Balderrama-Durbin Christina, Wang Binghuang Alex, Barden Eileen, Kennedy Seigie, Ergas Dana, Poole Leanna Zeccola
Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA.
Psychophysiology. 2021 Feb;58(2):e13721. doi: 10.1111/psyp.13721. Epub 2020 Nov 10.
Emotion regulation has important implications for individual and relationship health. Psychophysiological responses, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), can serve as a key indicator of emotion regulation processes subsequent to a stressor and may be the process by which couples confer health benefits. Moreover, partners in romantic relationships can mutually impact physiological states both during times of stress and times of support. The current study examined physiological reactivity through RSA during a laboratory stress-induction (i.e., stressful-film trauma analog) and recovery within the context of a romantic relationship. Sex, relationship health, and individual mental health indicators were examined as moderators of reactivity and recovery. Forty-five (n = 90 individuals) community couples, primarily White (n = 75, 83.3%), heterosexual (n = 63, 70.0%), and dating (n = 67, 74.4%), were examined. Both partners' RSA were measured continuously through a series of baseline tasks, a stressful-film task, and a post-film interaction task. Reactivity and recovery trajectories were moderated by sex, study task (i.e., baseline, film, and post-film), and individual mental health (ps < .05). Repeated-measures actor partner interdependence modeling analyses revealed a strong self-regulatory (i.e., actor) effect across all tasks as well as co-regulation (i.e., partner effects) during the post-film interaction task. Findings provided some evidence of stress transmission to the non-exposed partner. This study offers initial evidence of self- and co-regulation following a laboratory stress-induction and potential predictors and moderations of the set point and stability of these regulatory dynamics. Implications and future directions are discussed.
情绪调节对个体健康和人际关系健康具有重要意义。心理生理反应，如呼吸性窦性心律不齐（RSA），可作为应激源后情绪调节过程的关键指标，可能是伴侣间赋予健康益处的过程。此外，浪漫关系中的伴侣在压力时期和支持时期都能相互影响生理状态。本研究在浪漫关系背景下，通过RSA检测了实验室压力诱导（即应激电影创伤模拟）期间的生理反应性以及恢复情况。将性别、关系健康和个体心理健康指标作为反应性和恢复的调节因素进行了研究。研究了45对（n = 90人）社区情侣，主要为白人（n = 75，83.3%）、异性恋（n = 63，70.0%）和正在约会的情侣（n = 67，74.4%）。通过一系列基线任务、应激电影任务和电影后互动任务，连续测量了双方的RSA。反应性和恢复轨迹受到性别、研究任务（即基线、电影和电影后）和个体心理健康的调节（p < .05）。重复测量的行为者-伴侣相互依赖模型分析显示，在所有任务中都有很强的自我调节（即行为者）效应，以及电影后互动任务期间的共同调节（即伴侣效应）。研究结果提供了一些压力传递给未暴露伴侣的证据。本研究为实验室压力诱导后的自我调节和共同调节以及这些调节动态的设定点和稳定性的潜在预测因素和调节因素提供了初步证据。讨论了研究的意义和未来方向。
