title: Prospective Associations between Emotion Dysregulation and Fear-Potentiated Startle: The Moderating Effect of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emotion dysregulation has been implicated in the negative outcomes following trauma exposure. A proposed biomarker of emotion dysregulation, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), has demonstrated associations with trauma-related phenomena, such as the fear-potentiated startle (FPS) response. The current study aimed to examine the prospective association between emotion dysregulation and RSA and FPS several years following trauma exposure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 131 women exposed to a campus mass shooting on February 14, 2008. Pre-shooting emotion dysregulation was assessed in 2006-2008. Startle response, measured by orbicularis oculi electromyography (EMG), and RSA were gathered during an FPS paradigm conducted from 2012 to 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant associations among emotion dysregulation, RSA, and FPS emerged among the full sample. However, emotion dysregulation predicted FPS during both acquisition (r = 0.40, p < 0.05) and extinction (r = 0.57, p < 0.01) among individuals with high resting RSA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that pre-shooting emotion dysregulation is a potent predictor of FPS several years following potential trauma exposure, and this association varies by RSA level. RESULTS emphasize the importance of examining autonomic regulation in the association between emotion dysregulation and recovery from trauma exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Antonia V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Seligowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Auburn University Auburn, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Lynsey R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Miron
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Holly K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Orcutt
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jovanovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of MedicineAtlanta, GA, USA; Trauma Recovery Program, Atlanta Veteran Affairs Medical CenterDecatur, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Seth D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Norrholm
keywords: emotion regulation; fear-potentiated startle; physiology; respiratory sinus arrhythmia; trauma