The association between parental meta-emotion philosophy and adolescent’s behavior problem: The moderating role of vagus

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1041.2020.00971

Abstract

Abstract:

Emotional and behavior problems, including anxiety, depression, withdrawal, and attack commonly occur among adolescents. The perceptiveness and attitude of parents to their children’s emotional reaction, which is defined as the parental meta-emotion philosophy (PMEP), can affect the regulation of children’s emotional and behavior problems. These influences are also distinct as the individual physiological factors. However, several questions are still understudied. Previous studies ignored the effect of father’s meta-emotional philosophy on individual behavior problems. Domestic studies paid close attention to the preschool or school-age children other than to the adolescent group. No conclusion was drawn on the relationship between parental emotional coaching and the externalizing problems of adolescents. Whether the relationship was affected by other regulatory factors needs further analysis. The role of PMEP, on the other hand, may also vary in different cultures. In the current study, we attempt to explore the relationship between the PMEP and adolescents’ behavior problems and investigate the influence of adolescents’ vagus nerve function on this relationship.
224 adolescents aged from 12 to14 recruited from a middle school of Yinchuan and their parents were selected in the current study. The MP150 (16 channels) physiological multi-channel apparatus was first used to record adolescents’ breathing and heart rate during the resting period and the mental arithmetic period. The baseline vagal tone and vagal withdrawal in task period were then calculated. Participants and their parents were asked to fill in questionnaires to measure the behavior problems of adolescents and the PMEP after the physiological measurement. The physiological data were analyzed off-line using Acqknowledge software (version-4.3), and the physiological data and questionnaire data were imported into SPSS 20.0 for statistical analysis.
Results and conclusions were as follows: (1) PMEP can predict adolescents’ behavior problems: the more emotion coaching mothers have, the less internalizing and externalizing problems adolescents have; the more emotion dysfunction mothers have, the more internalizing and externalizing problems adolescents have; the more emotion non-involvement mothers have, the more externalizing problems adolescent have. In addition, the more emotion coaching fathers have, the less internalizing problems adolescents have; the more emotion dysfunction fathers have, the more externalizing problems adolescents have. (2) PMEP in adolescents’ problem behaviors is regulated by the vagus nerve: when adolescent’s vagal tone was low, the more emotion non-involvement the mothers have, the more externalizing problems adolescents have; when adolescent’s vagal withdrawal was low, the more emotion dysfunction mothers have, the more internalizing and externalizing problems of adolescents. In addition, the more emotion dysfunction fathers have, the more externalizing problems adolescents have.
In summary, the rise of individual behavior problems is not only due to the effect of a single factor but also due to the result of the interaction between the outside and individual factors. It is suggested that we should investigate the occurrence and development of individual behavior problems from the multiple perspectives of physical, psychological, and social factors.

Key words: Parental meta-emotion philosophy, vagal function, problem behavior

HE Xiaoli, YUAN Xiaolong, HU Ming, ZHOU Lichen. (2020). The association between parental meta-emotion philosophy and adolescent’s behavior problem: The moderating role of vagus. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 52(8), 971-981.

Figures/Tables 9

References 45

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Parental meta-emotion philosophy	M ± SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1. Maternal emotion coaching	65.46 ± 12.80	1
2. Maternal emotion noninvolvement	37.00 ± 8.95	-0.17*	1
3. Maternal emotion dismissing	24.49 ± 5.31	-0.31***	0.24***	1
4. Maternal emotion dysfunction	26.99 ± 8.69	-0.33***	0.25***	0.47***	1
5. Paternal emotion coaching	62.36 ± 10.96	0.32***	-0.12	-0.11	-0.11	1
6. Paternal emotion noninvolvement	36.53 ± 8.86	-0.25***	0.33***	0.37***	0.29***	-0.30***	1
7. Paternal emotion dismissing	24.78 ± 5.51	-0.20**	0.20**	0.58***	0.29***	-0.22**	0.46***	1
8. Paternal emotion dysfunction	24.84 ± 7.51	-0.14*	0.23***	0.21**	0.46***	-0.22***	0.38***	0.28***	1
9. Internalizing problem behaviors	12.25 ± 6.34	-0.23***	0.07	0.08	0.25***	-0.16*	0.04	0.06	0.07	1
10. Externalizing problem behavior	8.23 ± 4.53	-0.19**	0.21**	0.04	0.22**	-0.09	0.07	0.10	0.21**	0.51***	1
11. Baseline RSA	8.04 ± 1.03	-0.13	-0.01	0.004	0.03	0.09	-0.05	-0.11	-0.11	-0.04	-0.15*	1
12. RSA Withdrawal	0.35 ± 0.61	-0.03	0.001	0.05	0.09	-0.01	0.07	-0.02	0.09	-0.05	-0.15*	0.13*

