Negative parenting and functions of relational aggression: The moderating roles of gender and physiological reactivity

AbstractThe purpose of the present investigation was to examine the association between physiological reactivity to peer stressors and physical and relational aggression. Potential moderation by actual experiences of peer maltreatment (i.e., physical and relational victimization) and gender were also explored. One hundred ninety-six children (M = 10.11 years, SD = 0.64) participated in a laboratory stress protocol during which their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and skin conductance reactivity to recounting a relational stressor (e.g., threats to relationships) and an instrumental stressor (e.g., threats to physical well-being, dominance, or property) were assessed. Teachers provided reports of aggression and victimization. In both boys and girls, physical aggression was associated with blunted physiological reactivity to relational stress and heightened physiological reactivity to instrumental stress, particularly among youth higher in victimization. In girls, relational aggression was most robustly associated with blunted physiological reactivity to relational stressors, particularly among girls exhibiting higher levels of relational victimization. In boys, relational aggression was associated with heightened physiological reactivity to both types of stressors at higher levels of peer victimization and blunted physiological reactivity to both types of stressors at lower levels of victimization. Results underscore the shared and distinct emotional processes underlying physical and relational aggression in boys and girls.

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Borderline personality features as a predictor of forms and functions of aggression during middle childhood: Examining the roles of gender and physiological reactivity

Development and Psychopathology ◽

10.1017/s095457941400039x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 789-804 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Adrienne M. Banny ◽

Wan-Ling Tseng ◽

Dianna Murray-Close ◽

Clio E. Pitula ◽

Nicki R. Crick

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Relational Aggression ◽

Middle Childhood ◽

Borderline Personality ◽

Emotional Dysregulation ◽

Self Report ◽

Physiological Reactivity ◽

Relationally Aggressive ◽

Personality Features ◽

Borderline Personality Features

AbstractThe present longitudinal investigation examined borderline personality features as a predictor of aggression 1 year later. Moderation by physiological reactivity and gender was also explored. One hundred ninety-six children (M = 10.11 years, SD = 0.64) participated in a laboratory stress protocol in which their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and skin conductance reactivity to recounting a relational stressor (e.g., threats to relationships or exclusion) were assessed. Teachers provided reports on subtypes of aggressive behavior (i.e., reactive relational, proactive relational, reactive physical, and proactive physical), and children completed a self-report measure of borderline personality features. Path analyses indicated that borderline personality features predicted increases in reactive relational aggression and proactive relational aggression among girls who evinced heightened physiological reactivity to interpersonal stress. In contrast, borderline personality features predicted decreases in proactive physical aggression in girls. Findings suggest that borderline personality features promote engagement in relationally aggressive behaviors among girls, particularly in the context of emotional dysregulation.

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The association between valuing popularity and relational aggression: The moderating effects of actual popularity and physiological reactivity to exclusion

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology ◽

10.1016/j.jecp.2011.03.008 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 110 (1) ◽

pp. 20-37 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Erin K. Shoulberg ◽

Jelle J. Sijtsema ◽

Dianna Murray-Close

Keyword(s):

Relational Aggression ◽

Physiological Reactivity ◽

Moderating Effects

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Emotional Underarousal and Overarousal and Engagement in Relational Aggression: Interactions between Relational Victimization, Physiological Reactivity, and Emotional Sensitivity

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology ◽

10.1007/s10802-019-00544-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 47 (10) ◽

pp. 1663-1676 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Julia D. McQuade ◽

Dianna Murray-Close ◽

Nicole L. Breslend ◽

Kayla E. Balda ◽

Mindy M. Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relational Aggression ◽

Relational Victimization ◽

Physiological Reactivity ◽

Emotional Sensitivity

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Emotions Under the Skin

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027/0269-8803/a000147 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 161-170 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Catarina Silva ◽

Ana Cláudia Ferreira ◽

Isabel Soares ◽

Francisco Esteves

Keyword(s):

