Diastolic Blood Pressure Reactivity Research Articles

Blunted Cardiovascular Reactivity to Mental Stress in Black Americans With a Previous Myocardial Infarction: Impact of Childhood Trauma

BACKGROUND: Black Americans who survive a myocardial infarction (MI) experience more psychosocial stress in each stage of life and are more likely to have adverse cardiovascular outcomes than Americans from other racial/ethnic groups. Childhood trauma is associated with blunted cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress, which indicates dysregulation in the stress response system and predicts adverse cardiovascular outcomes. We tested the hypothesis that childhood trauma would be a stronger predictor of blunted cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress among Black relative to White Americans with a previous MI. METHODS: We studied 185 White and 314 Black Americans with a history of MI. Childhood trauma was assessed via the Early Trauma Inventory (range, 0-27), and an established cut point of 7 identified low or high childhood trauma. Heart rate (HR) and blood pressure were measured throughout baseline and a public speaking mental stress task. Based on existing studies, blunted HR, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure reactivity (HRR, SBPR, and DBPR) were defined as absolute responses in the lowest quartile. With the lowest risk group (White patients with low childhood trauma) as the referent, we used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios and 95% CIs for associations between the predictors (race/ethnicity and childhood trauma) and blunted reactivity while adjusting for resting HR and BP, sex, age, education, BMI, heart failure, beta blockers, and ACE inhibitors. Relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) was calculated to assess effect modification of childhood trauma on racial/ethnic disparities in blunted cardiovascular reactivity (RERI > 0 indicates positive effect modification). Results: The mean age for the entire sample was 51±7 years. Black patients had greater childhood trauma scores relative to White patients (8±6 vs 7±5; p<0.01). After adjusting for resting values, Black patients had lower HRR (22±13 vs 29±16 bpm; p<0.01), SBPR (39±17 vs 45±16 mmHg; p<0.01) and DBPR (27±12 vs 29±11 mmHg; p=0.03). Among both groups, childhood trauma scores were associated with lower HRR and SBPR ( p<0.05 for both) but not DBPR ( p=0.13). Black patients with high but not low childhood trauma had higher odds of blunted HRR (OR=2.20 [1.19, 4.08]), SBPR (OR=1.91 [1.03, 3.54]), and DBPR (OR=2.50 [1.33, 4.72]). The estimated joint effect of Black race/ethnicity and high childhood trauma on blunted HRR was greater than their individual effects (RERI=1.51 [0.47, 2.55]); similar findings were observed for SBPR (RERI=0.62 [-0.40, 1.64]) and DBPR (RERI=1.08 [-0.12, 2.27]), though to a lesser extent. CONCLUSION: Black Americans with a prior MI are more likely than their White counterparts to have a blunted cardiovascular response to mental stress that is contingent on greater childhood trauma. Greater emphasis should be placed on preventing childhood trauma in Black Americans to help mitigate cardiovascular heath disparities. This research was supported by NIH grants R01HL109413 and T32HL130025. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Social network size moderates the association between loneliness and cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress

Loneliness and objective measures of social isolation (e.g., social network size) have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the evidence is mixed and the precise causal mechanisms remain unclear. Cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to acute stress has been posited as a proposed mechanism. This study aimed to investigate: (i) effects of loneliness and social isolation on CVR to stress and, (ii) whether the loneliness – CVR relationship was moderated by social network size. Two hundred and six participants from the Pittsburgh Cold Study underwent a modified version of the Trier Social Stress Task. Cardiovascular measures of systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and heart rate (HR) were taken throughout the laboratory stress trial. Hierarchical regression analyses found that social network size was positively associated with DBP reactivity (β = 0.19 95 % CI [0.05, 0.29] p = 0.005), while loneliness was not. In addition, social network size moderated the loneliness - DBP reactivity relationship such that a higher number of outer social network ties were beneficial at lower levels of loneliness but not higher. The current study contributes new evidence linking loneliness and social network size to cardiovascular psychophysiology but raises questions about the loneliness - CVD relationship. The findings confirm the importance of social network size and highlight that the characteristics of the networks may be more important than the number of networks.

A pilot exploration of the relationships between optimism, affect, and cardiovascular reactivity.

