The Moderating and Mediating Influence of Resting Heart Rate in the Intergenerational Transmission of Antisocial Behavior

Abstract Parental antisocial behavior (ASB) is a risk factor for ASB in the next generation. While social and environmental mechanisms contribute to this relationship, research also supports the influence of genetic components. A low resting heart rate (RHR) is moderately heritable and a well-established risk factor that may contribute to the intergenerational transmission of ASB. However, research investigating this relationship is limited. The overarching aim of the current study was to examine the influence of RHR in the intergenerational transmission of ASB from parent to child. Three minutes of RHR was collected on 129 girls and boys at age 9–10 years, alongside maternal ASB. At the age of 14–15 years, data on offspring ASB were collected using the externalizing scale of the Youth Self-Report. Results showed that maternal ASB predicted offspring ASB (B = 2.36, β = 0.36, t = 4.28, p < .001). However, offspring RHR did not mediate or moderate this relationship. Findings indicate that RHR is not a biological marker of risk in the intergenerational transmission of ASB in this community sample, although the results may be influenced by low statistical power.