Is autonomic functioning distinctly associated with anxiety and unsociability in preschoolers?

There are many benefits of peer interactions for children's social, emotional, and cognitive development, and isolation from peers may have negative consequences for children. Although biological processes may underlie social withdrawal broadly, distinct patterns may be associated with withdrawal behaviors depending on their underlying motivation (e.g., shy versus disinterested). This study investigated the role of autonomic nervous system activity, as assessed via skin conductance level (SCL) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) in predicting changes in unsociability (e.g., lack of interest in peers) and anxious-fearfulness (e.g., discomfort among peers). Data were collected using a community sample of 92 US preschool children (45.7% female; Mage = 45.51 months, SDage = 3.81 months) at two time points one year apart. Gender differences were also explored. Baseline physiology was assessed while viewing a neutral video clip, and reactivity was assessed while viewing social exclusion and post-aggression discussion videos. For all children, coinhibition (i.e., SCL inhibition accompanied by RSA inhibition) to the post-aggression discussion video and blunted SCL activation to the exclusion video were prospectively associated with higher levels of anxious-fearfulness one year later. For boys only, baseline reciprocal sympathetic activation (i.e., SCL activation and RSA inhibition) was prospectively related to higher levels of unsociability one year later. For girls only, RSA inhibition in response to the post-aggression discussion video was prospectively related to higher levels of unsociability one year later. Findings contribute to a growing literature on autonomic reactivity in preschoolers' adjustment and suggest possible differences in the physiological processes underlying unsociability and anxious-fearfulness.

A social-ecological model of preschoolers' aggressive behavior: An exploratory analysis.

Understanding classroom-level correlates of preschool children's aggressive behavior is critical to identifying multiple avenues for intervention within schools. The present school-based study evaluated the reliability and validity of a classroom-level measure of physical and relational aggression and examined a social-ecological model to test whether individual variables (i.e., temperament), dyadic peer factors (i.e., peer victimization, the number of a child's play partners), and classroom-level aggression were associated with individual aggression. Observations of play partners and teacher reports of temperament (i.e., daring, prosociality, and negative emotionality), peer victimization (i.e., physical and relational victimization), and classroom aggression were collected in a sample of preschoolers (N = 307; Mage = 48.99 months, SD = 7.51). Observer reports of aggression were used to create aggression severity and directionality scores, reflecting the overall level of aggression a child displays and their propensity to use physical relative to relational aggression, respectively. There was evidence to support the reliability and validity of the classroom-level aggression measure providing initial support that this measure could be used by school psychologists. A multilevel regression model indicated that higher levels of negative emotionality, daring, and a greater number of play partners were associated with higher levels of aggression severity. Children in classrooms with more relational aggression were more likely to use relational instead of physical aggression. These findings demonstrate the importance for school psychologists to account for multiple levels of influence when examining preschoolers' aggression. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Aggression and Irritability in Middle Childhood: Between- and Within-Person Associations.

OBJECTIVE: This study tested predicted bidirectional associations between irritability and physical and relational forms of aggression, disentangling theorized within- and between-person effects using latent curve models with structured residuals (LCM-SR) over one year in middle childhood. Gender differences and robustness of results when controlling for other externalizing problems (i.e., attention problems, delinquency) were also considered. METHOD: Children in third, fourth, and fifth grade (N = 704, 49.9% female) were recruited from schools in a large midwestern city. The sample was diverse in regard to race/ethnicity (31% Black, 29% White, 13% Hmong, 14% Latinx, 4% Native American, 4% Asian, 5% other races/ethnicities). Irritability, attention problems, and delinquency were measured using teacher-report, and physical and relational aggression were measured using self-report at three time points over one calendar year. RESULTS: At the between-person level, higher mean levels of irritability predicted higher initial levels of physical and relational aggression. Irritability continued to predict higher levels of physical aggression across the course of the study, whereas the effect of irritability on relational aggression diminished. Boys showed higher starting levels of physical aggression, but no other significant gender differences emerged. No significant within-person associations were found. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that irritability may represent a between-person risk factor for high levels of physical and relational aggression in middle childhood, although effects on physical aggression may be more persistent. This highlights the importance of considering affective processes to understand the development of aggression trajectories.

The COVID-19 pandemic and measurement of preschoolers' executive functions.

