Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 28, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

Physiological Regulation in Young Children During Parent-Child Free Play: Attachment-Related Differences and RMSSD

Hyo Jeong Jeon1, Eun-Kyoung Goh2

  • 1Department of Child Studies, Dong-A University, Busan 49315, Republic of Korea.

Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Parent and child physiological synchrony, measured by heart rate variability, is linked during interactions. Attachment differences mainly influenced children's physiological arousal, not synchrony itself.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Physiological Psychology
  • Attachment Theory

Background:

  • Parent-child interactions involve complex physiological exchanges.
  • Attachment security influences socio-emotional development and physiological regulation.
  • Physiological synchrony, particularly heart rate variability, is a key indicator of relational connection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate parent-child physiological synchrony during free-play interactions.
  • To examine the association between parent and child heart rate variability (RMSSD).
  • To explore differences in children's physiological responses based on attachment classification.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed physiological responses (heart rate and HRV) in 25 parent-child dyads during free play.
  • Measured parent and child root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) for HRV.
  • Classified child attachment as secure or resistant using separation-reunion procedures.

Main Results:

  • A significant positive association was found between parent and child RMSSD (ρ = 0.48, p < 0.05).
  • Parental anxiety correlated positively with both parent and child physiological arousal.
  • Children with resistant attachment exhibited higher mean heart rates than securely attached children (t = 2.69, p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Parent-child RMSSD association reflects a normative aspect of interaction, consistent across attachment styles.
  • Attachment differences are more pronounced in overall physiological arousal than in specific synchrony measures.
  • Findings highlight the interplay between attachment, interaction, and physiological synchrony in early development.

Keywords:
attachment securityheart rate variabilityparent–child interactionphysiological regulationphysiological synchrony

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