Parental responses to negative emotions predict neural not physiological regulation in children: Evidence from frontal alpha asymmetry and respiratory sinus arrhythmia.

Effective emotion regulation (ER) supports children's socioemotional health, yet little is known about parental influences on biological systems underlying ER. This longitudinal study examined whether supportive and nonsupportive parental responses predicted children's neural and physiological regulation during negative emotional experiences at ages 6 and 9 (N = 240-265; 48% male; 76% White, 15% Black, 8% multiracial, and 1% Asian). Data at ages 6 and 9 were collected in 2013-2014 and 2016-2017, respectively. During frustration and disappointment tasks, electroencephalogram (EEG), and electrocardiogram (ECG) were recorded. Multivariate multilevel models showed that, at the between-person level, higher nonsupportive parenting predicted lower frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) at both ages, suggesting a more withdrawal-related neural profile. Supportive parenting was unrelated to FAA or respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Across waves, at the within-person level, greater RSA withdrawal was associated with greater right-lateralized FAA. Overall, findings highlight that nonsupportive parenting exerts a robust and enduring influence on children's neural, but not physiological regulation, underscoring the importance of emotion socialization practices for promoting adaptive neural regulatory functioning during middle childhood.