Cardiovascular reactivity refers to changes in blood pressure and heart rate in response to internal or external stimuli. Previous research has shown that excessively high and low cardiovascular reactivity are associated with an increased risk of cardiac problems. Dispositional optimism has been associated with numerous health benefits, including better cardiovascular responses to stressors, and reduced mortality risk. Conversely, pessimism has been associated with negative health outcomes and worse cardiovascular reactivity to stress. Mood, comprising positive and negative affect, can significantly impact psychological adjustment and physical health. Therefore, it is important to consider mood as a potential confounding variable in the link between optimism and cardiovascular reactivity. The study hypothesized that optimism and pessimism would still influence cardiovascular reactivity even when mood variables were controlled for. A within-subjects correlational design with 107 young adult participants was used. Sociodemographic and clinical questionnaires were administered to collect information on participants' characteristics. The Dispositional Optimism Scale (LOT-R) and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) were used to assess participants' levels of optimism, pessimism, and mood. Measures of cardiovascular reactivity, including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR), were taken during a stressor task (PASAT). There is a moderate positive correlation between dispositional optimism and positive affect, while pessimism demonstrated a moderate positive association with negative affect. Linear regression analyses were conducted, controlling baseline reactivity variables, gender, and body mass index. The results showed that pessimism had a significant negative effect on SBP reactivity, suggesting that higher levels of pessimism decreased SBP response. Optimism had a significant positive effect on DBP reactivity, while pessimism had a significant negative effect. Overall, these results suggest that dispositional optimism and pessimism are related to cardiovascular reactivity, even after controlling for positive and negative affect. Pessimism was associated with lower SBP reactivity, while both optimism and pessimism influenced DBP reactivity. These findings are consistent with previous research indicating that optimism enables more effective stress management during challenging events, whereas pessimism can serve as a risk factor, heightening the likelihood of experiencing future cardiac issued caused by blunted cardiovascular reactivity.

Heart rate reactivity mediates the relationship between trait gratitude and acute myocardial infarction

ObjectiveThis study examines the relationship between trait gratitude and acute myocardial infarction. A burgeoning body of literature suggests that gratitude can play a role in regulating individual’s cardiovascular responses to stress which in turn, may reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease such as acute myocardial infarction. However, to date no research has examined these effects. MethodThis study used the Mid-Life in the United States dataset (MIDUS; N = 1031) to assess these relationships. Participants completed a standardised cardiovascular stress-testing laboratory protocol and were assessed at a second time-point; on average 6.7 years later. ResultsResults from logistic parallel mediation models suggest that trait gratitude was found to be significantly associated with reduced risk of acute myocardial infarction through the mechanism of increased heart rate reactivity, β = −0.098, 95%CI [− 0.331, − 0.010]. However, neither systolic nor diastolic blood pressure reactivity mediated this relationship. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that gratitude may be associated with certain aspects of physical health. Specifically, our study reveals a potential link between gratitude and cardiovascular reactivity, which could be a mechanism through which trait gratitude contributes to reductions in the risk of myocardial infarction. As such, this study highlights the potential utility of positive psychological factors, such as gratitude, in promoting cardiovascular health.

Physiological reactivity and habituation to acute psychological stress: The influence of trait extraversion

Background and aimsAdaptive physiological responses to stress have been suggested as a potential mechanism facilitating the association between extraversion and positive health outcomes. The present study examined the influence of extraversion on physiological reactivity and habituation to a standardized psychological stress task presented as two separate laboratory sessions approximately 48 days apart. MethodsThe present study utilized data from the Pittsburgh Cold Study 3. Participants in the study (N = 213, mean age = 30.13, SD = 10.85 years; female = 42.3 %) completed a standardized stress testing protocol twice, at two separate laboratory sessions. The stress protocol consisted of a speech preparation period (5-minutes), a public specking task (5-minutes), and a mental arithmetic task with observation (5-minutes). Trait extraversion was assessed using 10-items from the international personality item pool (IPIP). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and salivary cortisol (SC) were assessed throughout a baseline phase and the stress task phase. ResultsExtraversion was statistically significantly associated with larger DBP and HR reactivity in response to the initial stress exposure, as well as greater habituation of DBP, MAP and HR on repeated stress exposure. No statistically significant associations emerged between extraversion and SBP responses, SC responses or self-reported state affective responses. ConclusionExtraversion is associated with greater cardiovascular reactivity, as well as pronounced cardiovascular habituation to acute social stress. These findings may indicate an adaptive response pattern amongst highly extraverted individuals and a potential mechanism leading to positive health outcomes.

