sarah crystal | Seattle Pacific University (original) (raw)

Papers by sarah crystal

Research paper thumbnail of Oxytocin administration attenuates stress reactivity in borderline personality disorder: A pilot study

Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of Emotional Vulnerability and Invalidation on Emotion Dysregulation in Early Adolescence: An Empirical Investigation of Linehan's Biosocial Theory of Borderline Personality Disorder

The current study examined the relationship between emotional vulnerability, invalidation, and em... more The current study examined the relationship between emotional vulnerability, invalidation, and emotion dysregulation as they predicted borderline features in a community sample of young adolescents. Emotional vulnerability, as measured by trait negative affect (trait NA), as well as the psychophysiological component of basal vagal tone, as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), were proposed as risk factors for borderline features. Emotion dysregulation as indexed both by psychophysiological indices (vagal tone in response to stress i.e., RSA reactivity) and self-report measures was hypothesized to function as a mediator between trait NA and borderline features. A moderated mediation model was then proposed with parental invalidation moderating the relationship between trait NA and emotion dysregulation. A total of 101 youth, 53% female, with a mean age of 12.82 (SD=0.83) completed a laboratory task to measure their RSA at rest and while completing a stressor task. Trait NA, parental invalidation, emotion dysregulation, and borderline features were assessed through self-report questionnaires. Support was found when models were assessed cross-sectionally, using self-report measures only. The direct effect of trait NA on borderline features was significantly mediated by emotion dysregulation. Furthermore parental invalidation did function as a moderator between trait NA and emotion dysregulation. The full moderated mediation model was also significant. When measured using psychophysiological indices, no relationship was found between any study variables. Results indicate that child temperament, specifically trait NA, and invalidating parenting interact to produce emotional dysregulation, which is related to increased borderline pathology among vi adolescents. However, the study did not implicate the involvement of physiological vulnerabilities and patterns of responding in the development of borderline features. This study suggests that understanding the risk for the development of borderline features in adolescence needs more rigorous and continued research, particularly in understanding the biological risk and role of psychophysiological responding to stress in the development of the disorder. Further exploration of how these variables are related will be important in understanding the etiology of borderline features across development.

Research paper thumbnail of 5. Advancing Paternal Age and the Risk for Schizophrenia

The Origins of Schizophrenia, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Paternal Age and the Risk for Schizophrenia

The Origins of Schizophrenia, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Oxytocin can hinder trust and cooperation in borderline personality disorder

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 2011

We investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin (OXT) on trust and cooperation in borderline p... more We investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin (OXT) on trust and cooperation in borderline personality disorder (BPD), a disorder marked by interpersonal instability and difficulties with cooperation. Although studies in healthy adults show that intranasal OXT increases trust, individuals with BPD may show an altered response to exogenous OXT because the effects of OXT on trust and pro-social behavior may vary depending on the relationship representations and expectations people possess and/or altered OXT system functioning in BPD. BPD and control participants received intranasal OXT and played a social dilemma game with a partner. Results showed that OXT produced divergent effects in BPD participants, decreasing trust and the likelihood of cooperative responses. Additional analyses focusing on individual differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance across BPD and control participants indicate that these divergent effects were driven by the anxiously attached, rejection-sens...

Research paper thumbnail of Examining biological vulnerability in environmental context: Parenting moderates effects of low resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia on adolescent depressive symptoms

Developmental Psychobiology, 2015

Polyvagal theory suggests that parasympathetic regulation of cardiac function, indexed by resting... more Polyvagal theory suggests that parasympathetic regulation of cardiac function, indexed by resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may be a marker of emotion regulatory capacity and associated with youth psychopathology. Contemporary models of psychopathology suggest that the effects of biological vulnerability may be moderated by developmental context. The aim of the present study was to examine whether parenting, particularly parental responses to youth's negative emotions, moderated the effects of resting RSA on depressive symptoms among early adolescents. We examined resting RSA, depressive symptoms, and parental responses to youth negative emotions among 120 adolescents aged 11-14 years (M = 12.86, SD = .85; 52.5% female). Resting RSA and lack of supportive parenting interacted to predict youth depressive symptoms, such that low resting RSA predicted more depressive symptoms only in the context of low levels of supportive parental responses to youth's negative emotions. By contrast, high resting RSA buffered the effects of low supportive parenting on youth depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of understanding joint contributions of biological vulnerability and developmental context on youth depression outcomes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 9999: 1-10, 2015.

