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Hutson MJ, O'Donnell E, McConnell K, Chauntry AJ, Blagrove RC. Energy availability modulates regional blood flow via estrogen-independent pathways in regularly menstruating young women. Eur J Appl Physiol 2024:10.1007/s00421-024-05497-0. [PMID: 38809480 DOI: 10.1007/s00421-024-05497-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the impact of short-term low energy availability (LEA) on vascular function in young, regularly menstruating women. METHODS Participants were 19 women, aged 22.9 ± 4.2 years, with body mass index 18-30 kg·m2. They were divided into two groups and completed two conditions in a crossover design: a 3-day control condition (CON) with an energy availability of 45 kcals·kgFFM-1·day-1 and a 3-day LEA condition of 15 kcals·kgFFM-1 day-1. Assessments were conducted during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. Outcome measures included forearm blood flow (FBF), heart rate, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, resting energy expenditure (REE), metabolic blood markers and body composition. RESULTS Significant time-by-condition interactions were found for resting FBF (p = .004), REE (p = .042), triiodothyronine (p = .006), β-hydroxybutyrate (p = .002) and body mass (p < .001). Resting FBF was 1.43 ± 1.01 and 1.31 ± 0.61 (arbitrary units) at pre and post, respectively, in LEA and 1.52 ± 0.7 and 1.76 ± 0.57 at pre and post in CON. The LEA condition led to a decrease in triiodothyronine (pre: 1.54 ± 0.28, post: 1.29 ± 0.27 ng ml-1), REE (pre: 1588 ± 165, post: 1487 ± 160 kcals day-1) and body mass (pre: 61.4 ± 7.5, post: 59.6 ± 7.3 kg). Changes in resting FBF were significantly correlated with changes in REE in the LEA condition (r = 0.53; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION Short-term LEA modifies regional blood flow and this might contribute to the observed decreased in REE. Findings emphasize the need for careful management of energy availability in populations at risk of LEA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark J Hutson
- Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, School of Sport, Ulster University, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, UK.
| | - Emma O'Donnell
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK
| | - Kyle McConnell
- Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, School of Sport, Ulster University, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, UK
| | - Aiden J Chauntry
- Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Richard C Blagrove
- School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK
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Heming M, Angerer P, Apolinário-Hagen J, Liszio S, Nater UM, Skoluda N, Weber J. Hair cortisol concentration and its association with acute stress responses and recovery in a sample of medical students in Germany. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2024; 163:106986. [PMID: 38367529 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.106986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Experiencing acute and chronic stress can contribute to adverse health outcomes. Responses to acute stress differ between individuals (i.e., stress reactivity) and the experience of chronic stress has been discussed to be associated with acute stress responses and stress recovery. This study thus aims to investigate whether hair cortisol concentration (HCC), being an indicator for hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity over a prolonged period of time, is associated with acute stress responses and recovery in a sample of medical students. MATERIAL AND METHODS From July 2020 to July 2021, medical students (n = 54) underwent a virtual-reality Trier Social Stress Test in which their blood pressure and heart rate variability (HRV) were measured, and hair samples were taken to determine HCC. Piecewise linear growth analyses were used to investigate whether HCC (categorized into low, medium and high levels) is associated with acute stress responses and recovery regarding blood pressure and HRV. RESULTS Significant interaction effects in piecewise linear growth analyses showed that participants with higher levels of HCC had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses compared to participants with medium levels of HCC. No significant interaction effects were observed for HRV responses or for recovery measures. CONCLUSIONS The study suggests that higher levels of HCC are associated with a lower cardiovascular response in terms of blood pressure to an acute stressor in medical students. Therefore, long-term HPA-axis activity may contribute to different magnitudes of acute stress responses in the autonomic nervous system. As the shown lower blood pressure responses to acute stress in individuals with increased long-term HPA-axis activity may represent inadequate stress responses, these should be further studied in order to find out more about their interaction and potential subsequent disease risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Heming
- Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Peter Angerer
- Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jennifer Apolinário-Hagen
- Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Stefan Liszio
- Center for Virtual and Extended Reality in Medicine, University Hospital Essen, Germany
| | - Urs Markus Nater