Dysregulated responses to stress and weight in people with type 2 diabetes

ObjectiveDysregulated stress responsivity has been linked with weight gain in healthy samples. However, the relationship between disturbances in stress-related biology and changes in weight in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is unclear. MethodA total of 66 participants with T2D underwent laboratory stress-testing in 2011–2012. Cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and inflammatory responses to standardised mental stress were assessed, and Body Mass Index (BMI) was measured. Participants self-reported information on BMI in 2019. Associations between stress-related biological responses and BMI at follow-up were modelled using linear regression adjusting for age, sex, resting biological levels and baseline BMI. ResultsBlunted diastolic blood pressure reactivity (B = −0.092, 95% CI -0.177; −0.007, p = 0.034) as well as poorer systolic blood pressure (B = −0.050, 95% CI -0.084; − 0.017, p = 0.004), diastolic blood pressure (B = −0.068, 95% CI -0.132; −0.004, p = 0.034) and heart rate (B = -0.122, 95% CI -0.015;-0.230, p = 0.027) recovery post-stress were associated with higher BMI 7.5 years later. Greater interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (B = 16.93, 95% CI 6.20; 27.67, p = 0.003) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 reactivity (B = 0.04, 95% CI 0.002; 0.084, p = 0.041) were associated with weight gain. No significant associations were detected for interleukin-6 or laboratory cortisol measures. ConclusionDisturbances in stress-related biology may promote weight gain in people with T2D. Research with a larger sample size is required to explore associations between stress responsivity and BMI in people with T2D.

Depressive symptoms, anxiety and social stress are associated with diminished cardiovascular reactivity in a psychological treatment-naive population

BackgroundThere is now an increasing appreciation of how psychological health can contribute to cardiovascular disease, called the mind-heart connection. A blunted cardiovascular reactivity to depression and anxiety may be responsible for the potential mechanism, however, with inconsistent results. Anti-psychological drugs have an effect on the cardiovascular system and, thus, may disturb their relationship. However, in treatment-naive individuals with psychological symptoms, no research has specifically evaluated the relationship between psychological state and cardiovascular reactivity. MethodsWe included 883 treatment-naive individuals who came from a longitudinal cohort study of Midlife in the United States. Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Liebowitz Social Anxiety scale (LSAS) and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), respectively. Cardiovascular reactivity was measured using standardized, laboratory-based stressful tasks. ResultsTreatment-naive individuals with depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 16), anxiety symptoms (STAI ≥ 54), and higher stress levels (PSS ≥ 27) had lower cardiovascular reactivity as assessed by systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactivity and heart rate (HR) reactivity (P < 0.05). Pearson analyses showed that psychological symptoms were correlated with lower SBP reactivity, DBP reactivity, and heart rate reactivity (P < 0.05). Multivariate linear regression showed that depression and anxiety were negatively related to lower cardiovascular reactivity (SBP, DBP and HR reactivity) after full adjustments (P < 0.05). Stress was associated with reduced SBP and DBP reactivity but with a nonsignificant association with HR reactivity (P = 0.056). ConclusionDepression, anxiety, and stress symptoms are associated with blunted cardiovascular reactivity in treatment-naive adult Americans. These findings suggest that blunted cardiovascular reactivity is an underlying mechanism linking psychological health and cardiovascular diseases.

Adolescent girls' cardiovascular responses to peer rejection: exploring the impact of early life stress.

Detrimental effects of early life stress on cardiovascular health are evident in adolescence. Cardiovascular reactivity and recovery in response to interpersonal stress may be a mechanism. This study aimed to evaluate if adolescent girls with higher early life stress demonstrated greater cardiovascular reactivity and slower recovery to peer rejection. A sample of 92 adolescent girls (age: M = 13.24) self-reported early life stressors. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were continuously measured before, during, and after a laboratory peer rejection paradigm. Counter to hypotheses, adolescent girls with higher early life stress had lower, not higher, HR during the recovery period. Early life stress was not associated with SBP or DBP recovery. Additionally, early life stress was not associated with SBP, DBP, or HR reactivity. Future research is needed to assess if blunted cardiovascular reactivity to interpersonal rejection during adolescence is a mechanism linking early life stress and later cardiovascular disease risk in women.

