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Brooding rumination is an intrapersonal emotion regulation strategy associated with negative interpersonal consequences. Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a psychophysiological marker of self-regulatory capacity, may buffer the association between maladaptive emotion regulation and negative interpersonal behaviors. The current work examines the moderating effect of RSA on the association between brooding rumination and different negative interpersonal consequences. Across three convenience samples, individuals with lower RSA showed a stronger association between brooding rumination and more negative interpersonal behaviors as well as less perception of received instrumental social support (Study 1; n = 154), higher levels of interviewer-rated interpersonal stress (Study 2; n = 42) and a stronger indirect association between brooding rumination and depressive symptoms via daily interpersonal stress (Study 3; n = 222). These findings highlight the negative interpersonal consequences of brooding rumination, particularly among individuals with lower RSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Close relationships are an important social context in which emotional experiences, regulation, and coregulation unfold. This interpersonal emotion regulation process is likely intertwined with the self-regulatory capacities and social skills of each individual dyad member. This study aimed to examine whether respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a physiological marker related to self-regulation, moderates the impact of rumination, a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy, on couples' conflict. A dyadic, longitudinal design examined the association among RSA, rumination, and couples' conflict in a sample of 83 cohabiting romantic partners raising young children. At baseline, rumination and RSA from each romantic partner were assessed. Couples' conflict was reported at 3 time points over the following 12 months. Actor-partner interdependence modeling examined the mutual contributions of each couple member's rumination to couples' conflict, as well as the moderating impact of RSA. Results indicated that rumination from both members of the dyad were independently associated with couples' conflict across the 12-month period. Furthermore, RSA moderated the association between one's partner's rumination and couples' conflict, such that high actor RSA attenuated the positive association between partner's rumination and couples' conflict. The findings highlight the interdependent nature of emotion regulation within close relationships, and the impact of RSA on interpersonal emotion regulation processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) has been conceptualized as a biomarker of a neurophysiological system supporting social behaviors. Capitalization, the interpersonal process of sharing positive experiences with close others, has been associated with improved intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. The present study examined whether RSA moderated the within-person associations of daily capitalization with positive affect and relationship quality. Participants (N = 149) completed an electrocardiogram recording during a resting baseline and a worry induction period, as well as a 14-day daily diary assessment of capitalization, positive affect, and relationship quality. Results indicated that RSA reactivity moderated the within-person effects of daily capitalization on positive affect and relationship quality. On days when they did not capitalize, individuals with higher RSA reactivity experienced lower positive affect and poorer relationship quality than their counterparts with lower RSA reactivity. In contrast, no significant differences were observed between participants with lower and higher RSA reactivity on days when they capitalized. These results provide further evidence that RSA reactivity shapes sensitivity to social context, including one's responses to the lack of usual capitalization interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a biomarker of cardiac vagal tone that has been linked to social functioning. Recent studies suggest that RSA moderates the impact of interpersonal processes on psychosocial adjustment. The goal of this study was to assess whether RSA would moderate the association between dyadic coping (DC) and depressive symptoms. Eighty cohabiting couples raising preschool children completed the Dyadic Coping Inventory, the Center for Epidemiological Study-Depression scale and had their RSA assessed during a laboratory session. Couples completed follow-up assessments of depressive symptoms 6 and 12 months later. Data were analyzed using an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results indicated that RSA moderated the actor effect of negative DC on depression in men, such that men with lower RSA had a stronger association between their own ratings of negative DC within the couple relationship and their own depressive symptoms, compared to their counterparts with higher RSA. RSA also moderated the partner effect of delegated DC on depressive symptoms. Among men with higher RSA, there was a significant negative association between their partner's ratings of delegated DC within the couple relationship and the men's depressive symptoms, whereas partner-rated delegated DC was unrelated to depressive symptoms among men with lower RSA. These results suggest that men with higher RSA may possess social skills and abilities that attenuate the association between stressful marital interactions and negative mood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]