Parental meta-emotion philosophy	M ± SD	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
1. Maternal emotion coaching	65.46 ± 12.80	1
2. Maternal emotion noninvolvement	37.00 ± 8.95	-0.17*	1
3. Maternal emotion dismissing	24.49 ± 5.31	-0.31***	0.24***	1
4. Maternal emotion dysfunction	26.99 ± 8.69	-0.33***	0.25***	0.47***	1
5. Paternal emotion coaching	62.36 ± 10.96	0.32***	-0.12	-0.11	-0.11	1
6. Paternal emotion noninvolvement	36.53 ± 8.86	-0.25***	0.33***	0.37***	0.29***	-0.30***	1
7. Paternal emotion dismissing	24.78 ± 5.51	-0.20**	0.20**	0.58***	0.29***	-0.22**	0.46***	1
8. Paternal emotion dysfunction	24.84 ± 7.51	-0.14*	0.23***	0.21**	0.46***	-0.22***	0.38***	0.28***	1
9. Internalizing problem behaviors	12.25 ± 6.34	-0.23***	0.07	0.08	0.25***	-0.16*	0.04	0.06	0.07	1
10. Externalizing problem behavior	8.23 ± 4.53	-0.19**	0.21**	0.04	0.22**	-0.09	0.07	0.10	0.21**	0.51***	1
11. Baseline RSA	8.04 ± 1.03	-0.13	-0.01	0.004	0.03	0.09	-0.05	-0.11	-0.11	-0.04	-0.15*	1
12. RSA Withdrawal	0.35 ± 0.61	-0.03	0.001	0.05	0.09	-0.01	0.07	-0.02	0.09	-0.05	-0.15*	0.13*

Dependent variable	Steps	Independent variables	R²	ΔR²	F	β	t
Internalizing problem behavior	Step one	Sex				-0.15	-2.31*
		Age	0.02	0.02	2.76	-0.02	-0.31
	Step two	Emotion coaching				-0.16	-2.37*
		Emotion dysfunction				0.20	2.89**
		Baseline RSA	0.11	0.09	5.38***	-0.05	-0.77
	Step three	Emotion coaching × Baseline RSA				0.02	0.23
		Emotion dysfunction × Baseline RSA	0.11	0.001	3.84***	-0.02	-0.26
Externalizing problem behavior	Step one	Sex				0.13	2.01*
		Age	0.02	0.02	2.04	0.004	0.06
	Step two	Emotion coaching				-0.16	-2.34*
		Emotion noninvolvement				0.13	1.98*
		Emotion dysfunction				0.14	2.02*
		Baseline RSA	0.14	0.12	5.65***	-0.18	-2.87**
	Step three	Emotion coaching × Baseline RSA				0.06	0.85
		Emotion noninvolvement × Baseline RSA				-0.15	-2.26*
		Emotion dysfunction × Baseline RSA	0.16	0.02	4.49**	0.06	0.80

Dependent variable	Steps	Independent variables	R²	ΔR²	F	β	t
Internalizing problem behavior	Step one	Sex				-0.15	-2.31*
		Age	0.02	0.02	2.76	-0.02	-0.31
	Step two	Emotion coaching				-0.16	-2.37*
		Emotion dysfunction				0.20	2.89**
		Baseline RSA	0.11	0.09	5.38***	-0.05	-0.77
	Step three	Emotion coaching × Baseline RSA				0.02	0.23
		Emotion dysfunction × Baseline RSA	0.11	0.001	3.84***	-0.02	-0.26
Externalizing problem behavior	Step one	Sex				0.13	2.01*
		Age	0.02	0.02	2.04	0.004	0.06
	Step two	Emotion coaching				-0.16	-2.34*
		Emotion noninvolvement				0.13	1.98*
		Emotion dysfunction				0.14	2.02*
		Baseline RSA	0.14	0.12	5.65***	-0.18	-2.87**
	Step three	Emotion coaching × Baseline RSA				0.06	0.85
		Emotion noninvolvement × Baseline RSA				-0.15	-2.26*
		Emotion dysfunction × Baseline RSA	0.16	0.02	4.49**	0.06	0.80

Dependent variable	Steps	Independent variables	R²	ΔR²	F	β	t
Internalizing problem behavior	Step one	Sex				-0.15	-2.31*
		Age	0.02	0.02	2.76	-0.02	-0.31
	Step two	Emotion coaching				-0.14	-2.09*
		Baseline RSA	0.04	0.02	2.51*	-0.01	-0.14
	Step three	Emotion coaching × Baseline RSA	0.05	0.01	2.30*	0.08	1.20
Externalizing problem behavior	Step one	Sex				0.13	2.01*
		Age	0.02	0.02	2.04	0.004	0.06
	Step two	Emotion dysfunction				0.18	2.80**
		Baseline RSA	0.08	0.06	4.53**	-0.14	-2.11*
	Step three	Emotion dysfunction × Baseline RSA	0.08	0.01	3.97**	0.08	1.29