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; University Research Platform "The Stress of Life (SOLE) - Processes and Mechanisms underlying Everyday Life Stress", University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Nadine Skoluda
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, 1010 Vienna, Austria; University Research Platform "The Stress of Life (SOLE) - Processes and Mechanisms underlying Everyday Life Stress", University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jeannette Weber
- Institute of Occupational, Social, and Environmental Medicine, Centre for Health and Society, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Moorenstraße 5, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
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White SC, Ruiz JM, Allison M, Uchino BN, Smith TW, Taylor DJ, Jones DR, Russell MA, Ansell EB, Smyth JM. Cardiovascular risk, social vigilance, and stress profiles of male law enforcement officers versus civilians. Health Psychol Open 2024; 11:20551029241244723. [PMID: 38586533 PMCID: PMC10996355 DOI: 10.1177/20551029241244723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
This study examined the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles of male law enforcement officers (LEOs) and civilians. CVD risk profiles were based on data collected using traditional objective (e.g., resting BP, cholesterol), novel objective (e.g., ambulatory BP) and self-report measures (e.g., EMA social vigilance). A subset of male LEOs (n = 30, M age = 41.47, SD = 8.03) and male civilians (n = 120, M age = 40.73, SD = 13.52) from a larger study were included in analyses. Results indicated LEOs had significantly higher body mass index [BMI], 31.17 kg/m2 versus 28.87 kg/m2, and exhibited significantly higher trait and state social vigilance across multiple measures, whereas perceived stress was higher among civilians. Findings highlight the need for future research examining CVD risk associated with occupational health disparities, including attributes of individuals entering certain professions as well as experiential and environmental demands of the work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon C White
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, USA
| | - John M Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, USA
| | - Matthew Allison
- Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, University of California San Diego, USA
| | | | | | | | - Dusti R Jones
- Center for Health Outcomes and Population Equity (HOPE), University of Utah, USA
| | - Michael A Russell
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, USA
| | - Emily B Ansell
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, USA
| | - Joshua M Smyth
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, USA
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Gianola M, Llabre MM, Gallo LC, Daviglus ML, Sotres-Alvarez D, Schneiderman N. Language Preference and its Moderating Role in Coping with Stress: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. MEDICAL RESEARCH ARCHIVES 2023; 11:10.18103/mra.v11i10.4625. [PMID: 38846550 PMCID: PMC11156427 DOI: 10.18103/mra.v11i10.4625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Stress and stressful events are widely accepted risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, including coronary heart disease and diabetes. As language plays a seminal role in development and regulation of emotions and appraisals of stressful situations, it may contribute to documented differences in the stress-cardiometabolic disease association across ethnic groups. We investigated associations between language preferences (Spanish vs English) and downstream health consequences of stress. Using data from the Sociocultural Ancillary Study of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, we assessed the relationship between reported stress and risk factors (alcohol use, smoking, body mass index, depressive symptoms) and prevalence of self-reported (coronary heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]) and clinically assessed chronic conditions (diabetes, hypertension) among 5154 Hispanic/Latino adults living in the US. Factor analysis was used to calculate a composite stress variable from participants' self-reported chronic stress, perceived stress, and adverse childhood experiences. Sampling weights and survey methodology were integrated in all analyses to account for this study's complex survey design. After controlling for sociodemographic factors (Hispanic/Latino background, study site, years in the US, social acculturation, education, income, age, sex), higher composite stress scores were associated with elevated risk factors and greater prevalence of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and COPD. Furthermore, the relationship between stress and COPD was significantly stronger among Hispanic/Latino adults who preferred to be interviewed in Spanish (compared to English). Stronger connections between stress and likelihood of drinking alcohol among English-preferring persons also emerged. These results are interpreted in light of the Hispanic health paradox and the role of cultural processes in the development of health risk factors and chronic conditions. Our findings can be integrated into relevant approaches to address health disparities within and across Hispanic/Latino populations in the US.
