Therapists perception of their relationship with depressive vs. borderline patients

GÓMEZ PENEDO, JUAN MARTÍN; CASARI, LEANDRO MARTÍN; PUTRINO, NATALIA; ETCHEVERS, MARTÍN

Amsterdam

Congreso; 49th International Annual Meeting Society of Psychotherapy Research; 2018

Society for Psychotherapy Research

Psychotherapists seem characterized by high levels of empathy and emotional regulation. These traits might shape their distinctive affective and cognitive reactions to diverse psychiatric conditions. However, few studies have investigated physiological and neurocognitive markers of such domains in this population, and none has done so via dynamic, naturalistic stimuli. To bridge this gap, we will compare behavioral, physiological, and neurocognitive correlates of emotional regulation and empathy in 30 clinical psychologists and 30 matched controls, focusing on their reaction towards patients with major depression and borderline personality disorder. Participants will watch naturalistic videos reflecting dynamic interactions between a psychotherapist and patients with three profiles: ambivalent, mournful, and neutral. Using an electrocardiogram, we will measure emotion-sensitive peripheral signals (heart rate and heart-rate variability). Also, we will examine real-time modulations of the heart-evoked potential (HEP), a neurophysiological component indexing interoceptive and emotional changes. Furthermore, empathy and emotional regulation will be evaluated with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index and the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire. Based on previous findings, we hypothesize that, when watching emotion-laden (mournful and ambivalent) videos, psychologists will have greater cardiac variability and HEP modulations than the non-clinical group. Also, we expect neurophysiological markers of emotional dysregulation to differentially increase in psychologists during the ambivalent condition. Finally, participants with higher empathy and emotional regulation scores should evince greater cardiac variability and HEP modulations. In sum, through this multimethodological approach, we aim to illuminate the interplay of autonomic and neurocognitive processes underlying the particular affective profile of psychotherapists.