The Impact of Affective Touch on Physiological Self-Regulation among Preschool-Age Children: The Influence of Emotional Context and Effortful Control
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| Title: | The Impact of Affective Touch on Physiological Self-Regulation among Preschool-Age Children: The Influence of Emotional Context and Effortful Control |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Letizia Della Longa (ORCID |
| Source: | International Journal of Behavioral Development. 2026 50(2):200-212. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Preschool Children, Stimuli, Tactual Perception, Physiology, Self Control, Emotional Response, Affective Behavior, Visual Stimuli, Cartoons, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | Italy |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01650254251324157 |
| ISSN: | 0165-0254 1464-0651 |
| Abstract: | The preschool period marks a crucial transition from a regulatory environment primarily governed by parents to children's emerging capacity for autonomous control over their behavior and emotions. Affective touch, mediated by activation of C-tactile afferents may play a pivotal role in facilitating this transition by supporting physiological vagal activity, which eventually becomes integrated into processes of emotional and behavioral self-regulation. This study aims to investigate whether affective touch modulates heart rate variability (HRV), an index of vagal activity associated with autonomic regulation, among young children (N = 68, age range 3-6 years) following exposure to neutral and emotional (crying scene) cartoons. The results unveiled a more pronounced increase of HRV during tactile stimulation in children experiencing affective touch compared with those exposed to nonaffective touch across both neutral and emotionally salient conditions. This suggests that affective touch may enhance autonomic vagal activity. Furthermore, temperamental traits were found to modulate this effect: children with lower scores of effortful control exhibited a greater increase in HRV during affective touch stimulation, indicating that affective touch may be particularly beneficial for children who struggle to regulate their behaviors and emotions in everyday activities. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1500110 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The preschool period marks a crucial transition from a regulatory environment primarily governed by parents to children's emerging capacity for autonomous control over their behavior and emotions. Affective touch, mediated by activation of C-tactile afferents may play a pivotal role in facilitating this transition by supporting physiological vagal activity, which eventually becomes integrated into processes of emotional and behavioral self-regulation. This study aims to investigate whether affective touch modulates heart rate variability (HRV), an index of vagal activity associated with autonomic regulation, among young children (N = 68, age range 3-6 years) following exposure to neutral and emotional (crying scene) cartoons. The results unveiled a more pronounced increase of HRV during tactile stimulation in children experiencing affective touch compared with those exposed to nonaffective touch across both neutral and emotionally salient conditions. This suggests that affective touch may enhance autonomic vagal activity. Furthermore, temperamental traits were found to modulate this effect: children with lower scores of effortful control exhibited a greater increase in HRV during affective touch stimulation, indicating that affective touch may be particularly beneficial for children who struggle to regulate their behaviors and emotions in everyday activities. |
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| ISSN: | 0165-0254 1464-0651 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/01650254251324157 |