Given the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important to investigate how executive function (EF) assessments were impacted by changes in measurement protocols, context, and timing due to the pandemic. The present study used data from two projects. The first project occurred prior to the pandemic (N = 244, 44.67% female; Mage = 44.27 months) with teacher ratings and objective EF measures collected in the spring of preschool, fall of prekindergarten (pre-K), and spring of pre-K. The second study was comprised of two cohorts, a transition cohort (i.e., Fall 2019 to Fall/Winter 2020) and a post-COVID lockdown cohort (i.e., Fall 2020 to Fall/Winter 2021). For both cohorts, data were collected in the fall of pre-K, spring of pre-K, and fall/winter of kindergarten (N = 130, 46.2% female, Mage = 44.84 months). Aims included: (1) evaluating the measurement characteristics of a virtual assessment of EF, (2) examining cohort differences in teacher and objective EF measures, (3) testing longitudinal mean-level change in EF, and (4) evaluating associations between COVID impact and change in EF. Teachers reported a marginal decrease in EF for the transition cohort and no change in the post-COVID cohort, whereas objective measurements demonstrated the expected increase in EF. Child and family COVID-19 impact emerged as risk factors for reduced EF for the transition cohort but not the post-COVID cohort. Overall, this study provides novel evidence that the timing and type of EF assessment differentially impacted estimates of children's EF. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Autonomic nervous system reactivity to emotion and childhood trajectories of relational and physical aggression.

This study investigated the role of autonomic nervous system (ANS) coordination in response to emotion in girls' and boys' development of relational (e.g., ignoring, excluding) and physical (e.g., hitting, kicking) aggression. Caregivers reported on children's relational and physical aggression at ages 6, 7, 8, and 10 years (N = 232, 50.4% girls, 46.6% Latinx). Sympathetic nervous system (assessed via pre-ejection period) and parasympathetic nervous system (assessed via respiratory sinus arrhythmia) reactivity were measured in response to video clips depicting fear, happiness, and sadness at age 7. Growth curve models indicated that ANS reactivity to sadness, but not to fear or happiness, was related to trajectories of relational aggression. In contrast, ANS reactivity to all three emotions was associated with trajectories of physical aggression. Effects differed across genders, indicating that distinct patterns of ANS reactivity to emotion may be involved in girls' and boys' development of aggression. Overall, these findings contribute to a growing literature documenting the role of ANS reactivity to emotion in aggressive behavior. Moreover, this study considers ANS reactivity to specific emotions, as related to both relational and physical aggression, and as differentially expressed among girls versus boys.

The Role of Autonomic System Coordination in Relations Between Peer Factors and Aggressive Behavior in Early Childhood.

This study tested biological sensitivity to context theory in the peer context. Respiratory sinus arrythmia (RSA-R) and skin conductance level (SCL-R) reactivity to a peer stressor were collected for participants (N = 86; M age = 45.99 months old; 70.2% White) in the summer (Time 1). Children's peer risk (i.e., physical and relational victimization) and protective (i.e., received prosocial behavior) factors were examined in the fall (T2) and relational and physical aggression were measured at T2 and in the spring (T3). Interactions were tested in regression analyses. Interactions emerged between relational victimization, RSA-R, and SCL-R in the prediction of T3 relational aggression and between received prosocial behavior, RSA-R, and SCL-R in the prediction of T3 relational and physical aggression, respectively. There was a positive relation between T2 relational victimization and T3 relational aggression for children with a coactivation pattern (i.e., increased RSA and SCL activity to a bullying stressor) but no relation for any other physiological pattern. Conversely, there was a negative relation between T2 received prosocial behavior and both forms of aggression at T3 for children with a reciprocal pattern (i.e., increased RSA and decreased SCL or decreased RSA and increased SCL activity) but no protective benefit of received prosocial behavior on subsequent aggression for children with a coactivation pattern. For children with a coinhibition pattern (i.e., decreased RSA and SCL activity), received prosocial behavior was negatively related to subsequent physical but not relational aggression. In sum, a coactivation pattern in response to stress may represent a vulnerability factor.

The development of forms and functions of aggression during early childhood: A temperament-based approach.

This study used a short-term longitudinal design with theoretically derived preregistered hypotheses and analyses to examine the role of temperament in the development of forms (i.e., physical and relational) and functions (i.e., proactive and reactive) of aggressive behavior in early childhood (N = 300, M age = 44.70 months, SD = 4.38, 44% girls). Temperament was measured via behavioral reports of emotional dysregulation, fearlessness/daring, and rule internalization/empathy and, in a subsample that completed a physiological assessment, via skin conductance and respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Emotion dysregulation generally served as a risk factor for all subtypes of aggression, with evidence of stronger associations with reactive as compared to proactive functions of relational aggression for girls. Daring predicted increases in physical aggression, especially among boys, and rule internalization predicted decreases in relational aggression, especially among girls. Rule internalization mediated longitudinal associations between daring and proactive relational aggression for girls. Some evidence also emerged supporting associations between adaptive functioning (i.e., high empathy, high respiratory sinus arrhythmia) and proactive functions of aggression. Findings highlight distinct temperamental risk factors for physical versus relational aggression and provide partial support for gender-linked theories of the development of aggression.

