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Linkage between Parent-Child Frontal Resting Electroencephalogram (EEG) Asymmetry: The Moderating Role of Emotional Parenting

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Abstract

Frontal resting electroencephalogram (EEG) asymmetry is an important physiological indicator of emotion regulation, positive/negative emotion, and approach/withdrawal tendencies. The present study examined the relationship of parent-child frontal resting EEG asymmetry patterns and explored the potential moderating role of emotional parenting on such a relationship. We recorded the frontal resting EEG asymmetry of thirty-nine children (M age = 8.87 years) and their primary caregivers (M age = 39.41 years) and coded their emotional parenting behaviors (psychological control and psychological unavailability) based on behavioral observations. The results indicated that there was not a direct association between parent-child frontal resting EEG asymmetry but that the relationship was moderated by parental psychological control. Specifically, the resting frontal EEG asymmetry of the parents was negatively associated with the EEG asymmetry of their children only under higher levels of parental psychological control. However, psychological unavailability did not exhibit a moderating effect. Accordingly, our findings highlight the critical but differential role of emotional parenting behaviors with respect to the association between the frontal resting EEG asymmetry of parents and their children.

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Acknowledgements

This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31500898), granted to the third author.

Author Contributions:

HW: designed and executed the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper. XM: collaborated with the design and writing of the study and assisted with data analyses. RH: designed the study, wrote the paper, and edited the final manuscript. YH: assisted with data analyses and paper writing. XL: assisted with data analysis and edited the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education (Beijing Normal University), Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China

    Hui Wang, Zhuo Rachel Han, Yannan Hu & Xuemei Lei

  2. Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China

    Xiaoqin Mai

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  1. Hui Wang
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  2. Xiaoqin Mai
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  3. Zhuo Rachel Han
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Correspondence to Zhuo Rachel Han.

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The study procedures were approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Beijing Normal University.

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Wang, H., Mai, X., Han, Z.R. et al. Linkage between Parent-Child Frontal Resting Electroencephalogram (EEG) Asymmetry: The Moderating Role of Emotional Parenting. J Child Fam Stud 27, 2990–2998 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1121-5

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