V-064 | Invalidating childhood environments modulation of physiological activation

Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: Federico Jose Sanchez | Email: sanchez.federicojose@usal.edu.ar

Federico Jose Sanchez^1°, Jeronimo Rodriguez Cuello^3°,Lorenzo Raggi^2°, Victoria Papagna Maldonado^1°, Marcos Parra^1°, Borja Parga^2°, Alberto Iorio^2°

^1° Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Facultad de Psicología y Psicopedagogía (USAL)
^2° Facultad de Psicología (UBA)
^3° Facultad de Ciencias Humanas y de la Conducta (Universidad de Favaloro)

This project investigates the relationship between mentalization abilities, as measured by the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition (MASC), physiological activation (Skin Conductance Level, SCL), and self-reported valence and arousal (measured by the Self-Assessment Manikin, SAM), specially in their relationship with the Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale (ICES). Participants were compelled to complete either the Mannheimer Multikomponent Stress Test (MMST) (n=9) or a simplified version of it that served as a control group (n=11). Our findings indicate that the MMST successfully induced stress as evidenced by self-reports, although this was not reflected in physiological measures. A significant positive correlation was observed between MASC scores and increased SCL activity. Additionally, SAM results showed a decrease in arousal levels at the end of the MMST, with a trend toward lower valence in the control group. Notably, the data revealed that higher levels of emotional neglect were associated with a smaller increase in SCL during the MASC. Furthermore, more invalidating maternal responses were linked to lower SCL activation before the experiment began. Lastly, invalidating responses from both parents were correlated with higher SCL activity during the MMST, indicating that invalidating childhood environments significantly modulate stress-induced physiological responses.