Parenting and Adjustment Problems among Preschoolers during COVID-19.

A critical area of developmental science explores factors that confer risk or protection as young children and their families experience stressful circumstances related to sociohistorical events. This study contributes to this important area by assessing relations between family context and child adjustment as children transitioned from preschool to home learning during COVID-19, and whether children higher in stress levels, indexed by morning basal cortisol, were more strongly affected. Parents of 74 children (M age = 53.56 months, SD age = 3.68 months) completed reports spanning the home learning transition; children's pre-COVID-19 transition salivary cortisol levels were assessed. Path analyses were used to test the preregistered study aims. Significant interactions were decomposed using simple slopes and Preacher's Regions of Significance (ROS) method. Across the COVID-19 transition to home-based school, children with higher morning basal cortisol experienced the sharpest increase in anger when exposed to harsh/inconsistent parenting contexts. Importantly, these effects held when controlling for household chaos, socioeconomic resources, and supportive parenting. Parallel models with supportive parenting were also tested and are discussed. This study is one of the first to test and provide support for biological sensitivity to context theory within the context of a natural experiment like COVID-19.

Assessment of hostile intent attributions across escalating conflict stories.

Previous research suggests the importance of intent attributions in the development and maintenance of aggressive behavior. The primary purpose of the current study was to develop a measure assessing increases in attributions of hostility in response to escalating social conflict scenarios that were relational and instrumental in nature and to determine whether hostility trajectories were associated with relevant social experiences and behavior. A sample of primarily emerging adults (n = 750; M age = 19.97, SD = 3.60; 49.4% women, 48.3% men, 2.3% nonbinary or transgender; 69.9% Caucasian) responded to surveys regarding social behavior, peer victimization, and reports of hostile attribution biases in addition to the developed measure. Findings indicated that individuals adjusted their intent attributions across the conflict escalation stories, as reflected in linear increases in hostility ratings. Hostile attribution trajectories were also related to hostile attribution biases, peer victimization, and social behavior, including physical and relational aggression and prosocial behavior.

Autonomic nervous system reactivity and preschoolers' social dominance.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of skin conductance level reactivity (SCLR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity (RSAR) in preschoolers' social dominance, as well as potential gender differences in these associations. Reactivity was assessed in response to viewing videos of social exclusion and a post-aggression discussion. In a community sample of 94 preschool children followed over one calendar year, reactivity to the post-aggression discussion, but not exclusion, video was related to social dominance. Specifically, increased RSAR to the post-aggression discussion video was positively associated with concurrent social dominance for both boys and girls. Longitudinally, for boys only, coactivation (i.e., increases in SCLR accompanied by increases in RSAR) to the post-aggression discussion video, which may reflect dysregulated, emotionally labile reactions to stress, was associated with relatively low levels of social dominance across the course of the year. Overall, findings contribute to a growing literature documenting the role of autonomic reactivity in preschoolers' social adjustment and extend this work to their capacity to achieve and maintain socially dominant positions with peers.

Stress reactivity and social cognition in pure and co-occurring early childhood relational bullying and victimization.

This study tested the independent effects and interactions of sympathetic nervous system reactivity and hostile attribution biases (HAB) in predicting change in pure and co-occurring relational bullying and victimization experiences over one year. Co-occurring and pure relational bullying and victimization experiences were measured using a dimensional bifactor model, aiming to address methodological limitations of categorical approaches, using data from 300 preschoolers (Mage = 44.70 months, SD = 4.38). Factor scores were then saved and used in nested path analyses with a subset of participants (n = 81) to test main study hypotheses regarding effects of HAB and skin conductance level reactivity (SCL-R). Bifactor models provided good fit to the data at two independent time points. HAB and SCL-R interacted to predict increases in co-occurring relational bullying/victimization with evidence for over- and underarousal pathways.

Negative parenting and functions of relational aggression: The moderating roles of gender and physiological reactivity.

