(PS7-50) Sweetening the Bond: Savoring Predicts Greater Parent-Child Synchrony

Abstract Text:

Background: Growing evidence highlights how parent-child synchrony– the coordinated regulation of emotions and behaviors– fosters empathy, secure attachment, and self-regulation for dyads. Some parent-mediated interventions (e.g., parent coaching) have been shown to improve parent-child synchrony through enhancing parental sensitivity to child cues. However, research on parent-level factors that influence synchrony outcomes remains limited. One promising factor is savoring, the deliberate prolonging of positive emotions, which is linked to greater social connectedness and affect regulation. While studies show that savoring promotes mutual positive resonance in adult relationships, its role in parent-child synchrony remains largely unexamined. The present study examines whether baseline savoring predicts parent-child synchrony after participation in Socializing Happiness and Promoting Empathic Joy in Our Youth (SHAPE JOY), a parent-mediated intervention designed to enhance child positive empathy.

Method: Participants (N = 74; Mage = 37.68, SD = 5.17, 94% mothers; 56.76% White, 14.86% Hispanic/Latino/Spanish origin, 12.16% Black/African American, 9.46% Asian/Asian American, 6.76% Multiracial) of 4- to 7-year-old children (Mage = 5.42, SD = .87; 53% male) participated in SHAPE JOY, a six-week, parent-mediated program. Parent-child synchrony was assessed using the Positivity Resonance Scale (PRS; Major et al., 2018), adapted for parent-child interactions, before and after participation in SHAPE JOY. Savoring was measured at baseline. Parents rated mastery of savoring on a 0–100 scale, defined as ability to mindfully attend to, enhance, and prolong positive experiences before, during, and after they occur.

Results: A repeated-measures ANOVA revealed a significant increase in PRS scores from pre- (M = 71.19, SD = 23.66) to post-intervention (M = 80.18, SD = 17.77), F(1, 64) = 13.32, p < .001, partial η² = .172. A hierarchical multiple regression tested whether baseline savoring predicted post-intervention synchrony, controlling for baseline synchrony. In Step 1, baseline synchrony was entered as a predictor and accounted for 32.8% of the variance in post-intervention synchrony (R² = .33, F(1, 61) = 29.78, p < .001). In Step 2, baseline savoring was added as a predictor (β = .27, p = .011) and significantly improved the model (ΔR² = .07, F(2, 60) = 19.73, p < .001), explaining 39.7% of the variance in post-intervention synchrony (R² = .40). Baseline synchrony remained a significant predictor (β = .51, p < .001).

Discussion: Baseline parental savoring significantly predicted greater post-intervention parent-child synchrony, suggesting that parents who naturally prolong positive emotions may feel more in sync with their child, specifically following a parenting intervention aimed at increasing positive empathy. These findings align with positivity resonance theory, which posits that shared positive emotions strengthen social bonds. What remains unknown is whether savoring directly enhances synchrony outcomes or facilitates greater intervention engagement, which in turn improves synchrony. Future research might examine whether savoring influences intervention adherence as a mechanism for synchrony gains.