Children’s patterns of emotional reactivity to conflict as explanatory mechanisms in links between interpartner aggression and child physiological functioning
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BACKGROUND: This paper examined children's fearful, sad, and angry reactivity to interparental conflict as mediators of associations between their exposure to interparental aggression and physiological functioning. METHODS: Participants included 200 toddlers and their mothers. Assessments of interparental aggression and children's emotional reactivity were derived from maternal surveys and a semi-structured interview. Cortisol levels and cardiac indices of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity were used to assess toddler physiological functioning. RESULTS: Results indicated that toddler exposure to interparental aggression was associated with greater cortisol levels and PNS activity and diminished SNS activity. Toddler angry emotional reactivity mediated associations between interparental aggression and cortisol and PNS functioning. Fearful emotional reactivity was a mediator of the link between interparental aggression and SNS functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The results are interpreted within conceptualizations of how exposure and reactivity to family risk organize individual differences in physiological functioning.
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Heightened and lowered levels of arousal are linked to internalizing and externalizing symptoms, respectively.
“Heightened and lowered levels of arousal are linked to internalizing and externalizing symptoms, respectively (Davies et al., 2009).”
From A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON THE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH (2014) · cites this paper as Davies et al., 2009
The Discussion (page unavailable) reports an association between low sympathetic nervous system activity and greater externalizing symptoms. Our copy does not state the corresponding claim that heightened arousal is linked to internalizing symptoms; the study’s own results concern physiological functioning and emotional reactivity in toddlers exposed to interparental aggression. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA significant proportion of the data reviewed remains inconsistent with the sensitization model of autonomic regulations.
“A significant proportion of the data reviewed above, however, remains inconsistent with the sensitization model of autonomic regulations (Davies et al., 2009; El-Sheikh & Hinnant, 2011; El-Sheikh et al., 2011; El-Sheikh et al., 2013; El-Sheikh et al., 2009; El-Sheikh & Whitson, 2006).”
From A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON THE IMPACT OF EXPOSURE TO INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH (2014) · cites this paper as Davies et al., 2009
The Discussion reports lower sympathetic activity in toddlers exposed to interparental aggression and interprets it using an attenuation model, supporting this paper as an example of evidence that may not fit sensitization. It does not assess the proportion of data reviewed in the citing document or explicitly conclude that a significant proportion is inconsistent with a sensitization model. (LLM, conf=0.82)
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“A significant proportion of the data reviewed above, however, remains inconsistent with the sensitization model of autonomic regulations (Davies et al., 2009; El-Sheikh & Hinnant, 2011; El-Sheikh et al., 2011; El-Sheikh et al., 2013; El-Sheikh et al., 2009; El-Sheikh & Whitson, 2006).”
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- Authors
- Davies, P. T., Sturge‐Apple, M. L., Cicchetti, D., Manning, L. G., & Zale, E.
- Affiliations
- University of Rochester (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Davies, Patrick T.
- Venue
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-10-14
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1384-1391
- ISSN
- 0021-9630 (ISSN-L)
- 1469-7610
- PMC
- PMC2765509
- OpenAlex
- W2073791839
- Cited by
- 70
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 6.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH071256)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
- Keywords
- parental conflict, emotional reactivity, toddlers, cortisol, sympathetic nervous system, parasympathetic nervous system, cardiac activity, mediation
- MeSH terms
- Aggression, Child Behavior, Child, Preschool, Conflict, Psychological, Emotions, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Saliva, Dissent and Disputes, Family Conflict
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