, results revealed one direct effect such that higher parasympathetic activity was associated with higher observed autonomy support. For joint effects, sympathetic dominance (high sympathetic, low parasympathetic) was linked with higher observed control, whereas co-inhibition (low parasympathetic and sympathetic) was associated with lower observed control. The consideration of multiple branches of autonomic functioning provides new insights about the link between physiology and parenting behaviors during mother-youth conversations.

Keywords:
autonomic nervous systemautonomy supportcontrolparasympatheticparentingsympathetic

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