Attachment Style ◽

Attachment Styles ◽

The Other ◽

Regulatory Function ◽

Physiological Reactivity ◽

Emotional Stimuli ◽

Skin Conductance Responses ◽

Lower Accuracy ◽

Emotional Pictures ◽

Valence And Arousal

Abstract. The present study examined physiological reactivity to emotional stimuli as a function of attachment style. Skin conductance responses (SCRs) and heart rate (HR) changes were simultaneously recorded while participants engaged in a visual attentional task. The task included positive, neutral, and negative emotional pictures, and required the identification of a target (neutral picture rotated 90° to the left or right), among a stream of pictures in which an emotional distracter (positive or negative) was presented. Participants additionally rated each of the emotional distracters for valence and arousal. Behavioral results on the attentional task showed that positive pictures facilitated overall target detection for all participants, compared to negative and neutral pictures, and that anxiously attached participants had significantly lower accuracy scores, relative to the other groups. Affective ratings indicated that positive pictures were rated as being more pleasant than negative ones, although no differences were found in HR changes to picture valence. In contrast, negative pictures were evaluated as being highly arousing. Consistent with this, negative pictures elicited larger SCRs in both insecure anxious and avoidant groups, especially for the anxious while the secure group showed SCRs unaffected by stimuli’s arousal. Present results show that individuals with different attachment styles reveal distinct patterns of attentional bias, appraisal, and physiological reactivity toward emotionally arousing stimuli. These findings further highlight the regulatory function of the attachment system.

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Emotional Experiences of Students in the Classroom

European Psychologist ◽

10.1027/1016-9040/a000014 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 142-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Wondimu Ahmed ◽

Greetje van der Werf ◽

Alexander Minnaert

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Emotional Response ◽

Task Difficulty ◽

Physiological Reactivity ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

Heart Rate Monitoring ◽

Coding Scheme ◽

Stimulated Recall ◽

Response Systems ◽

The Relationship

In this article, we report on a multimethod qualitative study designed to explore the emotional experiences of students in the classroom setting. The purpose of the study was threefold: (1) to explore the correspondence among nonverbal expressions, subjective feelings, and physiological reactivity (heart rate changes) of students’ emotions in the classroom; (2) to examine the relationship between students’ emotions and their competence and value appraisals; and (3) to determine whether task difficulty matters in emotional experiences. We used multiple methods (nonverbal coding scheme, video stimulated recall interview, and heart rate monitoring) to acquire data on emotional experiences of six grade 7 students. Concurrent correspondence analyses of the emotional indices revealed that coherence between emotional response systems, although apparent, is not conclusive. The relationship between appraisals and emotions was evident, but the effect of task difficulty appears to be minimal.

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The Psychophysiology of Anxiety and Mood Disorders

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000302 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 225 (3) ◽

pp. 175-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter J. Lang ◽

Lisa M. McTeague ◽

Margaret M. Bradley

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Heart Rate ◽

Brain Function ◽

Physiological Reactivity ◽

Research Domain Criteria ◽

Diagnostic Systems ◽

Psychophysiological Reactivity ◽

Diagnostic Categories ◽

New Research ◽

Research Domain

Abstract. Several decades of research are reviewed, assessing patterns of psychophysiological reactivity in anxiety patients responding to a fear/threat imagery challenge. Findings show substantive differences in these measures within principal diagnostic categories, questioning the reliability and categorical specificity of current diagnostic systems. Following a new research framework (US National Institute of Mental Health [NIMH], Research Domain Criteria [RDoC]; Cuthbert & Insel, 2013 ), dimensional patterns of physiological reactivity are explored in a large sample of anxiety and mood disorder patients. Patients’ responses (e.g., startle reflex, heart rate) during fear/threat imagery varied significantly with higher questionnaire measured “negative affect,” stress history, and overall life dysfunction – bio-marking disorder groups, independent of Diagnostic and Statistical Manuals (DSM). The review concludes with a description of new research, currently underway, exploring brain function indices (structure activation, circuit connectivity) as potential biological classifiers (collectively with the reflex physiology) of anxiety and mood pathology.

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