Life event stress is associated with blunted cardiovascular responding to both personally salient and personally non-salient laboratory tasks.

Life event stress has been associated with blunted cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress. However, recent studies have suggested that blunted reactivity to stress only arises when the laboratory tasks are not personally salient to the individual. We re-analyzed data from 136 healthy young adults where we had previously reported a negative association between life event stress and cardiovascular reactivity to two combined stressors. Participants completed a mental arithmetic task and a personally salient speech task, following a formal baseline period with Finometer-assessed cardiovascular parameters. The reanalyses examined reactivity to the verbal mental arithmetic (personally non-salient) and speech (personally salient) tasks separately and found that life event stress was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure reactivity, to both the personally non-salient, β=-.20, p=.023, and personally salient stressors, β=-.24, p=.004. Life event stress was negatively associated with systolic blood pressure reactivity to the personally salient stressor only, β=-.20, p=.021, and was not associated with heart rate reactivity. This study provides evidence against the argument that blunted reactivity to stress emerges as a result of stressor context, with findings indicating that low reactors show lower reactivity to both personally salient and personally non-salient stress.

Social integration: Implications for the association between childhood trauma and stress responsivity.

Childhood trauma is linked to the dysregulation of physiological responses to stress, particularly lower cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to acute stress. The mechanisms that explain this association, however, are not yet fully understood. Using secondary data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Biomarker Project (N = 1,148; n = 652 females), we examine whether social integration can help explain the association between childhood trauma and lower CVR. Participants completed a standardized laboratory stress paradigm which involved completing executive functioning (Stroop) and mental arithmetic (MATH) tasks. Cardiovascular measurements were continuously assessed using electrocardiogram (ECG) and Finometer equipment. The Social Well-Being Scale (Keyes, 1998) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ; Bernstein et al., 2003) measured social integration and trauma, respectively. Regression analyses demonstrated that childhood trauma was associated with lower systolic (SBP; β = -.14, p < .001) and diastolic (DBP; β = -.11, p < .001) blood pressure reactivity but not heart rate (HR) reactivity. Mediation analyses, using Hayes PROCESS Model 4, showed that higher levels of trauma were associated with less social integration and in turn linked to lower reactivity across all biological indices. Moreover, sensitivity analyses showed that this indirect effect via social integration was evident for emotional and physical abuse, emotional and physical neglect, but not sexual abuse. Overall, the results indicated that dysregulated cardiovascular stress responses owing to childhood trauma may be shaped by a lack of social integration. The implications of this, as well as the findings for the individual types of trauma, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Avoidant Personality Disorder Symptoms and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Psychological Stress Tasks With Increasing Cognitive Demands

Abstract. This study aimed to investigate whether and how avoidant personality disorder symptoms are related to cardiovascular reactivity to stress tasks with different levels of cognitive demands. The revised Chinese edition of the avoidant personality disorder subscale of Personality Diagnosed Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+) was administered to 222 undergraduate students randomly assigned to psychological stress tasks (i.e., mental arithmetic tasks) with low, moderate, or high cognitive demands (manipulated by task difficulty), during which their physiological data were continuously collected. Results showed that avoidant personality disorder symptoms and cognitive demands of tasks interactively predicted systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactivity. In specific, avoidant personality disorder symptoms were not associated with SBP reactivity under the low- and moderate-demand conditions and DBP reactivity under the low-demand condition but were associated with blunted SBP reactivity under the high-demand condition and blunted DBP reactivity under the moderate- and high-demand conditions. These findings indicate that the association between avoidant personality disorder symptoms and cardiovascular reactivity to psychological stress is contingent on the cognitive demands of tasks, which have potential implications for physical health.

Alpha-Adrenergic Mechanisms in the Cardiovascular Hyperreactivity to Norepinephrine-Infusion in Essential Hypertension.

