Children of harsher mothers showed increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia self-regulation inertia and required greater mother-led coregulation from ages 3 to 4.
Children of harsher mothers experience increasing physiological regulatory difficulties and require greater external regulation across early childhood.
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Abstract We examined the development of mother–child dynamic self-regulation and coregulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) from ages 3 to 4, and variations by harsh parenting. RSA was collected from at-risk mother–preschooler dyads during a challenging task (N = 129; 53% female; 63.6% White; 24.8% Latinx; collected 2013–2017). Across development, lower-risk mothers showed increased RSA self-regulation inertia and decreased mother-led RSA coregulation with children, supporting the theory that parents externally regulate young children, which weakens as children develop regulatory skills. Conversely, harsher mothers showed increased mother-led RSA coregulation and their children showed increased RSA self-regulation inertia (implying less flexibility), suggesting children of harsher mothers experience increasing physiological regulatory difficulties and receive or need greater external regulation from mothers across early childhood.
Sun et al. (Tue,) reported a other. Children of harsher mothers showed increased respiratory sinus arrhythmia self-regulation inertia and required greater mother-led coregulation from ages 3 to 4.