Emotional and physiological reactivity in Complicated Grief
| Autor: | Richard J. McNally, Nicole J. LeBlanc, Leslie D. Unger |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Male 050103 clinical psychology media_common.quotation_subject Emotions Motion Pictures Developmental psychology Young Adult 03 medical and health sciences Parasympathetic nervous system 0302 clinical medicine Heart Rate Parasympathetic Nervous System Heart rate medicine Humans 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Vagal tone Reactivity (psychology) media_common 05 social sciences Galvanic Skin Response Middle Aged medicine.disease Complicated grief Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Psychiatry and Mental health Clinical Psychology medicine.anatomical_structure Psychophysiology Case-Control Studies Female Grief Self Report Psychology Skin conductance 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Affective Disorders. 194:98-104 |
| ISSN: | 0165-0327 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.jad.2016.01.024 |
| Popis: | Background Grief is a psychobiological response to the loss of a loved one. Some grief theorists suggest that this predictable response may arise from withdrawal of psychobiological regulation previously provided by the deceased (e.g. assistance with emotion regulation). Accordingly, recovery from loss may require bereaved individuals to re-establish self-regulatory control to avoid developing Complicated Grief (CG). This model implies that adults with CG may exhibit aberrant emotional responding to environmental stimuli. The present study was designed to test this hypothesis. Methods We recruited a sample of 23 bereaved adults with CG and 26 healthy bereaved adults to complete an emotional reactivity paradigm. Participants watched a series of emotional film clips and provided measures of their self-reported emotional response. We also assessed their heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), and skin conductance level in response to these clips. Results Though emotional and physiological differences between the groups were rare, the CG group exhibited attenuated RSA reactivity to some emotional film clips, suggesting blunted parasympathetic nervous system reactivity in those with the disorder. Limitations Limitations include the modest sample size and unequal group sizes. Conclusions Individuals with CG do not exhibit pervasive differences in emotional and physiological reactivity compared to healthy bereaved individuals. However, we did observe evidence of blunted parasympathetic nervous system reactivity in individuals with CG, which may mediate emotional inflexibility among those who develop the disorder. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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