Abstract
Correlations between electrodermal and heart rate indices of autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and measures of state and trait anxiety were examined in 22 high-risk subjects, who had a parent with bipolar affective disorder, and in controls. Relatively consistent and significant correlations between anxiety and ANS “arousal” at rest and under stress were found in high-risk subjects, but not in controls. Relationships between electrodermal laterality and anxiety, and between electrodermal activity and heart rate, were also observed only in the high-risk group. The data suggest a unique concordance between various manifestations of anxiety in high-risk persons which may effectively increase the salience of stressful events and the sensitization to stress.
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