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Thesis (M.Sc.)--Edith Cowan University, 2007. / Submitted to the Faculty of Computing, Health and Science. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-176) Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-176) Also available online.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

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Disruptive behavior problems are among the most commonly occurring forms of childhood psychopathology and show considerable stability beginning in early childhood. Investigations of the biological underpinnings of behavior problems have revealed that the influences of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system on cardiac functions are central to self-regulation. Parasympathetic regulation of heart rate is indexed via respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). Suppression of RSA during challenging emotional and cognitive tasks is associated with better emotional and behavioral functioning in preschoolers. However, the relationship between RSA suppression and preschool social functioning is still unclear. Further, direct relationships between behavior problems and RSA reactivity within command-based play tasks (i.e., child instructed to build 3 towers) with parents and other adults have yet to be examined. The present study experimentally evaluated the relationship between child RSA reactivity and adult (mother vs. staff) commands requiring child compliance during command-based play tasks in children ages 3-8 with and without disruptive behavior disorders (N=43). Child RSA suppression in response to commands was examined as a predictor of child command compliance during experimental play tasks and of general child behavior problems, and was compared across command-based interactions with mothers versus staff. Less RSA suppression in the context of mothers’ play-based commands was associated with more severe behavioral problems (p=.046). In the context of staff play-based commands, more RSA suppression was associated with more severe behavior problems (p=.009), an effect that was significant only among boys (p<.000). Further, greater child RSA suppression predicted greater compliance with mother-given commands (p=.017), but was unrelated to compliance with staff-given commands. The relationship between child RSA suppression and compliance with mother-given commands was moderated by child age, such that the effect of RSA suppression on child compliance was stronger for younger children than older children. Findings suggest that RSA reactivity to social demands, and the functional association between RSA suppression and behavioral compliance, vary by social context (i.e., mother vs. other adult command-givers) and identify child factors (i.e., age, gender) that influence these associations. This work may inform efforts to identify a biomarker of early childhood behavior problems.

abstract: This study examines the relations among three aspects of temperament (shyness, impulsivity, and effortful control), resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) recorded during a calming film and RSA suppression during three behavioral measures of effortful control, and adjustment (anxiety and externalizing behavior) in a sample of 101 preschool-age children. Principal components analysis was used to create composites for effortful control, shyness, impulsivity, anxiety, and externalizing behavior, and hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. As expected, baseline RSA was negatively related to effortful control in shy children, but was unrelated to effortful control in children who were not shy. It was hypothesized that high baseline RSA would reduce the relation between shyness and anxiety, and between impulsivity and externalizing behavior; this hypothesis was supported for externalizing behavior, but not for anxiety. The interaction between impulsivity and RSA as a predictor of externalizing was statistically independent of effortful control, indicating that these are unique effects. Finally, it was hypothesized that RSA suppression would be positively related to effortful control for children low, but not high, in shyness. There was a marginal interaction between shyness and RSA suppression, with RSA suppression marginally negatively related to EC for children low in shyness, but unrelated to effortful control for children high in shyness; the direction of this association was opposite predictions. These findings indicate that RSA is more strongly related to effortful control for children high in shyness, and that it consequently may not be appropriate to use RSA as an index of EC for all children. This study also draws attention to the need to consider the context in which baseline RSA is measured because a true baseline may not be obtained for shy children if RSA is measured in an unfamiliar laboratory context. The finding that high RSA moderated (but did not eliminate) the relation between impulsivity and externalizing behavior is consistent with the conceptualization of RSA as a measure of self-regulation, but further research is needed to clarify the mechanism underlying this effect. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Psychology 2012

