Effects of a Pregnancy Lifestyle Intervention on Emotion Regulation in Infants Responding to a Toy Removal Task at One-Year of Age

Poor infant emotion regulation (ER) has been linked with increased psychopathological risk in infancy and childhood. The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Hypothesis suggests the prenatal period as the earliest point of intervention, where fetal exposure to healthy lifestyle changes can promote optimal ER in infancy. Infant electroencephalography (EEG; n=13) and heart rate variability (HRV; n=18) were measured at rest and in response to a toy removal task, to determine the ER of infants whose mothers participated in a nutrition and exercise intervention during pregnancy. Results demonstrated positive left frontal alpha asymmetry at rest (0.08± 0.66) and in response to stress (0.27 ± 0.72; p=0.167), with a significant increase in HRV (RMSSD: Z= -2.90, p

Name thesis:degree_name

M Sc

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Kinesiology

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Western Ontario

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Manley, Mollie

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Mottola, Michelle F.

• Infant emotion regulation
• electroencephalography
• heart rate variability
• pregnancy lifestyle interventions
• infant temperament
• fetal neurodevelopment
• developmental origins of health and disease

Language dc:language.iso

en_ca

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/30088

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/30088