title: Change in heart rate variability after the adult attachment interview in dissociative patients.
abstract: The aim of this study was to assess heart rate variability (HRV) in individuals with dissociative disorders (DD) before and after the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Electrocardiograms were recorded before, during, and after the AAI in 13 individuals with DD and 13 healthy participants matched for age and gender. Significant change in HRV was observed only in the DD group. After the AAI, those with DD showed significant increases in the low frequency/high frequency ratio (pre-AAI = 1.91 ± 1.19; post-AAI = 4.03 ± 2.40; Wilcoxon test = -2.76, p = .005). Our results suggest that the retrieval of childhood attachment experiences in individuals with DD is associated with a change in HRV patterns that could reflect the emotion dysregulation of dissociative psychopathological processes.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Human Sciences , European University of Rome , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Benedetto
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Speranza
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Imperatori
authors.forename: Maria Isabella
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Quintiliani
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Della Marca
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: Adult Attachment Interview; dissociative disorders; emotion dysregulation; heart rate variability