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Lin FV, Heffner KL. Autonomic nervous system flexibility for understanding brain aging. Ageing Res Rev 2023; 90:102016. [PMID: 37459967 PMCID: PMC10530154 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.102016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
A recent call was made for autonomic nervous system (ANS) measures as digital health markers for early detection of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (AD/ADRD). Nevertheless, contradictory or inconclusive findings exist. To help advance understanding of ANS' role in dementia, we draw upon aging and dementia-related literature, and propose a framework that centers on the role of ANS flexibility to guide future work on application of ANS function to differentiating the degree and type of dementia-related brain pathologies. We first provide a brief review of literature within the past 10 years on ANS and dementia-related brain pathologies. Next, we present an ANS flexibility model, describing how the model can be applied to understand these brain pathologies, as well as differentiate or even be leveraged to modify typical brain aging and dementia. Lastly, we briefly discuss the implication of the model for understanding resilience and vulnerability to dementia-related outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng V Lin
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, USA; Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, Stanford University, USA.
| | - Kathi L Heffner
- School of Nursing, University of Rochester, USA; Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, USA; Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, USA
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Park HC, Oh J. The relationship between stress and sleep quality: The mediating effect of fatigue and dizziness among patients with cardiovascular disease. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e33837. [PMID: 37335686 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000033837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of non-noncommunicable disease mortality worldwide. Therefore, this study analyzes the mediating effect of dizziness and fatigue in the relationship between stress and sleep quality in patients with heart disease. This study was conducted on patients with heart disease diagnosed by a cardiologist from December 7, 2021 to August 30, 2022 at the Outpatient Department of Cardiology at Hanyang University Hospital in Guri-si, Gyeonggi-do. To verify the serial multiple mediation effect, serial multiple mediation analysis was performed using SPSS Macro Process Model 6 as the most appropriate verification method for this study. The analysis indicated that the more dizziness a participant experienced, the more severe their physical and psychological fatigue and the poorer their quality of sleep. Also, the more severe the physical fatigue, the worse the psychological fatigue and the worse the quality of sleep. In other words, the more severe the psychological fatigue, the poorer the quality of sleep. In summary, in the relationship in which stress in patients with heart disease affects sleep quality, stress is a variable that directly affects sleep quality, and this means that the stress of patients with heart disease can affect the quality of sleep through the parameters, dizziness and fatigue, sequentially; this research model can thus be considered a partial mediator model. Fatigue in patients with cardiovascular disease had a direct effect on sleep quality, and there was a mediating effect through dizziness and fatigue in the relationship between stress and sleep quality. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a sleep management program that can improve the quality of sleep in patients with cardiovascular disease as well as a nursing intervention plan that can alleviate fatigue and control stress in such patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hwan-Cheol Park
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri City, South Korea
| | - Jihyun Oh
- Department of Nursing, College of Nursing and Health, Kongju National University, Kongju, South Korea
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O'Brien WH, Peijisel C, Koerten H, Bunyarit I, Lim S, Chavanovanich J. Lesser degree of HR and HF-HRV recovery from an evaluative stressor is associated with higher levels of perfectionism and self-compassion. Behav Res Ther 2023; 164:104305. [PMID: 37028227 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2023.104305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Lucas T, Yamin JB, Krohner S, Goetz SMM, Kopetz C, Lumley MA. Writing about justice and injustice: Complex effects on affect, performance, threat, and biological responses to acute social stress among african American women and men. Soc Sci Med 2023; 316:115019. [PMID: 35589454 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Brief, culturally-tailored, and scalable stress coping interventions are needed to address a broad range of stress-related health disparities, including among African Americans. In this study, we develop two brief justice writing interventions and demonstrate a methodological approach for evaluating how prompting African Americans to think about justice and injustice can alter responses to acute social stress. METHODS African American women and men were randomized to a neutral writing condition or one of two justice-based writing interventions, which