Research paper thumbnail of Paternal age related schizophrenia and cardiac autonomic regulation profiles

Schizophrenia Research, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Oxytocin administration attenuates stress reactivity in borderline personality disorder: A pilot study

Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of The Effect of Emotional Vulnerability and Invalidation on Emotion Dysregulation in Early Adolescence: An Empirical Investigation of Linehan's Biosocial Theory of Borderline Personality Disorder

The current study examined the relationship between emotional vulnerability, invalidation, and em... more The current study examined the relationship between emotional vulnerability, invalidation, and emotion dysregulation as they predicted borderline features in a community sample of young adolescents. Emotional vulnerability, as measured by trait negative affect (trait NA), as well as the psychophysiological component of basal vagal tone, as measured by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), were proposed as risk factors for borderline features. Emotion dysregulation as indexed both by psychophysiological indices (vagal tone in response to stress i.e., RSA reactivity) and self-report measures was hypothesized to function as a mediator between trait NA and borderline features. A moderated mediation model was then proposed with parental invalidation moderating the relationship between trait NA and emotion dysregulation. A total of 101 youth, 53% female, with a mean age of 12.82 (SD=0.83) completed a laboratory task to measure their RSA at rest and while completing a stressor task. Trait NA, parental invalidation, emotion dysregulation, and borderline features were assessed through self-report questionnaires. Support was found when models were assessed cross-sectionally, using self-report measures only. The direct effect of trait NA on borderline features was significantly mediated by emotion dysregulation. Furthermore parental invalidation did function as a moderator between trait NA and emotion dysregulation. The full moderated mediation model was also significant. When measured using psychophysiological indices, no relationship was found between any study variables. Results indicate that child temperament, specifically trait NA, and invalidating parenting interact to produce emotional dysregulation, which is related to increased borderline pathology among vi adolescents. However, the study did not implicate the involvement of physiological vulnerabilities and patterns of responding in the development of borderline features. This study suggests that understanding the risk for the development of borderline features in adolescence needs more rigorous and continued research, particularly in understanding the biological risk and role of psychophysiological responding to stress in the development of the disorder. Further exploration of how these variables are related will be important in understanding the etiology of borderline features across development.

Research paper thumbnail of 5. Advancing Paternal Age and the Risk for Schizophrenia

The Origins of Schizophrenia, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing Paternal Age and the Risk for Schizophrenia

The Origins of Schizophrenia, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Oxytocin can hinder trust and cooperation in borderline personality disorder

Social cognitive and affective neuroscience, 2011

We investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin (OXT) on trust and cooperation in borderline p... more We investigated the effects of intranasal oxytocin (OXT) on trust and cooperation in borderline personality disorder (BPD), a disorder marked by interpersonal instability and difficulties with cooperation. Although studies in healthy adults show that intranasal OXT increases trust, individuals with BPD may show an altered response to exogenous OXT because the effects of OXT on trust and pro-social behavior may vary depending on the relationship representations and expectations people possess and/or altered OXT system functioning in BPD. BPD and control participants received intranasal OXT and played a social dilemma game with a partner. Results showed that OXT produced divergent effects in BPD participants, decreasing trust and the likelihood of cooperative responses. Additional analyses focusing on individual differences in attachment anxiety and avoidance across BPD and control participants indicate that these divergent effects were driven by the anxiously attached, rejection-sens...

Research paper thumbnail of Examining biological vulnerability in environmental context: Parenting moderates effects of low resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia on adolescent depressive symptoms

Developmental Psychobiology, 2015

Polyvagal theory suggests that parasympathetic regulation of cardiac function, indexed by resting... more Polyvagal theory suggests that parasympathetic regulation of cardiac function, indexed by resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), may be a marker of emotion regulatory capacity and associated with youth psychopathology. Contemporary models of psychopathology suggest that the effects of biological vulnerability may be moderated by developmental context. The aim of the present study was to examine whether parenting, particularly parental responses to youth's negative emotions, moderated the effects of resting RSA on depressive symptoms among early adolescents. We examined resting RSA, depressive symptoms, and parental responses to youth negative emotions among 120 adolescents aged 11-14 years (M = 12.86, SD = .85; 52.5% female). Resting RSA and lack of supportive parenting interacted to predict youth depressive symptoms, such that low resting RSA predicted more depressive symptoms only in the context of low levels of supportive parental responses to youth's negative emotions. By contrast, high resting RSA buffered the effects of low supportive parenting on youth depressive symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of understanding joint contributions of biological vulnerability and developmental context on youth depression outcomes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 9999: 1-10, 2015.

Research paper thumbnail of Paternal age related schizophrenia and cardiac autonomic regulation profiles

Schizophrenia Research, 2011