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Heart rate variability during social interactions in children with and without psychopathology: a meta‐analysis
Author(s) -
Shahrestani Sara,
Stewart Elizabeth M.,
Quintana Daniel S.,
Hickie Ian B.,
Guastella Adam J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of child psychology and psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.652
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1469-7610
pISSN - 0021-9630
DOI - 10.1111/jcpp.12226
Subject(s) - disengagement theory , psychology , psychopathology , developmental psychology , meta analysis , social stress , stressor , context (archaeology) , social environment , heart rate variability , social relation , clinical psychology , social support , heart rate , social psychology , medicine , gerontology , paleontology , political science , blood pressure , law , biology , radiology
Background The inability to regulate autonomic activity during social interactions is believed to contribute to social and emotional dysregulation in children. Research has employed heart rate variability ( HRV ) during both socially engaging and socially disengaging dyadic tasks between children and adults to assess this. Methods We conducted a meta‐analysis including evidence from 18 studies comprising 1,544 children who were categorized as either healthy or at risk/diagnosed with psychopathology. Within these groups, we assessed the impact of social engagement and disengagement tasks on HRV . Results Results showed that social engagement tasks left HRV unaltered to a baseline. Social disengagement, however, was associated with decreases in HRV . In a task that included disengagement and then engagement, HRV was reduced during disengagement but was then restored during the reunion phase (engagement). Children at risk or with a diagnosis for psychopathology, however, failed to show any change in HRV during dyadic social interaction tasks. This was despite a social stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test, causing significantly reduced HRV in both groups. Conclusions This meta‐analysis provides support to suggest HRV may provide a worthwhile context specific marker for the effective regulation of dyadic social interactions in children.