Emotional (Dys)regulation and blood pressure levels

Neurophysiologic, motor/expressive and cognitive emotional domains are central factors in the integrative processes between psyche and soma. For Emotional Regulation (ER) we mean the synergic functioning of these domains. A deficit in the cognitive elaboration of emotion (i.e. alexithymia) might determinate a dys-regulation of Autonomous Nervous System (ANS) able to explain the relationship between alexithymia and hypertension found in many studies. The aims of this research are measuring ANS reactivity of young normotensive students during emotional situations according to individual ER ability. Sixty normotensive university students (men/women=30/30, mean age=23.57) selected on the basis of high (≥52) or low (≤35) alexithymia scores (TAS-20) participated in the study. After a rest time lasting 14 minutes they were involved into three experimental situations different only for the emotional valence of one event (either positive, negative, or neutral) they were asked to think, imagine and narrate. After each narration a physiologic recovery phase followed and the student rested quietly in silence for 10 minutes. Alexithymic students, compared to non alexithymic, showed higher systolic and diastolic BP values during baseline, narration phases and recovery time.