Parent socialization of coping in emerging adulthood: Moderation by respiratory sinus arrhythmia

• Parenting and RSA are linked to responses to stress in emerging adulthood.
• RSA moderated links between parent coping suggestions and responses to stress.
• The moderating effects of RSA varied depending on the context of the task.
• In some cases, coping suggestions were linked to adaptive coping independently of RSA.
• The data supported the biological sensitivity to context theory in emerging adulthood.

This research examined respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity (RSAR) as a moderator of the association between parent coping suggestions, or socialization of coping, and youths' responses to stress in emerging adulthood. Emerging adults (N = 156) reported their parents' coping suggestions and their own responses to interpersonal stress; RSAR was monitored as participants completed two laboratory challenges. Results revealed that emerging adults' sensitivity to parental encouragement to engage versus disengage from stress varied as a function of RSAR. Importantly, the RSAR profile (withdrawal vs. augmentation) associated with heightened sensitivity to coping suggestions varied as a function of the nature (interpersonal vs. noninterpersonal) of the laboratory challenge. In some cases, coping suggestions also predicted responses to stress independently of RSAR. This study extends previous work with children and adolescents and provides novel evidence that parasympathetic stress reactivity moderates the effects of parenting in emerging adulthood.