Resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia moderates the association between social phobia symptoms and self-reported physical symptoms.

The present study sought to investigate the association between social phobia symptoms and self-reported physical symptoms and the moderation effect of resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) on this link. Data of 5-min resting RSA, social phobia symptoms assessed by the Social Phobia Scale, and physical symptoms assessed by the Cohen-Hoberman Inventory of Physical Symptoms were collected from 167 undergraduate students. Results indicated that higher levels of social phobia symptoms were associated with higher levels of self-reported physical symptoms. Resting RSA played the moderating role in the link between social phobia symptoms and self-reported physical symptoms, such that social phobia symptoms were positively associated with self-reported physical symptoms among individuals with low resting RSA, whereas this association was nonsignificant among individuals with high resting RSA. These findings suggest that high resting RSA as a physiological marker of better self-regulation capacity might buffer the effect of social phobia symptoms on physical health.