Cited by 274Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentHeart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlAutism Spectrum Disorder Research

Autonomic reactivity and psychopathology in middle childhood

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Boyce, W. Thomas, Quas, Jodi, Alkon, Abbey, Smider, Nancy A., Essex, Marilyn J., Kupfer, David J., MacArthur Assessment Battery Working Group of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Psychopathology and Development·2001·British Journal of Psychiatry

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Better indicators are needed for identifying children with early signs of developmental psychopathology. AIMS: To identify measures of autonomic nervous system reactivity that discriminate children with internalising and externalising behavioural symptoms. METHOD: A cross-sectional study of 122 children aged 6--7 years examined sympathetic and parasympathetic reactivity to standardised field-laboratory stressors as predictors of parent- and teacher-reported mental health symptoms. RESULTS: Measures of autonomic reactivity discriminated between children with internalising behaviour problems, externalising behaviour problems and neither. Internalisers showed high reactivity relative to low-symptom children, principally in the parasympathetic branch, while externalisers showed low reactivity, in both autonomic branches. CONCLUSIONS: School-age children with mental health symptoms showed a pattern of autonomic dimorphism in their reactivity to standardised challenges. This observation may be of use in early identification of children with presyndromal psychopathology.

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  • A fair number of studies have found that children with externalizing behavior problems display a more blunted vagal response to challenge.

    “a fair number of studies have found that children with externalizing behavior problems display a more blunted vagal response to challenge”

    From Cardiac vagal control and children's adaptive functioning: A meta-analysis (2013) · cites this paper as Boyce et al., 2001

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Authors
Boyce, W. T., Quas, J., Alkon, A., Smider, N. A., Essex, M. J., Kupfer, D. J., & MacArthur Assessment Battery Working Group of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Psychopathology and Development
Affiliations
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
Corresponding author
Boyce, W. Thomas
Venue
British Journal of Psychiatry
Published
2001-08
Volume
179
Issue
2
Pages
144-150
ISSN
  • 0007-1250 (ISSN-L)
  • 1472-1465
OpenAlex
W2113410292
Cited by
274
References
44
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 16
FWCI
6.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • The British Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Ohio State University
  • Harvard University
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH44340, R01MH044340)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Keywords
autonomic reactivity, middle childhood, externalizing problems, developmental psychopathology, sympathetic response, parasympathetic reactivity
MeSH terms
Arousal, Autonomic Nervous System Diseases, Blood Pressure, Child, Child Behavior Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Male, Sex Factors, Stress, Psychological, Statistics, Nonparametric

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