| dc.description.abstract | The association between physiological and emotional responses over time, often termed concordance, has been theorized decades, yet empirical evidence has been mixed. The assessment of underlying biological mechanisms and the effects of emotion regulation on physiological-emotional concordance have been identified as research priorities. The present study assessed sympathetic (i.e., skin conductance level [SCL]) and parasympathetic (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) measures, during an ecologically relevant conflict discussion task in parents (N = 97) and youth (N = 97). Emotion regulation and coping were assessed using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Responses to Stress Questionnaire. Emotion ratings were collected via video-mediated recall procedures. Utilizing a multilevel modeling approach, findings demonstrated that there was a significant positive association between SCL and emotion ratings, and this result was found for youth but not for parents. RSA was unrelated to emotion ratings. Cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were unrelated to emotion ratings and did not moderate the physiological-emotional association. In contrast, primary control coping, secondary control coping, disengagement coping, involuntary engagement, and involuntary disengagement predicted emotion ratings. Further, secondary control coping use and involuntary engagement in response to stress both moderated the SCL-emotion association in parents and youth. In sum, there is partial support for physiological-emotional concordance and the moderating role of coping/self-regulation. Strengths, limitations, and clinical implications are discussed. Future research should continue to build on these findings to determine if, when, and for whom, physiological-emotional concordance occurs, and if concordance is adaptive. | |
