Parent–Child Physiological Synchrony: Links With Parent Emotion Regulation and Children's Independent Emotion Regulation

Developmental theories propose that physiological synchrony is a key process through which co-regulatory experiences support children's emerging capacity for independent emotion regulation. Caregivers' emotion regulation abilities are also theorized to influence their capacity to engage in synchronous interactions, thereby shaping co-regulatory experiences. Despite these propositions, few studies have empirically examined these developmental processes. The current study examined associations between parent-child respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) synchrony during dyadic problem solving and children's physiological (i.e, RSA reactivity) and behavioral regulation during a subsequent independent challenge. The study also examined whether parents' emotion regulation difficulties predicted RSA synchrony and whether synchrony statistically accounted for associations between parents' emotion regulation difficulties and children's regulatory outcomes. Participants included 57 preschoolers (M_age = 4.26 years; 49% male) and their parents (50 mothers, 7 fathers). Families were predominantly White (68%), with 62% reporting a master's degree or higher. Greater parent-driven RSA synchrony during dyadic interactions was associated with reduced reliance on distraction and help-seeking strategies during the independent problem-solving task but was not associated with children's physiological regulation. Parents reporting greater difficulties maintaining goal-directed behavior and less emotional awareness exhibited lower levels of parent-driven synchrony, and synchrony emerged as an indirect pathway linking these parent characteristics to children's behavioral regulation. Findings provide preliminary support for physiological synchrony as a developmental mechanism linking parent emotion regulation to children's independent emotion regulation during early childhood.