Supporting the supporter: Social support and physiological stress among caregivers of children with severe disabilities

The social, economic, and physical costs associated with providing long-term care for a child with disabilities can be overwhelming, and it is not uncommon for caregivers to experience burnout, emotional distress, and significant health ailments as a result of their commitment to their child. Social support can be a key resource to combat these negative effects, as ample research has shown that social support can act as a buffer to the negative effects of stress. The current study explored whether short-term supportive interactions between parents of children with disabilities and members of their supportive network (n = 40 dyads) influenced the physiological stress responses (as measured by salivary cortisol) of both interactants. Results indicated that receiving support in a short interaction resulted in parents experiencing decreases to their physiological stress, though the quality of the support played a key role in determining how beneficial the interaction was in this context. These results suggest the importance of considering support quality when examining the influence of social support on physical outcomes for support recipients.