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Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

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12-11-2022

Autonomic Arousal, Ethical Guilt, and Externalizing Behavior in Childhood: A Clinical Extension and Replication

Auteurs: Tyler Colasante, Emma Galarneau, Ruth Speidel, Anjali Suri, Erinn Acland, Marc Jambon, Brendan F. Andrade, Tina Malti

Gepubliceerd in: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology | Uitgave 3/2023

Abstract

Lower autonomic arousal is associated with higher externalizing behavior in childhood but the mechanisms explaining this link are still debated. One possibility is that lower autonomic arousal makes it difficult for children to anticipate or express social emotions, such as ethical guilt rooted in concern for others, thereby increasing their likelihood of externalizing behavior. However, evidence for this social-emotional hypothesis has been limited to community samples. The present study included ethnically diverse samples of 150 typically developing children (M_age = 8.01 years; 50% girls) and 62 children referred for clinically elevated externalizing behavior (M_age = 9.16 years; 16% girls; N = 212). Caregivers reported children’s externalizing behavior. Children’s respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was measured as an indicator of parasympathetic activity in response to hypothetical vignettes depicting externalizing behavior. Children’s ethical guilt was coded from semi-structured interviews following each vignette. Greater RSA increases (indicating a low-arousal, rest-and-digest response) were associated with lower ethical guilt. Lower ethical guilt was associated with higher externalizing behavior. A significant indirect effect showed that RSA increases were associated with higher externalizing behavior through relative lapses in ethical guilt. Results were consistent across and within the community and clinical samples. Theoretical and practical implications for clinically elevated externalizing behavior are discussed.

vorige artikel Construct Validation for Toddler-Solicited Maternal Comforting Behavior as Relevant to Family Accommodation and Child Anxiety Risk

For the clinical setting, a wearable BioNomadix Logger (also from Biopac Systems, Goleta, CA, USA) replaced the stationary MP150 system to allow for portability across different testing rooms. Data were stored in the logger and were periodically uploaded to a computer for later processing. These equipment differences did not affect data integrity or precision as all data collection and processing settings were matched across samples.

To this end, we ran an additional model with RSA reactivity and ethical guilt as parallel predictors of externalizing and compared it to our original indirect effect model. A Satorra-Bentler scaled \(\upchi^2\) difference test indicated that the indirect effect model fit the data better than the parallel predictor model did, TRd(1) = 4.24, p = .04. In other words, positioning the predictors in sequence (rather than in parallel) significantly added to the present model.

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Titel: Autonomic Arousal, Ethical Guilt, and Externalizing Behavior in Childhood: A Clinical Extension and Replication
Auteurs: Tyler Colasante
Emma Galarneau
Ruth Speidel
Anjali Suri
Erinn Acland
Marc Jambon
Brendan F. Andrade
Tina Malti
Publicatiedatum: 12-11-2022
Uitgeverij: Springer US
Gepubliceerd in: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology / Uitgave 3/2023
Print ISSN: 2730-7166
Elektronisch ISSN: 2730-7174
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-00988-0

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