Parenting and internalizing symptoms in early adolescence: The moderating role of vagal tone

The present study investigated baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as moderator of the prospective association between parenting and internalizing symptoms among a group of typically developing adolescents across the transition to middle school. At Time 1 (5th grade; spring before middle school transition), participants included 100 young adolescents (53% boys; 57% European American; Mage = 11.05 years, SD = .33) and their mothers (Mage = 41.25 years, SD = 6.22; 96.0% biological). At Time 2 (6th grade; fall after middle school transition), 89 adolescents and their mothers returned. To address study aims, a multi-informant, multi-method, longitudinal design was used. At Time 1, mothers reported on monitoring knowledge and psychological control, and adolescents’ baseline RSA was measured during a resting baseline period. At Times 1 and 2, adolescents reported on three indices of internalizing symptoms (depressive symptoms, social anxiety, loneliness and social dissatisfaction). Results from multiple regression analyses revealed that lower levels of maternal monitoring knowledge and higher levels of psychological control were predictive of higher levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness. Further, among boys, lower baseline RSA exacerbated the link between maternal psychological control and higher levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness, whereas higher baseline RSA attenuated the effect. Overall, findings were consistent with prior evidence of lower baseline RSA as a risk factor and higher baseline RSA as a protective factor against psychopathology, contributing the growing literature on the effects of the interplay between parenting and youth ANS functioning on youth mental health.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human Dvlpmt & Family Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2019

Author dc:creator

• Cai, Tianying

Contributors dc:contributor

• Tu, Kelly M.
• Larson, Reed W.

• Parental monitoring knowledge
• Psychological control
• Early adolescence
• Internalizing symptoms
• Vagal tone

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2019 Tianying Cai

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/104869

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/104869