a Department of Human Development and Family Studies , Iowa State University , Ames , IA , USA.
b Department of Psychology , Pennsylvania State University, University Park , TX , USA.
Stress. 2019 Jul;22(4):461-471. doi: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1600502. Epub 2019 Apr 22.
Parent-child physiological attunement, particularly during stressful situations, appears adaptive as shared stress reactivity may promote dyadic engagement. Romantic partners eventually replace parents as the primary support figure, yet it remains unclear whether romantic partners buffer physiological stress or display physiological attunement as most studies on adults examine attunement during conflict paradigms. The present study examined physiological attunement in 63 emerging adult romantic partner dyads (one partner was the active participant, the other the observer) during the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST). Heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were continuously monitored across the visit. Repeated saliva samples were assayed for cortisol. Physiological attunement was operationalized as a correlation in biomarkers between the TSST participant and their partner; sex, social support, and physical proximity were examined as moderators. We then compared the biomarker profiles of partnered-TSST participants to individuals who participated in the TSST solo (n = 63) to determine if partner presence buffered stress biomarker reactivity during the TSST. RSA attunement between partners was found but was not further moderated by social support or sex. Adrenocortical attunement was moderated, such that lower social support and increased proximity resulted in higher attunement. HR attunement was higher when the participant was male and when partners were in close physical proximity. Compared to TSST solo, romantic partner presence increased participant cortisol levels and altered HR reactivity, suggesting that emerging adult romantic partners do not buffer physiological stress reactivity. Future research should examine whether physiological attunement and partner presence is protective in more established relationships.
亲子生理协调，尤其是在压力情境下，似乎是适应性的，因为共同的应激反应可能促进二元关系的参与。浪漫伴侣最终取代父母成为主要的支持对象，但目前尚不清楚浪漫伴侣是缓冲生理压力还是显示生理协调，因为大多数关于成年人的研究都是在冲突范式下研究协调。本研究在 63 对新兴成年浪漫伴侣对（一方为主动参与者，另一方为观察者）中考察了在特里尔社会应激测试（TSST）期间的生理协调。心率（HR）和呼吸窦性心律失常（RSA）在整个访问过程中连续监测。重复唾液样本用于检测皮质醇。生理协调被定义为 TSST 参与者与其伴侣之间生物标志物的相关性；性别、社会支持和身体接近度被视为调节因素。然后，我们将有伴侣的 TSST 参与者的生物标志物谱与单独参加 TSST 的个体（n=63）进行比较，以确定伴侣的存在是否在 TSST 期间缓冲了应激生物标志物反应。发现了伴侣之间的 RSA 协调，但社会支持和性别并没有进一步调节这种协调。肾上腺皮质协调受到调节，例如，社会支持较低和接近度增加会导致更高的协调。当参与者是男性并且伴侣身体接近时，HR 协调更高。与 TSST 独奏相比，浪漫伴侣的存在增加了参与者的皮质醇水平并改变了 HR 反应性，这表明新兴成年浪漫伴侣不能缓冲生理应激反应性。未来的研究应该研究在更稳定的关系中，生理协调和伴侣的存在是否具有保护作用。