prompted them to recall past experiences of personal justice - with (adjunctive injustice) or without (personal justice-only) recalling and writing about injustice. Participants then completed a modified Trier Social Stress Test, during which they received feedback on poor performance. We measured cognitive performance, affect, and perceived threat in response to task feedback. We also measured blood pressure and salivary cortisol stress responses. RESULTS Men experienced more positive emotion, performed better on the stressor task, and were less threatened by poor performance feedback in the personal justice-only condition. Men also had lower systolic blood pressure reactivity in the justice writing conditions compared to control. Women experienced less positive emotion, performed worse on the stressor task, and were more threatened by feedback in the personal justice-only condition. Women also had lower cortisol recovery after the stressor task in the adjunctive injustice condition. CONCLUSION Thinking about justice and injustice may alter performance, affect, threat, and biological responses to acute social stress. Still, gender differences highlight that justice thinking is likely to produce heterogeneous and complex stress coping responses among African Americans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Lucas
- Division of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 200 East 1st Street, Flint, MI, 48502, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 909 Wilson Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
| | - Jolin B Yamin
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Shoshana Krohner
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Stefan M M Goetz
- Peace Research Institute Oslo, Hausmanns Gate 3, Oslo, 0186, Norway
| | - Catalina Kopetz
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
| | - Mark A Lumley
- Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI, 48202, USA
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Jordan KD, Smith TW. Adaptation to social-evaluative threat: Effects of repeated acceptance and status stressors on cardiovascular reactivity. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 183:61-70. [PMID: 36403804 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Social-evaluative threat plays a key role in research on stress, health and related psychophysiological mechanisms such as cardiovascular reactivity (CVR). Social-evaluative threats can activate two broad social motives: striving for status, achievement and influence, and/or striving for acceptance, inclusion, and connection. Prior research emphasizes threats related to status (e.g., task performance) or combined threats to status and acceptance, obscuring their independent effects. Further, because prior research has mostly utilized single stressors, it is not clear if effects of social-evaluative threats involving status and acceptance on CVR persist or adapt quickly over repeated exposures. To address these issues, 139 undergraduates (93 females) were randomly assigned to undergo two repetitions of a stressful role-played interaction with a pre-recorded antagonistic partner under one of four conditions in a factorial design: low evaluative threat, high status threat only, high acceptance threat only, or a combined threat. In a single laboratory session, systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded during baseline and two stressor exposures. Task-induced CVR demonstrated significant adaptation across exposures. Both forms of social evaluative threat produced additional CVR, and these differences between high and low social-evaluative threat were generally maintained across exposures. Hence, threats to social status and acceptance have independent and sustained effects on CVR across multiple stressor exposures, even in the context of overall adaptation of cardiovascular responses.
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Leavy B, O'Connell BH, O'Shea D. Gratitude, affect balance, and stress buffering: A growth curve examination of cardiovascular responses to a laboratory stress task. Int J Psychophysiol 2023; 183:103-116. [PMID: 36442667 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous research has indicated that gratitude and affect-balance play key stress-buffering roles. However, to date there is limited research on the impact of gratitude and affect balance on cardiovascular recovery from acute psychological stress, and whether affect balance moderates the relationship between gratitude and cardiovascular reactions to acute psychological stress. In this study, 68 adults completed measures of state gratitude, positive and negative affect, and completed a laboratory-based cardiovascular stress-testing protocol. This incorporated a 20-minute acclimatization period, a 10-minute baseline, a 6-minute arithmetic stress task, and an 8-minute recovery period. Mixed-effects growth curve models were fit and the results indicated that state gratitude predicted lower systolic blood pressure responses throughout the stress-testing period. Affect balance was found to moderate the association between state gratitude and diastolic blood pressure responses to stress, amplifying the effects of state gratitude. These findings suggest that state gratitude has a unique stress-buffering effect on both reactions to and recovery from acute psychological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Leavy
- Department of Psychology, Maynooth University, Kildare, Ireland.
