Physiological correlates of emotional dysregulation in youth with psychopathology: an exploratory study using wearable technology

The failure to regulate one's own emotions, defined as Emotional Dysregulation (ED), has become a diagnostic challenge in the last decades. Peripheral indexes of functioning of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity emerged as reliable transdiagnostic biomarkers of psychopathology. The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of wearable sensors in capturing ANS correlates of affective reactivity to emotionally salient videoclips in a stimulation protocol conducted in a clinical sample of youths. Thirty subjects (mean age: 13.93 ± 11.74) were recruited and presented with videoclips showing emotional content (joy, fear, anger, sadness, and anger). Before (Baseline), during (Task), and after (Recovery), the registration, electrocardiogram (ECG), and electrodermal response (EDR) were recorded using wearable technologies. Several indices related to the activation of sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system were extracted. These indices were compared among the different phases and emotions and correlated with clinical measures. Preliminary results showed that some emotions are more able to elicit ANS response than others, and there is a correlation between physiological activation and clinical profile. These preliminary findings could help to explore the mechanisms of ED in psychopathology and can be useful to guide behavioral and pharmacological treatment. This study supports the success of wearable-based protocols for monitoring emotional reactivity in youth with psychopathology.