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) likely involves fundamental alterations in self-regulation. These problems typically have been viewed as involving disruptions in the regulation of cognition and behavior. However, they also have been hypothesized to involve disruptions in emotion regulation. If so, parenting behaviors may take on renewed importance in ADHD, because parents play an essential role in children developing the ability to regulate their emotions independently. Three studies examined the association between emotion regulation and ADHD. Study 1 examined autonomic nervous system functioning during the experience and regulation of both positive and negative emotions. Study 2 examined coherence among autonomic and behavioral emotional systems. Finally, Study 3 examined the roles of parenting behavior, parental expressed emotion, and child autonomic nervous system functioning. In Studies 1 and 2, participants with ADHD and typically developing youth aged 7 to 11 years old completed an emotion induction and suppression procedure. For Study 3, participants completed a parent-child interaction task coded for parental behavior, and parents completed a five-minute speech sample coded for expressed emotion. Electrocardiogram and impedance cardiography were monitored for children across all three studies. The following results were notable. In Study 1, children with ADHD showed atypical autonomic inflexibility (i.e., elevated parasympathetic and sympathetic responding across task conditions). Additionally, children with ADHD were divided according to levels of prosocial behavior. Unlike other children with ADHD, children with very low levels of prosocial behavior displayed blunted autonomic activity across task conditions. In Study 2, specific patterns of reduced coherence among emotion regulatory systems (i.e., facial affective behavior and autonomic nervous system reactivity) were observed among children with ADHD. Finally, in Study 3, high levels of parental expressed emotion were associated uniquely with ADHD, even after controlling for comorbid symptoms. In contrast, parental intrusiveness was associated uniquely with child oppositional defiant and low prosocial behavior, even after controlling for ADHD symptoms. Furthermore, specific, different patterns of autonomic reactivity during the parent-child interaction were associated with ADHD and oppositional defiant behaviors. Across these studies, it is concluded that intrinsic and extrinsic emotion and emotion regulatory systems are disrupted among children with ADHD.

The aim of the presented thesis is to map the influence of heart arrhythmia on patients´ lives and the possibility of using the conceptual model by Imogen King into the nursing care at the patient with arrhythmia. The set goals were accomplished on the basis of the empirical research which was processed by both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The first part of the research was performed by the quantitative method of collecting data from the survey. The aim of this survey was to map the quality of life of patients with the heart arrhythmia. The second part of the research was performed by the qualitative method of collecting data from the interview with the patient. Total of 127 of valid questionnaires were evaluated for the quantitative part of the research and 20 interviews with the patients with heart arrhythmia were performed for the qualitative part of the research. Based on the qualitative research was found out that the most significant symptom of arrhythmia is fast or irregular heartbeat, usually causing faintness, anxiety and uneasiness. The patients with arrhythmia are mostly limited during physical activities. There have not been found out any statistically significant differences between the persistence of arrhythmia and the health condition and the quality of life of the patient. That means that the persistence of arrhythmia in the researched group of patients does not influence the health condition and the life quality of the patients who took part in the survey ASTA. There was also monitored the relation between uneasiness (anxiety) and selected indicators (how the patients are able to work or study, concentrate or do physical activity). In this case were proven statistically significant differences. The qualitative research complemented the qualitative data. The quality of lives of the respondents was evaluated according to Imogen´s King conceptual framework and the responses of the respondents were ordered according to the framework system: personality system, interpersonal system and social system. As emerged from the responses of the respondents, the most negatively perceived symptom of arrhythmia is palpitation which causes anxiety, uneasiness and leads to sleeping disorders and lower physical activity. In contrast to the restrictions that have to be taken up in connection with the heart arrhythmia are only temporary and do not influence interpersonal and social relationships. The thesis brings a complex view of the problematics of the life quality of patients suffering from arrhythmia when this is not only a medical problem but it also influences patient´s mental and social well-being. The very important element which influences the successful cooperation of the arrhythmia patient and the doctor is the nurse who thanks to the emphatic attitude helps to build the faith in the good results of the medication - recovery and keeping the life quality. Using the conceptual framework in nursing, specifically during the treatment of arrhythmia patients helps to provide individualized nursing care and achieving improvement of the quality of the care provided and also the patient´s satisfaction.