| | | | - Deirdre O'Shea
- Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland
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Stuyck H, Dalla Costa L, Cleeremans A, Van den Bussche E. Validity of the Empatica E4 wristband to estimate resting-state heart rate variability in a lab-based context. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 182:105-118. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.10.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Bachman SL, Nashiro K, Yoo H, Wang D, Thayer JF, Mather M. Associations between locus coeruleus MRI contrast and physiological responses to acute stress in younger and older adults. Brain Res 2022; 1796:148070. [PMID: 36088961 PMCID: PMC9805382 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2022.148070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Acute stress activates the brain's locus coeruleus (LC)-noradrenaline system. Recent studies indicate that a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based measure of LC structure is associated with better cognitive outcomes in later life. Yet despite the LC's documented role in promoting physiological arousal during acute stress, no studies have examined whether MRI-assessed LC structure is related to arousal responses to acute stress. In this study, 102 younger and 51 older adults completed an acute stress induction task while we assessed multiple measures of physiological arousal (heart rate, breathing rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, sympathetic tone, and heart rate variability, HRV). We used turbo spin echo MRI scans to quantify LC MRI contrast as a measure of LC structure. We applied univariate and multivariate approaches to assess how LC MRI contrast was associated with arousal at rest and during acute stress reactivity and recovery. In older participants, having higher caudal LC MRI contrast was associated with greater stress-related increases in systolic blood pressure and decreases in HRV, as well as lower HRV during recovery from acute stress. These results suggest that having higher caudal LC MRI contrast in older adulthood is associated with more pronounced physiological responses to acute stress. Further work is needed to confirm these patterns in larger samples of older adults.
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Villains or vermin? The differential effects of criminal and animal rhetoric on immigrant cardiovascular responses. GROUP PROCESSES & INTERGROUP RELATIONS 2022. [DOI: 10.1177/13684302221098009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Prejudicial stressors are well documented and have been shown to elicit both cardiovascular threat responses as well as poor poststressor cardiovascular recovery among targets of prejudice, but these responses may be even stronger if those prejudicial stressors involve dehumanizing, animalistic content. We predicted that immigrant participants who are exposed to animal metaphors in an attempt to elicit feelings of dehumanization (i.e., metadehumanization) would exhibit both larger cardiovascular threat responses and poorer poststressor recovery, as mediated by the presence of state-rumination, than participants exposed to criminal metaphors. We examined the cardiovascular reactivity and recovery of 150 first- and second-generation U.S. immigrants during nonimmigration and immigration speech tasks. For the immigration speech, participants were randomly assigned to read a fabricated article that either primed prejudicial attitudes via animal metaphors or via criminal metaphors about immigrants. Controlling for nonimmigration speech reactivity, results showed that threat responses were significantly greater among those primed with animal metaphors compared to those primed with criminal metaphors. These effects were prolonged, such that participants in the animal condition displayed poorer recovery after the task compared to those in the criminal condition. Participants with greater levels of state-rumination also exhibited poorer recovery than those who ruminated less. These results showcase the more insidious cardiovascular stress responses to dehumanizing prejudice compared with nondehumanizing rhetoric. Implications of these findings are discussed.
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Wesarg C, Van den Akker AL, Oei NY, Wiers RW, Staaks J, Thayer JF, Williams DP, Hoeve M. Childhood adversity and vagal regulation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 143:104920. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Ong AD, Leger KA. Advancing the Study of Resilience to Daily Stressors. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 17:1591-1603. [PMID: 35748196 PMCID: PMC10122438 DOI: 10.1177/17456916211071092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Historically, studies of childhood and adult resilience have typically focused on adaptation to chronic life adversities, such as poverty and maltreatment, or isolated and potentially traumatic events, such as bereavement and serious illness. Here, we present a complementary view and suggest that stressors experienced in daily life may also forecast individual health and well-being. We argue that daily process approaches that incorporate intensive sampling of individuals in natural settings can provide powerful insights into unfolding adaptational processes. In making this argument, we review studies that link intraindividual dynamics with diverse health-related phenomena. Findings from this research provide support for a multiple-levels-analysis perspective that embraces greater unity in pivotal resilience constructs invoked across childhood and adult literatures. Drawing on insights and principles derived from life-span theory, we conclude by outlining promising directions for future work and considering their broader implications for the field of resilience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony D Ong