AimsEssential hypertension (EHT) is characterized by cardiovascular hyperreactivity to stress but underlying mechanism are not fully understood. Here, we investigated the role of α-adrenergic receptors (α-AR) in the cardiovascular reactivity to a norepinephrine (NE)-stress reactivity-mimicking NE-infusion in essential hypertensive individuals (HT) as compared to normotensive individuals (NT).Methods24 male HT and 24 male NT participated in three experimental trials on three separate days with a 1-min infusion followed by a 15-min infusion. Trials varied in infusion-substances: placebo saline (Sal)-infusions (trial-1:Sal+Sal), NE-infusion without (trial-2:Sal+NE) or with non-selective α-AR blockade by phentolamine (PHE) (trial-3:PHE+NE). NE-infusion dosage (5µg/ml/min) and duration were chosen to mimic duration and physiological effects of NE-release in reaction to established stress induction protocols. We repeatedly measured systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) as well as heart rate before, during, and after infusions.ResultsSBP and DBP reactivity to the three infusion-trials differed between HT and NT (p’s≤.014). HT exhibited greater BP reactivity to NE-infusion alone compared to NT (trial-2-vs-trial-1: p’s≤.033). Group differences in DBP reactivity to NE disappeared with prior PHE blockade (trial-3: p=.26), while SBP reactivity differences remained (trial-3: p=.016). Heart rate reactivity to infusion-trials did not differ between HT and NT (p=.73).ConclusionOur findings suggest a mediating role of α-AR in DBP hyperreactivity to NE-infusion in EHT. However, in SBP hyperreactivity to NE-infusion in EHT, the functioning of α-AR seems impaired suggesting that the SBP hyperreactivity in hypertension is not mediated by α-AR.

A single session of exercise reduces blood pressure reactivity to stress: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Stressful situations are common in everyday life and disturb homeostasis. So, an exercise session is a strategy to mitigate blood pressure (BP) peaks in response to stress (i.e., BP reactivity), decreasing the cardiovascular risk. This is a systematic review and meta-analysis that aims to verify the effects of a single session of physical exercises on BP reactivity to stress in adults. The searches were performed in digital databases (MEDLINE, LILACS, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, and PsycInfo) and 29 studies were included, totaling 795 individuals (quantitative analysis: k = 25, n = 659). As for exercise characteristics, 21 of the 29 studies focused on aerobic exercises, and 23 studies focused on low to moderate intensities. As for the stress tests, we have them in the following order from the most to the least frequent: stroop color and word test, cold pressor test, arithmetic test, public speaking, handgrip, trier social stress test, and study task. Favorable metanalytic results (standardized mean differences through random-effects approach) for the exercises were found, with attenuated reactivity in systolic BP (pooled effect size = − 0.38 [− 0.49; − 0.27], representing average reductions of 3.7 ± 3.8 mmHg), diastolic BP (pooled effect size = − 0.51 [− 0.70; − 0.33], representing average reductions of 2.9 ± 3.7 mmHg), and mean BP (pooled effect size = − 0.51 [− 0.72; − 0.31], representing average reductions of 4.1 ± 3.3 mmHg). So, acute physical exercise lowers systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure reactivity in response to stressor tasks. However, given the small magnitude of effects, the clinical relevance of this result must be interpreted with caution and be better explored.

Associations between general trait anxiety, trait social anxiety and cardiovascular responses to social and non-social stressors

ObjectiveThe present study sought to examine whether anxiety propensity dimensions (general trait anxiety vs. trait social anxiety) interact with stressor types (tasks with social vs. non-social challenges) to determine cardiovascular stress responses. MethodsA 2 × 3 mixed-factorial experimental design was employed. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Social Performance and Social Interaction Anxiety Scales were administered to 233 participants, who engaged in a stress task with either social or non-social challenges during which their cardiovascular data were continuously collected. ResultsGeneral trait anxiety negatively predicted heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactivity (β = −0.16, p = 0.001; β = −0.17, p = 0.001; β = −0.18, p < 0.001), and positively predicted HR, SBP, DBP recovery (β = 0.16, p = 0.012; β = 0.15, p = 0.014; β = 0.15, p = 0.011), regardless of stress types. Social performance anxiety (β = −0.23, p = 0.002; β = −0.25, p = 0.001; β = −0.24, p = 0.001) and social interaction anxiety (β = −0.22, p < 0.001; β = −0.25, p < 0.001; β = −0.22, p < 0.001) only negatively predicted HR, SBP, DBP reactivity to the stress task with social challenges. No associations were observed between trait social anxiety and cardiovascular recovery from the stress task with social or non-social challenges. ConclusionsThese findings suggest that different trait anxiety dimensions interact with stressor types in affecting cardiovascular stress responses, which have different health implications.

A Longitudinal Study of Age-Based Change in Blood Pressure Reactivity and Negative Affect Reactivity to Natural Stressors.

