Abstract
Depression and anger/aggression-related traits are thought to promote coronary disease, at least in part, through their associations with stress-related cardiovascular processes. It is unclear whether the effects of these factors on cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) are redundant, additive, or synergistic. The main goal of this study was to examine the independent and interactive effects of depressive symptoms and anger/aggression-related traits in promoting CVR. Participants were 63 healthy females who completed the Beck Depression Inventory and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and performed a stressful speaking task. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and heart rate were recorded. Significant interaction effects indicated that depressive symptoms were positively associated with SBP and DBP reactivity among women high in verbal aggression but not among those low in verbal aggression. Depressive symptoms and verbal aggression may interact to promote exaggerated blood pressure responses to stressors, a possible marker for mechanisms that contribute to heart disease.
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