RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) can have detrimental influences on both individual and couple functioning, including how individuals respond to stressors and regulate emotions. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) can serve as a key indicator of emotion regulation; however, few studies have examined psychophysiological stress reactions within a couple's context. METHOD: Forty-three couples (N = 86 individuals) with a trauma history were assessed for PTSS and RSA at baseline. One partner then completed a stressor task using a film-clip depicting sexual assault. Afterward, the couple was reunited and completed a dyadic discussion task where both partners' RSA was continuously measured while they discussed the stressed partner's thoughts and feelings about the stressful film-clip. RESULTS: Moderated repeated measures actor-partner interdependence models were conducted, examining the self and coregulation of RSA and moderation of such regulation by PTSS. There was significant self-regulation from both partners, and a coregulation process whereby the nonstressed partner's RSA influenced the rate of change in RSA of their stressed partner. Additionally, greater PTSS in the nonstressed partner was associated with a weakening of both self and coregulation. CONCLUSION: Patterns of both self- and coregulation, within and between romantic partners emerged and illustrate the impact of PTSS within these dyadic physiologic processes. Findings have theoretical and clinical implications in physiological dyadic interactions and potential stress recovery, particularly emphasizing the relevance of examining biomarkers such as RSA among partners with a trauma history during recovery from stress. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
RESUMEN
While research suggests that the therapeutic alliance is important in predicting outcomes of psychotherapy, relatively little is known about the development of the alliance or the moment-to-moment components of the relationship and how they combine to create an alliance, which may represent a serious limitation in existing methods of measurement. Language style matching (LSM), or the degree to which unconscious aspects of an interactional partner's language mimic that of the other partner, is a promising, unobtrusive measure of interaction quality that could provide novel insight into the therapist-client alliance. In this article, we present a theoretical argument regarding the trajectory of therapist-client LSM across therapy sessions, as well as potential precursors and consequences of LSM. We then report on a pilot test of our hypotheses that examined how LSM, clients' relational histories, and clients' symptoms were associated within a therapeutic context. Using a small sample of substance dependent mothers (N = 7, 100% Caucasian women) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial of psychodynamic psychotherapy lasting 12 sessions, we examined client and therapist LSM across 4 of the 12 sessions. We found that, on average, LSM decreases over the course of treatment. Furthermore, greater client interpersonal problems prospectively predict lower early LSM in therapist-client dyads, which in turn predicts greater posttreatment psychiatric distress. Results generate questions for future research and support further investigations of LSM as one index of the quality of interactions between therapist and client.