Table 3.
Pre-ejection period Reactivity during the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and Recovery Period according to Resting Baseline RSA (N=157)
| High RSA1 | Low RSA1 | RSA and PEP Reactivity2 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | (SD) | Mean | (SD) | β | p-value | |
| Preparation Reactivity3 | −11.86 | (9.53) | −15.70 | (13.43) | .12 | .162 |
| Speech Reactivity3 | −17.40 | (12.01) | −17.31 | (14.71) | .05 | .545 |
| Math Reactivity3 | −12.94 | (11.39) | −13.82 | (11.64) | −.08 | .365 |
| Recovery3 | 0.90 | (4.07) | 1.85 | (8.64) | −.19 | .051 |
| Minute 14 | 8.99 | (8.83) | 12.45 | (13.90) | −.23 | .051 |
| Minute 24 | 10.67 | (9.04) | 14.20 | (12.63) | −.30* | .011 |
| Minute 34 | 10.91 | (8.17) | 13.15 | (13.48) | −.29* | .013 |
| Minute 44 | 10.09 | (9.30) | 13.25 | (14.21) | −.27* | .020 |
| Minute 54 | 9.81 | (8.49) | 12.05 | (10.28) | −.14 | .243 |
*
p < .05, 2-sided test
Abbreviations: PEP, pre-ejection period; RSA, respiratory sinus arrhythmia
1
High RSA defined as ≥ 1 standard deviation above the mean; low RSA defined as ≤ 1 standard deviation below the mean
2
Association of baseline resting RSA with PEP reactivity (i.e., PEP during the task minus PEP at baseline) during each portion of the TSST and recovery period
3
Values represent PEP relative to baseline value; regression controls for PEP at baseline
4
Values represent PEP relative to the last minute of the TSST; regression controls for PEP during the last minute of the TSST