Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Moderates the Relation between Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality and Adolescents’ Social Adjustment

This 2-wave longitudinal study aimed (1) to investigate whether high resting RSA predicted adolescents’ lower externalizing behavior and higher empathic concern, and (2) to address the potential moderating role of resting RSA in the association between parent-adolescent relationship quality and adol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of abnormal child psychology 2016-02, Vol.44 (2), p.269-281
Main Authors:	Van der Graaff, Jolien, Meeus, Wim, de Wied, Minet, van Boxtel, Anton, van Lier, Pol, Branje, Susan
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Adjustment Adolescent Adolescent Behavior - physiology Adolescent boys Adolescent girls Associations Behavioral Science and Psychology Child and School Psychology Concerns Empathy Empathy - physiology Externalizing behaviour Families & family life Female Girls Heart arrhythmia Heart rate Humans Interpersonal relationships Longitudinal Studies Male Neurosciences Parent-Adolescent interactions Parent-Child Relations Parental support Parents Personal relationships Psychology Public Health Quality Respiration Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia - physiology Resting Sex Factors Social Adjustment Social psychology Social Support Teenagers
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Summary:	This 2-wave longitudinal study aimed (1) to investigate whether high resting RSA predicted adolescents’ lower externalizing behavior and higher empathic concern, and (2) to address the potential moderating role of resting RSA in the association between parent-adolescent relationship quality and adolescents’ externalizing behavior and empathic concern. In a sample of 379 adolescents (212 boys, 167 girls), resting RSA was assessed during a laboratory session, and adolescents reported on parental support, negative interaction with parents, empathic concern and externalizing behavior during a home visit. We found no support for high resting RSA predicting low externalizing behavior or high empathic concern. However, in line with our hypotheses, we did find several instances of RSA functioning as a moderator, although the interaction patterns varied. First, negative interaction with parents was a negative predictor of externalizing behavior for girls low in resting RSA, whereas the association was non-significant for girls with high RSA. Second, higher negative interaction with parents predicted lower empathic concern for boys high in resting RSA, whereas the association was reversed for boys with low resting RSA. Third, parental support was a positive predictor of empathic concern for girls high in resting RSA, whereas the association was non-significant for girls low in resting RSA. The findings suggest that adolescents with different levels of resting RSA respond differentially to relationship quality with parents.
ISSN:	0091-0627 1573-2835