Two-brain perspective on family dynamics; Complementarity in mother-child and father-child interbrain synchrony
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Family units provide the context for the evolution of mammalian fathering, and paternal caregiving is highly sensitive to maternal provisions, offspring needs, and family ecology. Here, we utilized a two-brain perspective to examine the codependence of maternal and paternal caregiving. Dual-EEG hyperscanning measured child-mother and child-father interbrain synchrony in high- versus low-stress ecologies. Participants were 77 families comprising mothers, fathers, and children (N=231): 49 had children with anxiety disorders, and 28 healthy controls. In low-stress families, mother-child interbrain synchrony exceeded father-child, but higher father-child neural synchrony was found in high-stress families. For both mother and father, quality of caregiving moderated the degree of neural synchrony with the second parent; when one parent's behavioral sensitivity decreased, neural synchrony with the other parent increased. Results demonstrate interbrain mechanisms of complementarity within families and indicate that human parenting operates within highly responsive family-level dynamics. Our findings have important implications for whole-family interventions.
Source: Research Square
Institutions: Reichman University, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7159869019