The dyadic effects of posttraumatic stress symptoms on the regulation of respiratory sinus arrhythmia following an acute stress induction among couples.

Objective: Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) can have detrimental influences on both individual and couple functioning, including how individuals respond to stressors and regulate emotions. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) can serve as a key indicator of emotion regulation; however, few studies have examined psychophysiological stress reactions within a couple's context.

Method: Forty-three couples ( = 86 individuals) with a trauma history were assessed for PTSS and RSA at baseline.

Reactivity and recovery in romantic relationships following a trauma analog: Examination of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in community couples.

Emotion regulation has important implications for individual and relationship health. Psychophysiological responses, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), can serve as a key indicator of emotion regulation processes subsequent to a stressor and may be the process by which couples confer health benefits. Moreover, partners in romantic relationships can mutually impact physiological states both during times of stress and times of support.

Therapist-Client Language Matching: Initial Promise as a Measure of Therapist-Client Relationship Quality.

While research suggests that the therapeutic alliance is important in predicting outcomes of psychotherapy, relatively little is known about the development of the alliance or the moment-to-moment components of the relationship and how they combine to create an alliance, which may represent a serious limitation in existing methods of measurement. Language style matching (LSM), or the degree to which unconscious aspects of an interactional partner's language mimic that of the other partner, is a promising, unobtrusive measure of interaction quality that could provide novel insight into the therapist-client alliance. In this article, we present a theoretical argument regarding the trajectory of therapist-client LSM across therapy sessions, as well as potential precursors and consequences of LSM.