Emotion Regulation and Physiological Reactivity in the Parent-Child Relationship: A Preliminary Study of an Online Attachment-Based Program for Parents of Preadolescents with Behavioral Disorders

Introduction Behavioral disorders have been defined as a “health crisis” of modern times that has a significant impact on the parent-child relationship. In this scenario, the emotional regulation (ER) of each partner plays a central role and serves a protective factor, configuring as an area to intervene. The Connect Parent Group, an attachment-based intervention for parents, has shown evidence of effectiveness. However, its online version (e-Connect) has not yet garnered specific evidence related to emotional and physiological regulation in parents and preadolescents. Objectives This study aimed to explore changes in the short and medium term regarding ER abilities - both self-reported and measured through physiological indices - in parents and preadolescents with behavioral disorders, building upon initial findings from an online parenting intervention. Methods 28 parents (82.1% mothers, 17.9% fathers, M_age = 47.48, SD = 4.73) and their 28 preadolescents with behavioral disorders (M_age = 11.22 years, SD = 2.69, 35.7% girls) were recruited from child neuropsychiatry services in Northern Italy and subsequently took part in the pilot study. They were assessed at three time points: before intervention (T1), one months after the intervention (T2) and at 6-months follow-up (T3). ER were assessed with a multimethod approach: parents and children completed a self-report questionnaire (i.e., Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and How I Feel, respectively) and then they interact during a stress-task in which physiological parameters (i.e., Galvanic Skin Response, GSR; Heart Rate/Beat per Minute, BPM) have been measured. Results Regarding self-reported ER, mixed-effects regression models showed an improvement in parent emotion dysregulation between T1 and T3 (p=0.004), a decrease in preadolescents’ negative emotions (p=.012) between T1 and T2 and a lower emotion intensity in preadolescents between the three-time points (p=.003). Regarding physiological ER, the two overall models of GSR and BPM were not significant for both parents and children. Yet GSR correlations within three-time points were positive and significant for children (T1-T2: r=.58; T1-T3: r=.68) but not for parents, while BPM correlations between T1 and T2 were significant for parents (r=.49) but not for children. Conclusions The online attachment-based parenting program appears to have contributed to a reduction in emotional dysregulation in parents and preadolescents, which seems to persist to some extent in the medium term. The non-significant results at the physiological level may suggest that changes reported by parents and children through self-report questionnaires do not align with changes in the physiological response to interpersonal stress experienced after an online intervention. Clinical and research implications will be discussed. Disclosure of Interest None Declared