Dimensions of negative parenting, including permissive, authoritarian, and psychologically controlling parenting behaviors, are associated with children's engagement in relational aggression. However, some youth may be more strongly influenced by negative parenting than others, and effects may depend on whether aggression is proactive or reactive in function. In a community sample of 236 preadolescent children followed over 1 year, we examined whether children's skin conductance level reactivity (an index of "fight or flight" response) and gender moderated links between parents' self-reported negative parenting behaviors and increases in children's teacher-reported proactive and reactive relational aggression. Findings indicated that negative parenting predicted increases in proactive and reactive relational aggression, and, consistent with differential susceptibility theory, effects often emerged among highly reactive youth. Associations between negative parenting and proactive relational aggression emerged for boys but not girls. Results tentatively suggest that associations between parenting and aggression vary by the function of aggression, children's physiological reactivity to stress, and gender, although results should be interpreted with caution due to high levels of missing data. Implications for theory and intervention are discussed.

Measurement of aggressive behavior in early childhood: A critical analysis using five informants.

Measurement of aggressive behavior in early childhood is unique given that relational aggression is just developing, physical aggression is still prevalent, and both forms of aggression are relatively overt or direct. The current study had three aims. The first aim was to examine the internal reliability, validity, and correspondence of five different assessments of aggressive behavior in early childhood: parent report, teacher report, observer report, child report, and naturalistic school-based observations. The second aim was to test a one- and two-factor model of early childhood aggression using confirmatory factor analysis. The final aim of the study was to investigate gender differences among different reports of aggression. Observations, teacher report, and observer (research assistant) report were collected in the children's school, and parent report and child report were collected in a lab session at one time point (N = 300; 56% male; Mage = 44.86 months, SD = 5.55). Observations were collected using a focal child sampling with continuous recording approach, and previously validated measures were used for the remaining four informants. Results demonstrated that all measures were reliable with the exception of child report of relational aggression, and there was small to strong correspondence among the various informants. In addition, a two-factor structure of aggression provided the best fit to the data, providing evidence for divergence among relational and physical aggression. Finally, there were robust gender differences in physical aggression, but gender differences in relational aggression varied by method. The implications of different types of measurement are discussed.

Relational victimization and depressive symptoms: The interactive role of physiological reactivity and narrative processing.

Although previous studies have documented that relational victimization serves as a risk factor for depressive symptoms across developmental periods, heterogeneity in effects highlights the possibility that some individuals may be especially vulnerable. This study examined two factors that may influence the link between relational victimization and depressive symptoms: physiological reactivity and narrative processing during the recounting of a past victimization experience. In a sample of 200 college students, we examined narrative processing (i.e., use of disengagement coping strategies, positive resolution, and primary control coping strategies) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity, assessed during a standard laboratory interview, as moderators of the link between self-reported relational victimization and depressive symptoms. Although relational victimization was associated with increased rates of depressive symptoms, a combination of RSA activation and high disengagement coping appeared protective for individuals high in relational victimization. Similarly, a combination of RSA activation and high levels of positive resolution appeared protective against depressive symptoms among individuals high in relational victimization. The findings shed critical light on the interaction of physiological and cognitive processes in coping with relational victimization.

Bullying Environment Moderates the Relationship Between Exercise and Mental Health in Bullied US Children.

BACKGROUND: Exercise reduces the odds of sadness and suicidality in bullied students, but the role of the bullying environment on this relationship remains unknown. METHODS: Using combined data from the 2013 and 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (N = 29,207), adjusted logistic regression models estimated odds ratios between exercise, sadness, and suicidal ideation and attempt, stratified by bullying exposure (electronically/at school). RESULTS: Overall, 40.2% of students bullied at school and 48.3% of students bullied electronically reported feeling sad, compared to 22.6% of those not bullied. Bullied students were 2-3 times more likely to report suicidal ideation, and 3-4 times more likely to report suicidal attempt, regardless of bullying context. Students who were bullied at school and exercised 4-7 days per week had lower odds of sadness (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51-0.81), suicidal ideation (AOR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.53-82), and suicidal attempt (AOR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.48-0.98) compared to those who exercised 0-3 days. There were no protective effects of exercise for students bullied electronically. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise reduced sadness and suicidality in adolescents bullied at school but not for students who were cyberbullied. Bullying environment should be a primary consideration in school mental health treatment and maintenance paradigms.

Emotional Underarousal and Overarousal and Engagement in Relational Aggression: Interactions between Relational Victimization, Physiological Reactivity, and Emotional Sensitivity.

