Physiological dysregulation is a key diagnostic criterion for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While PTSD is defined by trauma exposure, symptom presentations are varied. Similarly, findings of autonomic nervous system (ANS), including parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS), function in youth exposed to trauma are mixed (e.g., hyporeactivity and hyperreactivity). The present meta-analysis quantitatively assesses the relation between ANS measures broadly, and PNS- and SNS-specific measures, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in youth (ages 4.98 to 19.55 years) across 38 cross-sectional and longitudinal studies (N = 3488). Findings demonstrate that heightened ANS activity is related to increased PTSS during stress tasks (r = 0.07), while decreased SNS activity at rest corresponded to increased PTSS (r = −0.09). The correlation between PNS measures and PTSS was non-significant. The moderation effect of age on the relation between PNS activity measured during stress tasks and PTSS approached significance, such that younger children showed a stronger negative relation between symptoms and PNS activity compared to older youth. Qualitative review of included studies revealed significant variability across sample and stressor characteristics and study methodology. Findings indicate the importance of autonomic dysregulation in youth with PTSS. Additional considerations for future research are discussed.

生理失调是创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD) 的关键诊断标准。虽然 PTSD 是由创伤暴露定义的，但症状表现各不相同。同样，自主神经系统 (ANS) 的发现，包括副交感神经系统 (PNS) 和交感神经系统 (SNS)，在遭受创伤的青少年中的功能是混合的（例如，反应性低下和反应性过度）。本荟萃分析通过 38 项横断面和纵向研究，定量评估了青年（4.98 至 19.55 岁）中广泛的 ANS 测量、PNS 和 SNS 特定测量与创伤后应激症状 (PTSS) 之间的关系 ( N  = 3488）。研究结果表明，ANS 活动的增强与压力任务期间 PTSS 的增加有关 ( r = 0.07)，而静息时 SNS 活动减少对应于 PTSS 增加 ( r  = −0.09)。PNS 测量值与 PTSS 之间的相关性不显着。年龄对压力任务期间测量的 PNS 活动与 PTSS 之间关系的调节作用接近显着性，因此与年龄较大的青少年相比，年龄较小的儿童在症状和 PNS 活动之间表现出更强的负相关。对纳入研究的定性审查揭示了样本和应激源特征以及研究方法之间的显着差异。研究结果表明自主神经失调对患有 PTSS 的青少年很重要。讨论了未来研究的其他注意事项。