Repressive and defensive coping during fear and anger.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychophysiology
• Behavioral Medicine

Background:

• Coping styles, particularly repressive-defensive strategies, are linked to emotional regulation and physiological responses.
• Understanding these links is crucial for identifying individuals at risk for stress-related conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between repressive-defensive coping styles and somatovisceral responses.
• To examine how these coping styles interact with induced emotions (fear and anger) and influence self-reported and behavioral affect.

Main Methods:

• Moderated regression analyses were employed, incorporating state-trait anxiety, defensiveness (Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale), and induced emotions (fear, anger).
• Physiological measures included heart rate variability, corrugator muscle reactivity (behavioral negative affect), and diastolic blood pressure.
• Self-reported negative affect was also assessed.

Main Results:

• During fear induction, higher defensiveness correlated with decreased heart rate variability.
• Repressive-defensive copers reported lower negative affect but displayed higher corrugator reactivity during fear.
• During anger induction, defensiveness positively related to diastolic blood pressure and zygomaticus muscle reactivity.

Conclusions:

• Emotional and physiological responses of repressive-defensive copers are significantly moderated by situational context.
• These findings highlight the complex interplay between coping mechanisms, emotional states, and physiological stress reactions.