Laut einer Studie mit 80 Paaren beeinträchtigt Stress bei der Erziehung von Kindern mit Verhaltensproblemen die Selbstregulierungsfähigkeit der Eltern, was insbesondere bei Vätern angesichts von Spannungen in der Ehe zu spüren ist

>The study, published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology, examined 80 cohabitating heterosexual couples with preschool-aged children. In a lab session, the parents were fitted with electrocardiogram monitors (ECGs) that recorded their heart activity. Over the course of the session, they completed a checklist that assessed their child’s behavioural problems and discussed the challenges their child’s behaviour presented to their marriage.
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>The parents were also tasked with keeping a marriage diary and recording negative marital interactions over a six-day period.
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>The researchers paid particular attention to the effect of children’s behaviours and marital stressors on high frequency heart rate variability (HRV) — very small fluctuations in the intervals between heartbeats.
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>Contrary to popular belief, these small fluctuations are desirable, as they indicate that the body is ready to react quickly in response to challenges. High frequency heart rate variability is influenced by the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s “rest and digest system,” promoting calmness and recovery. It acts as a counterbalance to the sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” response, activated in response to stress.
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>“Higher heart rate variability indicates that the individual is better able to self-regulate to respond adaptively to stressors. It has been associated with several beneficial outcomes, such as lower depression, better coping with stress, better self-control and less negative interaction cycles with children,” says lead author Sasha MacNeil, a former Vanier Scholar (PhD 2023) and now a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University.

[Child and marital stress are associated with a psychophysiological index of self-regulatory capacities among parents of preschool children – ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167876025007470?via%3Dihub)