Smartwatch Photoplethysmography Heart Rate Measures Are Associated With Parenting Behaviors in Mothers With Elevated Mental Health Symptoms

Positive and harsh parenting behaviors are implicated in the biopsychosocial development of children. Additionally, maternal parenting behaviors are linked to maternal physiology. Given these associations, the current study explores the link between maternal physiology and parenting behaviors through the novel use of wearable technology in a population of mothers experiencing elevated mental health concerns. This application of wearable technology allowed participants to stay in their natural environment without demand characteristics while data collection occurred. We hypothesized that maternal heart rate, sleep duration, and physical activity derived from wearable technology would be associated with self-report measures of parenting stress, overreactive discipline styles, and supportive parenting behaviors. Using physiological data and self-report measures from 66 maternal participants, linear regressions suggest that heart rate is associated with parenting stress, parental overreactivity, and supportive parenting behaviors. Results extend laboratory findings to a real-world context and speak to the potential of wearable technology in future family and parenting psychological research. What is the significance of this article for the general public?This research demonstrates how wearable technology can be used in psychological research through measuring heart rate, sleep, and physical activity in a sample of mothers experiencing elevated mental health concerns. Findings highlight the association between maternal heart rate and positive parenting strategies. Our novel use of wearable technology to measure mother's physiology provides the groundwork for the continued use of wearable device physiology research in the field of family psychology.