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Byrd AL, Vine V, Beeney JE, et al. RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life. Psychol Med. 2020;1-9doi: 10.1017/S0033291720002810.
Byrd, A. L., Vine, V., Beeney, J. E., Scott, L. N., Jennings, J. R., & Stepp, S. D. (2020). RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life. Psychological medicine, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720002810
Byrd, Amy L, et al. "RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life." Psychological medicine vol. (2020): 1-9. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291720002810
Byrd AL, Vine V, Beeney JE, Scott LN, Jennings JR, Stepp SD. RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life. Psychol Med. 2020 Aug 17;1-9. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720002810. Epub 2020 Aug 17. PMID: 32799942; PMCID: PMC7908813.
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Psychol Med. 2020 Aug 17;1-9. doi: 10.1017/S0033291720002810. Epub 2020 Aug 17.

RSA reactivity to parent-child conflict as a predictor of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life.

Psychological medicine

Amy L Byrd, Vera Vine, Joseph E Beeney, Lori N Scott, J Richard Jennings, Stephanie D Stepp

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
  2. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

PMID: 32799942 PMCID: PMC7908813 DOI: 10.1017/S0033291720002810

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Individual variability in tonic (resting) and phasic (reactivity) respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) may underlie risk for dysregulated emotion and behavior, two transdiagnostic indicators that permeate most psychological disorders in youth. The interaction between tonic and phasic RSA may specify unique physiological profiles during the transition to adolescence. The current study utilized clinically referred youth (Mage = 12.03; s.d. = 0.92) to examine baseline RSA, RSA reactivity, and their interaction as predictors of dysregulated emotion and behavior in daily life.

METHOD: Participants were 162 youth (47% female; 60% minority) in psychiatric treatment for any mood or behavior problem. RSA was assessed during three, 2-minute baselines and an 8-minute parent-child conflict discussion task. Dysregulated emotion and behavior were assessed during a 4-day ecological momentary assessment protocol that included 10 time-based prompts over a long weekend.

RESULTS: Greater RSA withdrawal to the conflict was associated with dysregulated basic emotion (sadness, anger, nervousness, stress) in daily life. Two distinct interactions also emerged, such that baseline RSA was related to dysregulated complex emotion (shame, guilt, loneliness, emptiness) and dysregulated behavior as a function of RSA reactivity to conflict. Lower baseline RSA and greater RSA withdrawal were associated with dysregulated complex emotion, while higher baseline RSA and greater RSA withdrawal were associated with dysregulated behavior.

CONCLUSIONS: Findings point to physiological profiles that increase the risk of dysregulated emotion and behavior during the transition to adolescence. Excessive RSA withdrawal uniquely, and in combination with baseline RSA, increased risk for dysregulation in daily life, underscoring the role of autonomic stress responding as a risk factor for psychopathology.

Keywords: RSA; adolescence; aggression; emotion dysregulation; psychophysiology; transdiagnostic

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