Autonomic reactivity and psychopathology in middle childhood
The British Journal of PsychiatryPublished 1 August 2001Open access
W. Thomas Boyce, Jodi A. Quas, Abbey Alkon, Nancy A. Smider, Marilyn J. Essex, David J. Kupfer
Citations276
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.47
SNIP2.17
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TL;DR
School-age children with mental health symptoms showed a pattern of autonomic dimorphism in their reactivity to standardised challenges, which may be of use in early identification of children with presyndromal psychopathology.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Better indicators are needed for identifying children with early signs of developmental psychopathology. AIMS: To identify measures of autonomic nervous system reactivity that discriminate children with internalising and externalising behavioural symptoms. METHOD: A cross-sectional study of 122 children aged 6--7 years examined sympathetic and parasympathetic reactivity to standardised field-laboratory stressors as predictors of parent- and teacher-reported mental health symptoms. RESULTS: Measures of autonomic reactivity discriminated between children with internalising behaviour problems, externalising behaviour problems and neither. Internalisers showed high reactivity relative to low-symptom children, principally in the parasympathetic branch, while externalisers showed low reactivity, in both autonomic branches. CONCLUSIONS: School-age children with mental health symptoms showed a pattern of autonomic dimorphism in their reactivity to standardised challenges. This observation may be of use in early identification of children with presyndromal psychopathology.
Keywords
PsychologyNeuroscienceHealth Professions
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