THE ROLE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM IN EARLY LIFE STRESS AND INTERNALIZING SYMPTOMS

Early life stress exposure has significant deleterious psychological effects that can put youth at risk for internalizing problems such as anxiety and depression. In this study, we examined how early life stress shapes physiological correlates of emotional and stress regulation, as predictors of increased depression and anxiety risk in early childhood. Data were drawn from a preliminary sample of preschool-aged children, between 4 to 6 years of age. In a laboratory session, parents reported on several domains of early life stressors: family income, lack of family resources, lack of family support, and exposure to domestic violence. Children participated in an emotional induction task, where autonomic nervous system (ANS) variability was assessed. Parents also reported on child internalizing symptoms. Results indicated that among risk factors, lack of family resources and exposure to domestic violence, were associated with heart rate (HR) reactivity to sad and scary emotional stimuli. Results also supported links between RSA and HR reactivity to sad emotional stimuli and risk for depression symptoms in early childhood. In summary, findings suggest that early life stress may increase physiological reactivity to negative stimuli, and this may be a predictor internalizing symptoms risk. This study emphasizes the importance of studying these constructs in highly diverse samples to further the understanding of ANS activity with emotion dysregulation.