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University.,Center for Integrative Developmental Science, Cornell University
| | - Kate A Leger
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky
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Standen EC, Finch LE, Tiongco-Hofschneider L, Schopp E, Lee KM, Parker JE, Bamishigbin ON, Tomiyama AJ. Healthy versus unhealthy comfort eating for psychophysiological stress recovery in low-income Black and Latinx adults. Appetite 2022; 176:106140. [PMID: 35718313 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Low-income Black and Latinx individuals are disproportionately vulnerable to chronic stress and metabolic disease. Evidence suggests that these populations engage in elevated levels of comfort eating (i.e., eating comforting food to alleviate stress), which can harm diet quality. For this reason, many interventions discourage comfort eating. However, if comfort eating does indeed buffer stress, it may be a protective health behavior, particularly if healthy foods (e.g., strawberries) buffer stress as effectively as traditional unhealthy comfort foods (e.g., brownies). By choosing healthy foods, people may be able to simultaneously improve their nutrition and reduce their stress levels, both of which have the potential to reduce health disparities among chronically stressed populations. The present study tested the efficacy of healthy and unhealthy comfort eating for improving psychophysiological stress recovery. A sample of low-income Black and Latinx individuals (N = 129) were randomly assigned to consume a healthy food (e.g., grapes), unhealthy comfort food (e.g., chips), or no food after exposure to a laboratory stressor. Throughout, we measured participants' psychophysiological stress responses, including self-reported stress, rumination, autonomic nervous system activation (i.e., electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate variability (HRV)) and neuroendocrine responses (i.e., salivary cortisol). We compared participants' stress recovery trajectories by condition and found no significant group differences (p = 0.12 for self-reported stress; p = 0.92 for EDA; p = 0.22 for HRV, p = 1.00 for cortisol). Participants in all conditions showed decreases in self-reported stress and in cortisol post-stressor (ps < 0.01), but rates of decline did not differ by condition (i.e., healthy or unhealthy comfort food, brief no-food waiting period). Although null, these results are important because they challenge the widely-held assumption that comfort foods help people decrease stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin C Standen
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, 75 E River Road, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA.
| | - Laura E Finch
- NORC at the University of Chicago, 55 East Monroe Street, Chicago, IL, 60603, USA.
| | | | - Emma Schopp
- National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
| | - Kristen M Lee
- University of California, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Jordan E Parker
- University of California, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | | | - A Janet Tomiyama
- University of California, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
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17
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Bourassa KJ, Sbarra DA. Cardiovascular reactivity, stress, and personal emotional salience: Choose your tasks carefully. Psychophysiology 2022; 59:e14037. [PMID: 35292974 PMCID: PMC9283235 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Both greater cardiovascular reactivity and lesser reactivity ("blunting") to laboratory stressors are linked to poor health outcomes, including among people who have a history of traumatic experiences. In a sample of recently separated and divorced adults (N = 96), this study examined whether differences in cardiovascular reactivity might be explained by differences in the personal emotional salience of the tasks and trauma history. Participants were assessed for trauma history, current distress related to their marital dissolution, and cardiovascular reactivity during two tasks, a serial subtraction math stressor task and a divorce-recall task. Participants with a greater trauma history evidenced less blood pressure reactivity to the serial subtraction task (a low personal emotional salience task) when compared to participants with less trauma history. In contrast, participants with a greater trauma history evidenced higher blood pressure reactivity to the divorce-recall task, but only if they also reported more divorce-related distress (high personal emotional salience). These associations were not significant for heart rate reactivity. Among people with a history of more traumatic experiences, a task with low personal salience was associated with a lower blood pressure response, whereas a task with higher personal emotional salience was associated with a higher blood pressure response. Future studies examining cardiovascular reactivity would benefit from determining the personal emotional salience of tasks, particularly for groups that have experienced stressful life events or trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle J Bourassa
- Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Geriatrics Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham VA Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - David A Sbarra
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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18
