Background and objectives

According to the Neurocognitive Framework for Regulation Expectation (NFRE), actual and ideal self-esteem are related to how individuals anticipate and respond to a stressful event. Based on this framework, we investigated whether in individuals with low ideal self-esteem (moderator), a positive relationship between actual self-esteem and reactive autonomic regulation would be mediated by the amount of anticipatory autonomic regulation.

Methods

Forty-five healthy females prepared a speech (i.e., anticipation) and performed it in front of a camera (i.e., stressor). Actual and ideal self-esteem were measured with the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure. Anticipatory and reactive autonomic stress regulation were indexed by heart rate variability, and affective responses were assessed via self-report.

Results

Results were in line with predictions based on the NFRE: when ideal self-esteem was low, higher actual self-esteem was associated with higher reactive autonomic regulation, and this association was mediated by higher anticipatory autonomic regulation.

Limitations

Because only female undergraduates were recruited, replication within a more heterogeneous sample is necessary to further generalize these findings.

Conclusions

These results support the hypothesis, based on the NFRE, that actual and ideal self-esteem interact in predicting the relationship between anticipatory and reactive stress regulation, and are a step forward in the understanding of the mechanisms underlying successful stress regulation.

中文翻译：

---

测试调节期望的神经认知框架：实际/理想自尊与主动/反应性自主神经压力调节之间的关系。

背景和目标

根据调节期望的神经认知框架（NFRE），实际和理想的自尊与个人如何预期和应对压力事件有关。基于这个框架，我们调查了在理想自尊心低的个体（调节器）中，实际自尊和反应性自主神经调节之间的正相关关系是否会受到预期自主神经调节量的调节。

方法

45 名健康女性准备演讲（即预期）并在摄像机前（即压力源）进行。实际和理想的自尊是用内隐关系评估程序来衡量的。预期和反应性自主神经应激调节通过心率变异性进行索引，并通过自我报告评估情感反应。

结果

结果与基于 NFRE 的预测一致：当理想自尊较低时，较高的实际自尊与较高的反应性自主神经调节相关，并且这种关联是由较高的预期自主调节介导的。

限制

因为只招募了女本科生，所以需要在更加异质的样本中进行复制，以进一步概括这些发现。

结论

这些结果支持基于 NFRE 的假设，即实际和理想的自尊在预测预期压力调节和反应性压力调节之间的关系时相互作用，并且是理解成功压力调节背后的机制的一步。