Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Anticipation, Autonomic Regulation, And Aces, Sadie K. Schiermeyer, Ella Bursky, Timothy Oakley, Emily Pyle

Science University Research Symposium (SURS)

Stress and anticipation are some of the most commonly talked about topics in the current age of self-help and wellness. Anticipatory stress has been found to aid in autonomic regulation and stress relief (Nasso et al., 2018). What’s more, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been previously associated with a blunted response to stress, but the mechanisms have not been investigated. The primary aim of this study was to identify if the anticipation of a stressor significantly influenced an individual’s autonomic response. Additionally, it sought to identify any correlation between childhood trauma and individuals’ stress response. Participants were comprised of undergraduate …