The time line of threat processing and vagal withdrawal in response to a self-threatening stressor in cognitive avoidant copers: Evidence for vigilance-avoidance theory

Abstract

Using a spatial cueing paradigm with emotional and neutral facial expressions as cues, we examined early and late patterns of information processing in cognitive avoidant coping (CAV). Participants were required to detect a target that appeared either in the same location as the cue (valid) or in a different location (invalid). Cue-target onset asynchrony (CTOA) was manipulated to be short (250 ms) or long (750 ms). CAV was associated with early facilitation and faster disengagement from angry faces. No effects were found for happy or neutral faces. After completing the spatial cueing task, participants prepared and delivered a public speech and heart rate variability (HRV) was recorded. Disengagement from angry faces was related to a decrease in HRV in response to this task. Together, these data suggest that CAV is related to early engagement followed by disengagement from threat-related cues that might impact physiological stress responses.

The Conjoined Effect of Naturalistic Perceived Available Support and Enacted Support on Cardiovascular Reactivity During a Laboratory Stressor

“…In particular, depressive symptoms have been related to either elevated or blunted cardiovascular reactivity in the laboratory [50][51][52][53] and dispositional coping has also been associated with cardiovascular reactivity during laboratory stressors. In particular, high cognitive avoidant coping and low vigilance coping (i.e., repressive coping) have been associated with increased cardiovascular reactivity to selfrelevant stressors [54][55][56].…”

When tonic cardiac vagal tone predicts changes in phasic vagal tone: The role of fear and perceptual load

“…Compared to tonic cardiac vagal activity, relatively little is known about the role of phasic cardiac activity in the context of selfregulation (Butler, Wilhelm, & Gross, 2006;Ingjaldsson, Laberg, & Thayer, 2003;Segerstrom & Nes, 2007;Smith et al, 2011). Reduced phasic cardiac activity, or vagal suppression, has long been construed as an autonomic response to stress (Beauchaine, Gatzke-Kopp, & Mead, 2007;Beauchaine, Katkin, Strassberg, & Snarr, 2001;El-Sheikh, Hinnant, & Erath, 2011;Schwerdtfeger & Derakhshan, 2010). When people are directly exposed to a stressor, such as a video clip depicting an escalating conflict between peers (Beauchaine et al, 2001(Beauchaine et al, , 2007El-Sheikh et al, 2011), performing a difficult mental stress task (Weber et al, 2010), or engaging in a reaction time shock avoidance task in which a shock is threatened as a penalty for slow performance (Uijtdehaage & Thayer, 2000), phasic HRV suppression occurs.…”

Sex determines cortisol and alpha‐amylase responses to acute physical and psychosocial stress in patients with avoidant personality disorder

“…2008). The information processing in cognitive avoidant coping (spatial cueing paradigm with emotional and neutral facial expressions as cues) is related to a decrease in HRV in response (Schwerdtfeger and Derakshan 2010). There are no studies to exam the relationship between AVPD and HRV.…”