ECPN Student Poster Contestant: Adapting to “ADAPT”: Vagal Flexibility Predicts Military Fathers’ Changes in Parenting Following a Parent Training Program

Introduction: Approximately 2 million American children have been affected by parental deployment, warranting research on prevention programs for military families. The ADAPT (After Deployment Adaptive Parenting Tools) parenting intervention has been developed and tested for this population, with intervention effects on parenting and child outcomes. Findings have indicated some differential response to the program by gender; the current study aims to further elucidate fathers’ responsiveness. Given the linkage between emotion regulation and parenting, we examined whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity would moderate fathers’ responsivity to ADAPT at 1 year follow-up, whereby RSA reactivity was regarded as a physiological correlate of emotion regulation, according to Polyvagal Theory and existing empirical studies.

Methods: Male service members (N = 148; M age = 37.48, 90% White) who had been deployed to combat zones and their families were randomized into the 14-week ADAPT intervention or control group. At baseline, fathers’ cardiac activity was recorded during a neutral and conflict resolution family interaction task (4-5 min each). RSA indices were computed as the normalized unit of high frequency (0.15~0.40Hz) spectral powers. RSA reactivity was operationalized as the difference of the two indices (RSA[neutral] – RSA[conflict]); higher RSA reactivity indicates greater parasympathetic functioning during emotional challenges. At both baseline and 1 year follow-up, behaviors during family interaction tasks were video-taped and rated on parenting behavior categories including problem-solving, positive involvement, harsh discipline, encouragement, and monitoring. Structural equation modeling was used for moderation analysis.

Results: Fathers’ RSA reactivity was normally distributed (M = 5.17, SD = 14.55, Range: [-37.32, 47.02]). Our measurement model consisting of two latent constructs (parenting at baseline and 1 year) showed good fit to the data: χ2 (29) = 40.27, p > .05, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .06. Parenting at follow-up was regressed on intent-to-treat (ADAPT=1, control = 0), mean-centered RSA reactivity, interaction (intent-to-treat*RSAreactivity), baseline parenting, child sex and age, and fathers’ deployment times and length. This structural model fit the data well, χ2 (85) = 102.7, p > .05, CFI = .95, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .06. We found a significant moderation effect, B = 0.01, β = 0.38, p < .01. Fathers with higher RSA reactivity (at least 0.65 SD above the M) had more improved parenting at 1-year compared to those with lower RSA reactivity.

Conclusions: This study represents the first evidence showing that RSA reactivity is a moderator of post-deployed fathers’ responsivity to a parenting intervention. The findings have important implications for personalized intervention practices.