Sympathetic arousal among depressed college students: Examining the interplay between psychopathology and social activity

Abstract Depressed individuals exhibit altered sensitivity to both positive and negative social contact, and may not reap the same psychological and emotional benefits to socializing as non‐depressed individuals. Although depressive symptoms and loneliness predict social withdrawal and decreased pleasure, little is currently understood about immediate affective arousal dynamics during real‐time socializing. Using a novel ambulatory protocol that tracked both objective features of affective arousal (electrodermal activity) and subjective valence (self‐reported) during college students' social interactions, we evaluated the moderating role of depression and loneliness symptoms on the associations between socializing with others (specifically, with a romantic partner, a close friend, or a group of friends) and the arousal and valence dimensions of affect. Among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 118 college students (64% African American/Black/Continental African, 20% Latinx, 8% Asian, and 8% White) recruited from a large, predominantly White Midwestern university, those lower in depression and loneliness symptomatology evinced decreased average arousal ( Β = −0.10, SE = 0.04, p < .01) when in relaxed and intimate socializing contexts (e.g., with a romantic partner and a close friend), consistent with the idea that these contexts facilitate important opportunities for psychological rest and recovery. Those lower in depression and loneliness symptoms also showed higher average arousal when socializing in the energizing context of being with a group of friends. Overall, the results suggest psychopathology is reflected in patterns of sympathetic arousal when socializing, with more depressed and lonely individuals generally feeling worse while receiving fewer psychophysiological rewards in multiple socializing contexts.