Considering the role of cardiac vagal tone in adolescents' behaviors within friendships

Abstract

Despite the theorized importance of cardiac vagal tone for functioning in close relationships (Porges, 2001) and the critical role of friendships in adolescents' development (Furman and Rose, 2015), there is a lack of research that considers vagal tone in relation to adolescents' friendship functioning. To address this gap, the currents study considers vagal tone (indexed using respiratory sinus arrythmia; RSA) in relation to adolescents' behaviors within the context of problem disclosures with a close friend. Participants were 200 adolescents (67 percent girls; Mage = 14.16 years; 79 percent White) who participated in a lab-based study with a same-gender friend (100 dyads). Adolescents' heart rate and respiration were continuously monitored to assess RSA during resting baseline tasks and a problem disclosure task with their friends. Researchers coded friendship interactions for supportive and unsupportive responses to problem disclosures. Results indicated that adolescents with higher levels of resting RSA activity received more support from friends during their interactions. During the interaction, providing friends with support was associated with subsequent RSA increases, and in turn, RSA increases were associated with subsequent provisions of support. Further, friends demonstrated RSA coregulation when the interaction was characterized by high levels of validation and empathy. Implications of vagal tone for adolescents' socioemotional development are discussed.