Maitland Daniel W M, Lim Chung Xiann, O'Brien William H, Lewis Jacob A, Davis Cambria L
Bowling Green State University, OH, USA.
University of Louisville, KY, USA.
Res Directs Ther Sci. 2023;2(1). doi: 10.53520/rdts2023.10557.
Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) may be a psychophysiological measure that can gauge change processes in psychotherapy. RSA is a cardiovascular marker of nervous system functioning and has been proposed as an index of social engagement. Given the emphasis on social relationships in Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP), RSA may be useful for understanding the process of change in FAP. The current study details the logic of using RSA as a measurement tool and provides data to establish proof of concept.
RSA data were collected from three participants in a multiple baseline experiment which involved a control condition of reading two-person plays and a FAP condition. Sessions were coded using the FAP Rating Scale. RSA was calculated for each session and each client-therapist interaction.
RSA higher during FAP sessions (P1Mean = 6.60, P2Mean = 6.41, P3Mean = 6.32) than the control condition (P1Mean = 6.29, P2Mean = 5.79, P3Mean = 5.96).
Data are consistent with outcomes that might be anticipated during therapy and suggest RSA could improve as a function of treatment. RSA was able to be isolated for therapeutic moves when coded at the turn-by-turn level. Thus, data suggest RSA's utility for measuring therapy processes and outcomes.
呼吸性窦性心律不齐（RSA）可能是一种心理生理测量指标，可用于评估心理治疗中的变化过程。RSA是神经系统功能的心血管标志物，已被提议作为社会参与度的指标。鉴于功能分析心理治疗（FAP）对社会关系的重视，RSA可能有助于理解FAP中的变化过程。本研究详细阐述了使用RSA作为测量工具的逻辑，并提供数据以建立概念验证。
在一项多基线实验中，从三名参与者收集RSA数据，该实验包括阅读双人戏剧的对照条件和FAP条件。使用FAP评定量表对会话进行编码。计算每个会话以及每个客户与治疗师互动的RSA。
FAP会话期间的RSA（P1平均值 = 6.60，P2平均值 = 6.41，P3平均值 = 6.32）高于对照条件（P1平均值 = 6.29，P2平均值 = 5.79，P3平均值 = 5.96）。
数据与治疗期间可能预期的结果一致，表明RSA可能会随着治疗而改善。当在逐轮水平上进行编码时，RSA能够被分离用于治疗动作。因此，数据表明RSA在测量治疗过程和结果方面的效用。