Aging is theoretically accompanied by emotional gains, but physiological self-regulatory losses. Emotional and physiological regulation can be operationalized as the extent of an increase in negative affect and blood pressure upon experiencing a stressor (i.e., reactivity). The direction of age-based changes in negative affect reactivity to stressors is uncertain. In addition, evidence for age-based increases in blood pressure reactivity to stressors is based largely on age-based differences observed in cross-sectional and laboratory-based studies. The present study is the first to examine long-term longitudinal changes in stress-related reactivity for both blood pressure and negative affect in the natural environment. A total of 375 healthy adults aged 50 to 70 years completed 6 days of hourly ambulatory blood pressure assessment and electronic diary reports of social conflict and task demand and control. Two hundred fifty-five participants repeated 3 days of assessment in a 6-year follow-up. With reactivity operationalized as the change in an outcome in association with momentary social conflict, task strain, or task demand (i.e., a model-derived slope parameter), multilevel models were used to assess aging-based change in blood pressure and negative affect reactivity over the course of the 6-year follow-up. Aging is associated with increased diastolic blood pressure reactivity to social conflict and task demand (βsocial_conflict = 0.48, p = .007; βtask_demand = 0.19, p = .005), increases in negative affect reactivity to social conflict and task strain (βsocial_conflict = 0.10, p < .001; βtask_strain = 0.08, p = .016), and increases in systolic blood pressure reactivity to task-based stress (βtask_strain = 1.29, p = .007; βtask_demand = 0.23 p = .032). Findings suggest age-based increases in affective and cardiovascular reactivity to natural stressors.

Stress system dysfunction revealed by integrating reactivity of stress pathways to psychological stress in lean and overweight/obese men.

Although the patterns of response within the sympathoadrenal medullary (SAM) system and hypothalamo-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis are interesting and important in their own accord, the overall response to acute psychological stress involves reactivity of both pathways. We tested the hypothesis that consideration of the integrated response of these pathways may reveal dysregulation of the stress systems, which is not evident when considering either system alone. Age-matched lean and overweight/obese men were subjected to a Trier Social Stress Test and reactivity of the SAM system (salivary α-amylase, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate) and the HPA axis (salivary cortisol) were measured. Relative reactivity of SAM system and HPA axis was calculated as the ratio between the measures from each pathway. Although analysis of reactivity of individual stress pathways showed no evidence of dysfunction in overweight/obese compared with lean men, analysis of HPA/SAM reactivity revealed significantly lower cortisol over systolic blood pressure (CoSBP) and cortisol over diastolic blood pressure (CoDBP) reactivity in overweight/obese compared with lean men. Other measures of HPA/SAM reactivity and all measures of SAM/HPA reactivity were unaltered in overweight/obese compared with lean men. These findings suggest that the cortisol response per unit of blood pressure response is blunted in men with elevated adiposity. Furthermore, these findings support a notion of a coordinated overall approach to activation of the stress pathways with the degree of activation in one pathway being related to the degree of activation in the other.

Goal conflict in retirement: Implications for satisfaction, goal pursuit, and health

AbstractWe investigated goal conflict between romantic relationships and individual goals. In Study 1, 25 retired couples (N = 50) discussed a goal perceived as conflicting with the relationship. Dyadic results suggest both actor and partner general perceptions of goal conflict predicted lower relationship satisfaction. Goal conflict around the goal discussed predicted lower responsiveness from partners, higher negative affect, and diastolic blood pressure reactivity. In Study 2, goal conflict in retired, married individuals (N = 185) was negatively associated with closeness, self‐efficacy, and mental and physical health. Relationship satisfaction was a mechanism behind associations with goal conflict across studies. This research demonstrates negative implications of goal conflict for relationship and individual well‐being during retirement. Findings contribute to a growing literature suggesting that goals and support for growth are important as we age. Further, results suggest that goal conflict is detrimental to health, which is essential to protect in older adulthood.

Altered Cardiovascular Reactivity to and Recovery from Cold Face Test-Induced Parasympathetic Stimulation in Essential Hypertension.

