Perceived support and resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia among young adult college students

Although social support is related to better health, research is mixed regarding how social support relates to physiological systems including the parasympathetic nervous system. The present study assessed whether perceived parental and friend support were related to resting parasympathetic nervous system activity among young adults, and whether associations differed by stress. Young adults (N = 154; Mage = 20.5, SD = 3.0; 73.4% female) reported their perceived support from their parents and friends. Electrocardiogram data were collected while participants watched a 4-minute nature video to estimate resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia, an indicator of parasympathetic nervous system activity. Linear regression models indicated that young adults with higher perceived parental support tended to have higher respiratory sinus arrhythmia as hypothesized, but findings did not support associations for friend support or for stress-buffering models. Results suggested that aspects parenting may relate to long-term health through perceived support, in line with past evidence of the health benefits of family-based interventions.