title: Examining the relation between respiratory sinus arrhythmia and depressive symptoms in emerging adults: A longitudinal study.
abstract: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a debilitating and prevalent disorder associated with lower quality of life and substantial economic burden. Recently, there has been strong interest in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) as a biological predictor of later depression. Theoretical work suggests that higher resting RSA indexes physiological flexibility and better emotion regulation whereas lower RSA may mark vulnerability for psychopathology. However, empirical findings have varied. This study examined whether lower resting RSA predicted later depressive symptoms in a sample of healthy young adults across one year (n=185). Results indicate that year one (Y1) resting RSA predicted Y2 depressive symptoms. This finding remained significant when accounting for the stability of RSA and depressive symptoms across both time points and when including trait anxiety, body mass index, and medication use in statistical models. Findings provide further support for RSA as a promising biological marker for understanding and predicting depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Department of Psychology, 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yaptangco
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Department of Psychology, 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; University of Utah, Department of Psychiatry, 501 Chipeta Way Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA. Electronic address: sheila.crowell@psych.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Sheila E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Crowell
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Department of Psychology, 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Brian R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Baucom
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Department of Psychology, 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Bride
authors.affiliation: University of Utah, Department of Psychology, 380 South 1530 East, Room 502 Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Erik J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D064368:Healthy Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D011788:Quality of Life; D065809:Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia / Q000502:physiology*; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depressive symptoms; Emerging adults; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia; Risk