Sustained Attention and Individual Differences in Adolescents' Mood and Physiological Reactivity to Stress.

Publisher: Springer Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0364547 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1573-2835 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00910627 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Abnorm Child Psychol Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: New York, NY : Springer
Original Publication: Washington, Winston.

Affect/*physiology ; Attentional Bias/*physiology ; Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia/*physiology ; Stress, Physiological/*physiology ; Stress, Psychological/*physiopathology ; Stress, Psychological/*psychology; Adolescent ; Age Factors ; Female ; Humans ; Individuality ; Male ; Sex Factors

Biased attention to sad faces is associated with depression in adults and is hypothesized to increase depression risk specifically in the presence, but not absence, of stress by modulating stress reactivity. However, few studies have tested this hypothesis, and no studies have examined the relation between attentional biases and stress reactivity during adolescence, despite evidence that this developmental window is marked by changes in depression risk, stress, and the function of attention. Seeking to address these limitations, the current study examined the impact of adolescents' sustained attention to facial displays of emotion on individual differences in both mood reactivity to real-world stress and physiological (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]) reactivity to a laboratory-based stressor. Consistent with vulnerability-stress models of attention, greater sustained attention to sad faces was associated with greater depressive reactions to real-world stress. In addition, there was preliminary evidence from exploratory analyses that the impact of sustained attention on mood and/or physiological reactivity may be moderated by adolescents' age and sex such that relations are stronger for older adolescents and girls. The results of this study contribute to the current body of research on the role of attention in stress reactivity and depression risk and highlight the importance of considering age differences when examining these relations.

Keywords: Adolescents; Attentional biases; Depression risk; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia; Stress reactivity

Date Created: 20200718 Date Completed: 20211022 Latest Revision: 20211022

20240513

10.1007/s10802-020-00679-8

32676762