Reactivity and recovery in romantic relationships following a trauma analog: Examination of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in community couples

Abstract

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.

Self‐ and co‐regulation of physiological activity during mother‐daughter interactions: The role of adolescent non‐suicidal self‐injury

“…We are, therefore, unable to determine whether these disruptions in physiology are a risk factor for, and/or consequence of, adolescent NSSI. Second, although our sample size is comparable to that of other studies testing similar models (e.g., Balderrama-Durbin et al, 2021;McKillop & Connell, 2018), we may have been underpowered to detect some moderation effects. Nonetheless, the magnitude of the nonsignificant NSSI moderation of actor and partner effects was quite small (r effect size ≤ .03), suggesting that they may not be clinically significant even if a larger sample size made them statistically significant.…”

The dyadic effects of posttraumatic stress symptoms on the regulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia following an acute stress induction among couples.

“…The present study is secondary analyses from a larger study (see Balderrama-Durbin et al, 2021), requiring participants to be 18 years or older, currently in a romantic relationship for at least 6 months, and fluent in English, resulting in a sample of 66 couples. Only couples with valid RSA data and both partners with a reported criterion A event were included in the present study, resulting in a total of 43 couples ( N = 86 individuals).…”

“…As PTSS may disrupt the couple coregulatory process, it is important to investigate both individual and dyadic physiological regulation as a consequence of acute stress. The present study comprises of secondary analyses among couples with a trauma history from Balderrama-Durbin et al (2021). To extend this previous work, and the current literature, this study explored the role of PTSS on physiological change in RSA from baseline compared with a dyadic discussion task after one partner of the couple underwent the stress induction task (stressed partner) while the other partner did not (nonstressed partner).…”

“…Helm et al (2014) found that discussions within couples may be moderated by relationship satisfaction, with greater satisfaction resulting in greater RSA coregulation within couples. Further, Balderrama-Durbin et al (2021) examined both morphogenic and morphostatic processes of RSA within and between couples after an acute stress induction. Findings broadly demonstrated evidence of both coregulation and stress transmission (i.e., contagion).…”

Interacting with a friend after a trauma film reduces anxiety and intrusive memories.

“…Results showed that those who talked alone or with a validating confederate had fewer intrusions compared to those in the no-talk condition. Balderrama-Durbin and colleagues (2021) showed romantic couples a stressful film clip and measured psychophysiology of both partners, finding actor-partner effects in which one partner’s parasympathetic responding influenced the other partner’s parasympathetic activity following the film. Woodward and Beck (2017) randomized female participants to watch a film clip of a fictional sexual assault either alone or with their romantic partner and found that participants who watched the film clip with their romantic partner had more intrusive memories over a three-day period compared to those who watched the film clip alone.…”