Essential hypertension is associated with increased sympathetic and diminished parasympathetic activity as well as impaired reactivity to sympathetic stimulation. However, reactivity and recovery from parasympathetic stimulation in hypertension are unknown. We investigated reactivity and recovery to primarily parasympathetic stimulation by Cold Face Test (CFT) in essential hypertension. Moreover, we tested whether chronic stress modulates CFT-reactivity dependent on hypertension status. The CFT was conducted by applying a cold face-mask for 2 min in 24 unmedicated, otherwise healthy hypertensive men and in 24 normotensive controls. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured repeatedly. Chronic stress was assessed with the Trier-Inventory-for-Chronic-Stress-Screening-Scale. Hypertensives did not exhibit diastolic BP decreases after CFT-cessation (p = 0.59) as did normotensives (p = 0.002) and failed to show HR decreases in immediate response to CFT (p = 0.62) when compared to normotensives (p < 0.001). Systolic BP reactivity and recovery patterns did not differ between hypertensives and normotensives (p = 0.44). Chronic stress moderated HR (p = 0.045) but not BP CFT-reactivity (p′s > 0.64) with chronically stressed normotensives showing similar HR reactivity as hypertensives. Our findings indicate impaired diastolic BP and HR reactivity to and recovery from CFT in hypertensives and a moderating effect of chronic stress on HR reactivity potentially reflecting reduced relaxation ability of the cardiovascular system.

A randomized trial of race-related stress among African Americans with chronic kidney disease

ObjectiveAfrican Americans progress from early to late-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) at a rate that is three times that of Whites. Given research that implicates social stress in poor kidney outcomes, there is a need to examine whether race-related stress contributes to these disparities. Through experimental manipulation, this study sought to determine whether acute race-related stress was associated with autonomic arousal and an inflammatory marker, which are well-established pathways to poor kidney outcomes. Further we tested the hypothesis that expectations of racism may moderate this relationship. MethodFifty-two African American patients along the CKD continuum were randomized to recall a general or race-related stressful experience. Before, during, and after the recall, patients’ blood pressure and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) were monitored. Prior to the experimental manipulation, participants completed self-reported measures of expectations of racism. ResultsAcross both study conditions, change in self-reported distress from baseline to stress was associated with both systolic and diastolic reactivity (both ps <.01), but not change in IL-6 responses (all ps > 0.05). A significant interaction revealed that those who were randomized to recall a race-related stressor demonstrated less diastolic blood pressure reactivity (F=4.80, p<.05) if they scored lower in expectations of racism as compared to those who scored high. Moreover, those who were randomized to the race-related stressor demonstrated greater increase in IL-6 from 45 to 90 min post-recall than those who recalled a general stressor (F=6.35, p<.05). ConclusionsAcute race-related stress may be associated with autonomic arousal and inflammatory response among African American patients along the CKD continuum, suggesting the need to further understand its role in racial disparities in CKD progression.

A comparative study of blood pressure responses after sustained isometric hand grip exercise test in normotensive and hypertensive Indian adults

Background: In India, hypertension accounts for 10.8% of mortality. Isometric handgrip exercise test is reliable test to check cardiovascular responses to stress. A blood pressure response to physical stress depends on various factors such as gender, body mass index, and resting blood pressure. This study was carried out to evaluate blood pressure reactivity by isometric hand grip exercise test in hypertensive adults. Aim and Objective: This study aims to compare the blood pressure reactivity in hypertensive subjects with the normotensive Subjects. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among 100 participants of Shree Krishna Hospital and Pramukhswami Medical College, Karamsad, and its associated extension centers during August 2017–April 2018. Patients with following conditions were excluded (yogic, athletes, alcoholics, subjects with diabetics, or coronary artery disease). The isometric handgrip exercise was performed at an intensity of 30% maximum voluntary contraction for 1 min. Pulse rate and blood pressure were measured immediately after exercise and during recovery period of 1 min, 2 min, and 3 min. Results: Rise of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was observed immediately after isometric exercise in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. SBP and heart rate (HR) reactivity to isometric exercise did not significantly differed between normotensive subject (ΔSBP = +14.2%, ΔHR = +7.1%) and hypertensive subject (ΔSBP = +8.5%, ΔHR = +3.1%). However, DBP reactivity to isometric exercise was significantly higher in normotensive subject (ΔDBP= +14.5%) as compared to hypertensive subject (ΔDBP= +6.8%). Failure to rise or impaired DBP reactivity was seen in hypertensives. Conclusion: SBP, DBP, and HR were increased immediately after isometric exercise in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. However, only DBP reactivity immediately after isometric exercise was significantly impaired in hypertensive subject than normotensive subject.