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Li M, Xu T, Li M, Qiu L, He F, Lan Q, Zhang L, Wang L. Negative family expressiveness and adolescents' externalizing problems: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a moderator and anger regulation as a mediator. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39092856 DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Family environment, emotion regulation and biological sensitivity have been shown to be associated with adolescents' externalizing problem behaviours. However, findings regarding respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity are mixed and sometimes contradictory. This study aims to clarify the roles of RSA reactivity and anger regulation in the relationship between negative family expressiveness (NFE) and adolescents' externalizing behaviour by measuring RSA reactivity during the Parent-Adolescent Interaction Task (PAIT), designed to simulate a naturalistic negative family environment. In this study, 125 Chinese adolescents (M = 13.95 years, SD = 0.95; 48% male) completed questionnaires assessing negative family expressiveness, anger regulation and externalizing problems. Additionally, we collected electrocardiogram and respiration data during both the resting period and a 10-min PAIT. Results showed that anger regulation mediated the relationship between NFE and externalizing problem behaviours. Moreover, adolescents' RSA reactivity moderated this mediation effect, even after controlling for baseline RSA. Greater RSA suppression potentially indicated greater susceptibility, with the relationship between NFE and anger regulation being more pronounced in adolescents with greater RSA suppression compared to those with lesser RSA suppression. These findings highlight the importance of considering physiological systems, especially within the context of adverse family environments, when studying the relationships with externalizing problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Li
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Social Science Laboratory of Students' Mental Development and Learning, Tianjin, China
| | - Tong Xu
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Min Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
| | - Lirong Qiu
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Fengjiao He
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qili Lan
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Linlin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Li Wang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Science and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Wei Z, Yan C, Cui L, Zhao X, Liu L. Physiological Responses during Parental Conflicts as Potential Biomarkers for Adolescent Depression. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 10:1195. [PMID: 37508692 PMCID: PMC10378688 DOI: 10.3390/children10071195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Adolescents are a vulnerable population with a high prevalence of depression, yet there is a scarcity of biological markers for diagnosing depression specifically in this age group. In this case-control study, we examined physiological responses and facial expressions in adolescents with depression compared to healthy controls during parental conflict to identify potential biomarkers for adolescent depression. We recruited 33 families with adolescents diagnosed with depression and 25 families with healthy adolescents, matched for gender, age, and education. Baseline physiological measures, including electrocardiography (ECG), electrodermal activity (EDA), and respiration (RESP). During a 30 min parental conflict discussion, recorded on video, we analyzed the adolescents' responses. The major depressive disorder (MDD) group displayed higher baseline heart rate (HR) and lower respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA). During the conflict discussion, they showed increased HR and shorter tonic periods of EDA compared to the healthy group. Facial expressions of both groups included neutral, sad, angry, and surprised. The MDD group exhibited fewer happy expressions. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that HR, interbeat interval (IBI), average NN interval (AVNN), number of NN50 intervals (NN50), and percentage of NN50 intervals (pNN50) had diagnostic potential for adolescent depression, with an area under the curve (AUC) greater than 0.7. Our findings suggest that adolescents with depression experience heightened sympathetic activation (higher HR) and weakened parasympathetic activity (lower RSA and HRV). These biomarkers hold promise for diagnosing adolescent depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zegao Wei
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Chao Yan
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Lixian Cui
- Division of Arts and Sciences, Center for Global Health Equity, NYU Shanghai, Shanghai 200124, China
| | - Xudong Zhao
- Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Liang Liu
- Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Pudong New Area Mental Health Center, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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Buchmann A, Ritter C, Müller ST, Haynes M, Ghisleni C, Tuura R, Hasler G. Associations between heart rate variability, peripheral inflammatory markers and major depressive disorder. J Affect Disord 2022; 304:93-101. [PMID: 35196535 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Measures for the irregularity of the heartbeat, for example respiratory sinus arrhythmia, have been implicated as a measure for restorative functions of the vegetative nervous system. METHODS In the current observational study, we investigated 265 subjects, 70 of whom had a lifetime history of major depression, with a plethysmographic heartbeat monitor, blood sampling, as well as a range of psychiatric questionnaires. RESULTS Subjects with a history of MDE had significantly reduced respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as compared to never-depressed controls; in the whole sample, higher RSA went with lower anxiety/fear variables, especially in subscores related to cardiac symptoms as well as being afraid of dying. A reduced RSA was also associated with an increased concentration of cytokines (TNFa, IL1a, IL6, IFNg) and thyroid-stimulating hormone in the serum, pointing to a possible triangular relationship between immune system, vegetative nervous system, and emotional dysregulation. LIMITATIONS We used a plethysmographic device for the measurement of heartbeat instead of an electrocardiogram, and had a single time point only. CONCLUSIONS This data corroborate the idea that a disequilibrium of the vegetative nervous, especially if accompanied by a dysregulation system in immune function, can increase the risk for depression. Conversely, vagal stimulation and anti-inflammatory treatments may support the treatment with antidepressants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Buchmann
- Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland; Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Cardinal-Journet 3, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne, Fribourg, Switzerland; Center of MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Christopher Ritter
- Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland; Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Cardinal-Journet 3, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne, Fribourg, Switzerland; Center of MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Theresia Müller
- Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland
| | - Melanie Haynes
- Psychiatric University Hospital, University of Bern, Bolligenstrasse 111, 3000 Bern 60, Switzerland
| | - Carmen Ghisleni
- Center of MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ruth Tuura
- Center of MR-Research, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Steinwiesstrasse 75, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gregor Hasler