The present study examined if overarousal (i.e., dysregulation and high emotional sensitivity) and underarousal (i.e., fearlessness and emotional insensitivity) to peer stress, reflected in physiological reactivity and subjective emotional sensitivity, exacerbated risk for relational aggression in relationally victimized children. Participants were a community sample of 125 children (10-12 years, M = 11.34 years, SD = 0.89; 45% female). Teachers provided ratings of children's relational victimization and relational aggression. Children's physiological reactivity was assessed based on skin conductance level (SCL) reactivity and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity to a standardized peer rejection task. Children's subjective emotional sensitivity was assessed using self-reported ratings of distress to hypothetical relational provocation vignettes. Results indicated that relational victimization was significantly associated with relational aggression only for children with high SCL reactivity and high emotional sensitivity (i.e., physiological and subjective overarousal) and for children with low SCL reactivity and low emotional sensitivity (i.e., physiological and subjective underarousal); relational victimization did not predict relational aggression among children with high SCL reactivity but low emotional sensitivity or among children with low SCL reactivity but high emotional sensitivity. Relational victimization was also marginally more strongly associated with relational aggression for children displaying RSA augmentation. Results suggest emotional overarousal and underarousal may both serve as vulnerabilities for relational aggression among relationally victimized youth, and underscore the importance of including physiological and subjective indices of emotional reactivity in studies of aggression. Implications for theory and intervention are discussed.

Social Costs for Wannabes: Moderating Effects of Popularity and Gender on the Links between Popularity Goals and Negative Peer Experiences.

Youth in early adolescence are highly concerned with being popular in the peer group, but the desire to be popular can have maladaptive consequences for individuals. In fact, qualitative work suggests that youth with high popularity goals who are nonetheless unpopular have negative experiences with their peers. However, little quantitative work has examined this possibility. The purpose of the current study was to examine if popularity goals were linked with physical (e.g., being hit) and relational (e.g., being excluded) victimization and peer rejection, particularly for individuals who strived for popularity but were viewed by their peers as unpopular. Late elementary and early middle school participants (N = 205; 54% female) completed self-reports of popularity goals and peer nominations of popularity and peer rejection. Teachers reported on students' experiences of relational and physical victimization. Peer nominated popularity and gender were moderators of the association between popularity goals and negative peer experiences. Consistent with hypotheses, girls who were unpopular but wanted to be popular were more likely to experience peer rejection and relational victimization. Unexpectedly, boys who were unpopular but did not desire to be popular were more likely to be rejected and relationally victimized. The findings suggest that intervention and prevention programs may benefit from addressing the social status goals of low status youth in a gender-specific manner.

Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal and Gender Predicting Blood Pressure Reactivity and Recovery From Stress in Early Adolescence.

This study investigated the association between relational-interdependent self-construals (relational interdependence) and blood pressure reactivity and recovery from two types of peer stressors (i.e., relational and instrumental) and gender as a moderator of this association. One hundred and ninety-six early adolescents (M = 10.11 years) reported their relational interdependence and participated in a laboratory stress protocol in which their systolic and diastolic blood pressures before, during, and after experiencing peer stressors were assessed. Results indicated that for males only, those with high relational interdependence showed greater systolic blood pressure reactivity and, at a trend level, impaired recovery from instrumental stressors; females with high relational interdependence showed greater diastolic blood pressure reactivity to relational stressors.

Psychophysiology of proactive and reactive relational aggression.

This study investigated the joint effects of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system reactivity to social and non-social stressors on proactive (i.e., goal-directed, unemotional) and reactive (i.e., emotional, impulsive) functions of relational aggression. Two hundred and forty-seven (Mage=18.77years) participants completed a series of stressor tasks while their sympathetic arousal (i.e., skin conductance) and parasympathetic arousal (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia) were assessed. Participants also provided self-reports of their aggressive behavior. In the standardized social stressor only, physiological reactivity was related to aggression, such that respiratory sinus arrhythmia augmentation predicted proactive relational aggression whereas heightened skin conductance reactivity predicted reactive relational aggression. Finally, in the context of low skin conductance reactivity, respiratory sinus arrhythmia augmentation was related to heightened proactive and reactive aggression, whereas respiratory sinus arrhythmia withdrawal was protective. Results suggest that the benefits hypothesized to accompany respiratory sinus arrhythmia withdrawal may only occur among individuals with low "fight or flight" stress responses. Findings extend research on the physiological indicators of aggression to relational aggression, and highlight the importance of assessing functions of aggression, as well as physiological reactivity to multiple stressors.