Family cohesion moderates the inverted U-shaped curve between resting RSA and children's empathy.

Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and family cohesion may jointly influence children's empathy. Resting RSA has been found to exhibit an inverted U-shaped relation with empathy, and family cohesion is a psychosocial correlate of children's empathy that may moderate this relation. The present study recruited 182 first-grade children as participants (87 girls, M = 7.02, SD = 0.36). Parents completed questionnaires to assess family cohesion and children's empathy. The SOMNOtouch RESP device was utilized to collect resting electrocardiogram data and calculate resting RSA. The results showed that family cohesion significantly moderated the inverted U-shaped curve between resting RSA and children's empathy. High family cohesion served as a protective factor in mitigating the negative impact of high resting RSA on empathy but could not buffer the negative effect of extremely low resting RSA on empathy among children. The findings suggest a role for high family cohesion in promoting empathy in children with moderate to high resting RSA.