Parenting, Health, and Inflammation: The Role of the Autonomic Nervous System

Parenting that is warm, supportive, and consistent has been linked to better health outcomes in offspring throughout the lifespan. Functioning of the child’s autonomic nervous system may partially mediate this association. Specifically, a parent’s positive socialization efforts may lead to the development of neural-physiological systems of stress and affect regulation that are more flexible and moderate, which subsequently lead to better health outcomes. The following research used a diverse array of data and methods to investigate the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the relation between parenting and offspring health and health-related outcomes. In Study 1, data from a large sample of 1,255 adults were used to test longitudinal associations between retrospective reports of parental warmth experienced during childhood, resting heart rate variability (HRV) in midlife, and health outcomes measured nine years later. Results revealed that resting HRV mediated the association between warmer parenting and better cardiovascular health, such that warmer parenting predicted higher resting HRV, which in turn predicted lower odds of having a cardiovascular disorder. In Study 2, associations between cardiac autonomic balance (CAB) and changes in inflammatory cytokines during challenge were assessed among children ages 9-11 years old. Children with lower resting CAB, reflecting relatively lower parasympathetic and higher sympathetic modulation of the heart, tended to exhibit greater acute increases in inflammatory markers in the laboratory, compared to children with higher resting CAB. In study 3, the strength of the association between parenting and offspring ANS activity was estimated using meta-analytic techniques. Results from this study revealed non-significant pooled correlations between parenting and multiple measures of the ANS. However, several significant moderators emerged, suggesting that aspects of both (1) the study design (e.g., experimental vs. correlational study, child-reported versus parent-reported measures of parenting) and (2) the participant sample (e.g., clinical vs. non-clinical) can lead to stronger associations between parenting and child ANS physiology. Specifically, the positive association between more positive parenting and resting PNS activity was stronger when a study was experimental, when the sample included children with a clinical condition, and when parenting was reported by the child. In sum, these studies provide evidence for the role of the ANS in the link between parenting and health and further suggest that parenting may be more strongly associated with child ANS activity under certain conditions. Finally, inflammation may play a role in understanding links between ANS physiology and health outcomes