The aim of this study is to assess whether positive emotional exchanges (i.e., emotion coregulation) within the mother–child dyad play a protective role in children's physiological response to a distressing task. Specifically, we test whether positive emotion coregulation among mothers and their preschool-aged children is associated with children's respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at baseline, during, and following a frustration task. One hundred Singaporean mother–child dyads (M_childage = 3.5 years) participated in a standardized “Laughing Task” in which positive emotional constructs were measured. Children also participated in a frustration task while RSA was continuously monitored. Hierarchical linear regressions revealed that greater maternal positive emotional responses to children were associated with child RSA at baseline and in recovery from frustration, but not during frustration. These findings have implications for the important role that positive emotion responsivity from mothers may play in children's developing autonomic response systems, and underscore the need for longitudinal work on this topic.

中文翻译：

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母亲对儿童的积极情绪表达可预测儿童呼吸性窦性心律失常周围的压力

本研究的目的是评估母子二人组中的积极情绪交流（即情绪共同调节）是否在儿童对令人痛苦的任务的生理反应中起保护作用。具体来说，我们测试了母亲及其学龄前儿童的积极情绪共调节是否与基线、期间和之后的儿童呼吸性窦性心律失常 (RSA) 相关。一百个新加坡母子二人组（M _childage = 3.5 年）参加了一项标准化的“大笑任务”，其中测量了积极的情绪结构。孩子们还参与了一项挫折任务，同时不断监测 RSA。分层线性回归显示，母亲对儿童的积极情绪反应在基线和从挫折中恢复时与儿童 RSA 相关，但在挫折期间不相关。这些发现对母亲的积极情绪反应可能在儿童发展自主反应系统中发挥的重要作用产生了影响，并强调了对该主题进行纵向研究的必要性。