Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39655532›Full record

ArticlePsychophysiology2025

Paternal depressive symptoms and infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia predict empathy-related behaviors.

Yael Dann, Alisa Egotubov, Avigail Gordon Hecker, Eyal Sheiner, Florina Uzefovsky, Noa Gueron Sela

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In one paragraph

Article in Psychophysiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Yael DannDepartment of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.ORCID 0009-0003-6352-4995
Alisa EgotubovDepartment of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Avigail Gordon HeckerDepartment of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Eyal SheinerDepartment of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Florina UzefovskyDepartment of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Noa Gueron SelaDepartment of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

Funding

Israel Science Foundation 879/18
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Children with specific psychophysiological profiles may be more strongly affected by adverse environmental experiences. Guided by a biopsychosocial perspective, we examined whether infant respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), an index of parasympathetic functioning, moderates the associations between paternal postpartum depression (PPD) symptoms and infants' observed empathy-related responses. Participants were 142 families with infants (51% female) assessed at two time points. At T1 (3 months of age), fathers reported their depressive symptoms. Infants' cardiac activity was recorded during rest and estimates of RSA were calculated. In addition, infants' empathy-related responses during a maternal distress simulation were observed and rated at T2 (12 months of age). Higher paternal PPD at T1 predicted higher infant affective (i.e., affective concern) and cognitive (i.e., inquiring behaviors) responses to maternal distress at T2. Infant RSA moderated this relationship for cognitive responses, with a significant positive association only for children with high or average RSA. These findings contribute to the understanding of the psychophysiological mechanisms that support empathy development.

Indexed as

DepressionDepression, PostpartumEmpathyFathersInfant BehaviorRespiratory Sinus ArrhythmiaAdultFemaleHumansInfantMaledepressionempathyfathersinfancyrespiratory sinus arrhythmia

Identifiers

PMID39655532
PMCPMC11870816

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.