- Unit of Psychiatry Research, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Cardinal-Journet 3, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne, Fribourg, Switzerland
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Psychopathy, the Four Facet Model, and Fearlessness: Testing Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous System Reactivity in a Late Adolescent Sample. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10862-021-09948-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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da Estrela C, MacNeil S, Gouin JP. Heart rate variability moderates the between- and within-person associations between daily stress and negative affect. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 162:79-85. [PMID: 33556470 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Stress exposure increases risk for depressive symptoms. However, there are substantial individual differences in affective responses to stress. High-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV), a marker of vagally-mediated parasympathetic activity, has been conceptualized as a psychophysiological index of emotion regulation that may moderate individuals' responses to stress. Using a daily diary design, we tested whether individual differences in resting HF-HRV moderated the association between daily child-related stress and negative affect among a sample of 84 heterosexual couples with preschool-aged children. After controlling for participants' age, gender, socioeconomic status, employment status, and ethnicity, hierarchical linear modeling revealed that resting HF-HRV moderated both the between-person and within-person associations between self-reported child-related stress and daily negative affect. Between-person analyses indicated that the strength of the positive association between mean daily child stress and negative affect across the daily diary period increased with decreasing resting HF-HRV. Similarly, within-person analyses indicated that on days when participants reported more child-related stress than usual, the magnitude of the increase in negative affect on that day was inversely related to resting HF-HRV. Taken together, these findings suggest that lower resting HF-HRV may index vulnerability to stress-related disturbances in negative affect. This increased negative affective response to daily stress may be one pathway through which individuals with lower resting HF-HRV are at increased risk for depressive symptoms over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea da Estrela
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada; Center for Clinical Research in Health, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Sasha MacNeil
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada; Center for Clinical Research in Health, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada
| | - Jean-Philippe Gouin
- Department of Psychology, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada; Center for Clinical Research in Health, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada; PERFORM Center, Concordia University, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montréal H4B 1R6, Canada.
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Smith TW, Deits‐Lebehn C, Williams PG, Baucom BRW, Uchino BN. Toward a social psychophysiology of vagally mediated heart rate variability: Concepts and methods in self‐regulation, emotion, and interpersonal processes. SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Bert N. Uchino
- Department of PsychologyUniversity of Utah Salt Lake City Utah
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Fanning J, Silfer JL, Liu H, Gauvin L, Heilman KJ, Porges SW, Rejeski WJ. Relationships between respiratory sinus arrhythmia and stress in college students. J Behav Med 2019; 43:308-317. [PMID: 31606843 DOI: 10.1007/s10865-019-00103-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between university students' respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) profiles and both retrospective and momentary ratings of stress. Participants were undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory health science course (N = 64). Participants provided RSA data at rest (tonic) and following an orthostatic challenge (phasic), completed the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and completed 6 daily ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of stress for 1 week. Higher tonic RSA was associated with lower perceived stress assessed via PSS and average EMA responses. Those with higher tonic RSA did not differ in their experience of stress across the week, whereas those with lower tonic RSA experienced increased stress across the week, and these trajectories varied as a function of phasic responses. These findings suggest a need for greater emphasis on behavioral strategies for maintaining and enhancing autonomic nervous system health among college students.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Fanning
- Department of Internal Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, 1 Medical Center Blvd, Winston-Salem, NC, 27103, USA. .,Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Wake Forest University, Worrell Professional Center 2164B, PO Box 7868, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA.
| | - J L Silfer
- Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Wake Forest University, Worrell Professional Center 2164B, PO Box 7868, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - H Liu
- Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Wake Forest University, Worrell Professional Center 2164B, PO Box 7868, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
| | - L Gauvin
- Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l, Université de Montréal (CRCHUM) and Département de médecine sociale et préventive, École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - K J Heilman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA
| | - S W Porges
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 101 Manning Dr., Chapel Hill, NC, 27514, USA.,Traumatic Stress Research Consortium, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Lindley Hall, 150 S Woodlawn Avenue, Bloomington, IN, 47405-7104, USA
| | - W J Rejeski
- Department of Health and Exercise Sciences, Wake Forest University, Worrell Professional Center 2164B, PO Box 7868, Winston-Salem, NC, 27109, USA
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Thomson ND, Beauchaine TP. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Mediates Links Between Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms and Both Aggressive and Violent Behavior. J Pers Disord 2019; 33:544-559. [PMID: 30307825 DOI: 10.1521/pedi_2018_32_358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Although emotion dysregulation (ED) is a core symptom of borderline personality disorder (BPD), tests of associations between ED and aggression and violence-which are common to BPD-are sparse. The authors evaluated mediating effects of an autonomic vulnerability to ED on links between BPD symptoms and (a) reactive aggression, (b) proactive aggression, and (c) histories of interpersonal violence in a sample of young adults (N = 104), ages 18-22 years. Low baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) mediated the association between BPD symptoms and reactive aggression. In contrast, although BPD symptoms were correlated with proactive aggression, no mediational effect was found. In addition, low RSA mediated the association between BPD symptoms and histories of interpersonal violence. Collectively, these findings add evidence that neurobiological vulnerability to ED contributes to aggressive and violent behavior among those with BPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas D Thomson
- Division of Acute Care Surgical Services, Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University Health, Richmond, Virginia, and University of Durham, Durham, UK
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