HRV patterns associated with different affect regulation systems: Sex differences in adolescents

Area of Science:

• Evolutionary psychology
• Developmental neuroscience
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Evolutionary perspectives identify three emotion regulation systems: threat, drive, and soothing.
• Dysfunction in these systems increases risks for emotion dysregulation and psychopathology.
• Heart rate variability (HRV) is a key index for emotion regulation, particularly during adolescence, a period of significant change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate HRV patterns associated with specific emotion regulation systems in adolescents.
• To examine sex differences in HRV responses across these systems.
• To develop and validate a standardized procedure for eliciting emotion regulation systems.

Main Methods:

• Development and expert validation of a standardized procedure (SP) to elicit threat, drive, and soothing systems.
• Study 1: Validation of the SP with experts and adolescents (n=31).
• Study 2: Investigation of HRV patterns across the three systems and by sex in adolescents (n=155; 70 males, aged 14-18).

Main Results:

• Threat and drive systems correlated with decreased HRV.
• Soothing system activation was associated with a decrease in heart rate.
• Sex differences emerged in threat system activation: males showed decreasing HRV, while females did not.

Conclusions:

• Physiological correlates of emotion regulation systems align with theoretical expectations.
• A validated SP is available for future research on emotion regulation and HRV in adolescents.
• Findings highlight distinct psychophysiological responses to different emotion regulation systems and potential sex differences.