High resting parasympathetic or sympathetic activity combined with a greater physiological response to challenge protected lonely young adults from elevated anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances.
Cross-Sectional (n=188)
High resting autonomic nervous system activity combined with a greater physiological response to challenge may protect lonely young adults from depressive symptoms, anxiety, and sleep disturbances.
Both loneliness and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity have been implicated as factors associated with young adult mental health and well-being. Recent work has begun to study how patterns of ANS functioning both at rest and in response to challenge may together predict mental health. For example, high parasympathetic activity at rest in combination with a decrease in parasympathetic activity in response to challenge predicts lower internalizing symptoms. Rarely have the joint influences of loneliness and patterns of ANS activity on young adult health been examined, and limited work has explored these relations among measures of sympathetic activity. The present study examined how ANS activity at rest and in response to challenge moderated the impact of loneliness on young adult self-reported adjustment, using measures of both parasympathetic (high-frequency heart rate variability, HF-HRV) and sympathetic (pre-ejection period, PEP) activity. Participants were 188 undergraduates. Results revealed that the combination of high resting HF-HRV and a greater HF-HRV decrease in response to challenge protected young adults from depressive symptoms and sleep disturbances in the context of high loneliness. Low resting PEP (indicating high sympathetic activity) and a greater PEP decrease in response to challenge protected lonely young adults from elevated anxiety and depressive symptoms. High resting activity in either system in combination with a greater physiological response to challenge may best support coping with loneliness.
Philbrook et al. (Mon,) conducted a cross-sectional in Loneliness and mental health adjustment (n=188). Autonomic nervous system activity (HF-HRV and PEP) at rest and in response to challenge was evaluated on Self-reported adjustment (depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances, anxiety). High resting parasympathetic or sympathetic activity combined with a greater physiological response to challenge protected lonely young adults from elevated anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep disturbances.