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Cross MP, Acevedo AM, Leger KA, Pressman SD. How and Why Could Smiling Influence Physical Health? A Conceptual Review. Health Psychol Rev 2022; 17:321-343. [PMID: 35285408 DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2022.2052740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Smiling has been a topic of interest to psychologists for decades, with a myriad of studies tying this behavior to well-being. Despite this, we know surprisingly little about the nature of the connections between smiling and physical health. We review the literature connecting both naturally occurring smiles and experimentally manipulated smiles to physical health and health-relevant outcomes. This work is discussed in the context of existing affect and health-relevant theoretical models that help explain the connection between smiling and physical health including the facial feedback hypothesis, the undoing hypothesis, the generalized unsafety theory of stress, and polyvagal theory. We also describe a number of plausible pathways, some new and relatively untested, through which smiling may influence physical health such as trait or state positive affect, social relationships, stress buffering, and the oculocardiac reflex. Finally, we provide a discussion of possible future directions, including the importance of cultural variation and replication. Although this field is still in its infancy, the findings from both naturally occurring smile studies and experimentally manipulated smile studies consistently suggest that smiling may have a number of health-relevant benefits including beneficially impacting our physiology during acute stress, improved stress recovery, and reduced illness over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie P Cross
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Amanda M Acevedo
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Kate A Leger
- Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Sarah D Pressman
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
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19
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Lin IM, Lin PY, Fan SY. The Effects of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Biofeedback on HRV Reactivity and Recovery During and After Anger Recall Task for Patients with Coronary Artery Disease. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 2022; 47:131-142. [PMID: 35262874 DOI: 10.1007/s10484-022-09539-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) often experience anger events before cardiovascular events. Anger is a psychological risk factor and causes underlying psychophysiological mechanisms to lose balance of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). The heart rate variability (HRV) was the common index for ANS regulation. It has been confirmed that heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) restored ANS balance in patients with CAD during the resting state. However, the effects of HRV-BF during and after the anger event remain unknown. This study aimed to examine the effects of HRV-BF on ANS reactivity and recovery during the anger recall task in patients with CAD. This study was a randomized control trial with a wait-list control group design, with forty patients in the HRV-BF group (for six sessions) and 44 patients in the control group. All patients received five stages of an anger recall task, including baseline, neutral recall task, neutral recovery, anger recall task, and anger recovery. HRV reactivity in the HRV-BF group at the post-test was lower than that in the control group. HRV recovery at the post-test in the HRV-BF group was higher than that in the control group. The HRV-BF reduced ANS reactivity during anger events and increased ANS recovery after anger events for CAD patients. The possible mechanisms of HRV-BF may increase total HRV, ANS regulation, and baroreflex activation at anger events for patients with CAD, and may be a suitable program for cardiac rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- I-Mei Lin
- Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Division of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Yun Lin
- Department of Psychology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.,Ministry of Health and Welfare Yuli Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
| | - Sheng-Yu Fan
- Institute of Gerontology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan City, 701, Taiwan.
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20
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La Rovere MT, Gorini A, Schwartz PJ. Stress, the autonomic nervous system, and sudden death. Auton Neurosci 2021; 237:102921. [PMID: 34823148 DOI: 10.1016/j.autneu.2021.102921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The existence of an important relationship between stress, the autonomic nervous system, and sudden cardiac death (SCD) has been long recognized. In the present essay we review the large number of conditions, acting at individual or at population level, that have been causally associated to SCD and discuss the mechanistic and translational value of the studies exploring such associations. These conditions include external stressors (earthquakes, wars) and internal stressors (anger, fear, loss of a loved one) and emotions of even opposite sign. Most situations confirm the time-honored view that increases in sympathetic activity are proarrhythmic whereas increases in vagal activity are protective; however, we will also show and discuss a condition in which the culprit appears to be the excess of vagal activity. The physiologic rationale underlying the most typical situations is on one hand the profibrillatory effect of the increase in the heterogeneity of repolarization secondary to the release of norepinephrine, and on the other the combined effect of acetylcholine to lower heart rate and to antagonize the cardiac effects of norepinephrine at ventricular level. An interesting facet of this potentially lethal relationship is that the elements involved are by no means always exceptional, and they can actually represent part of our everyday life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Teresa La Rovere
- Department of Cardiology, IRCCS Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Montescano, Pavia, Italy.
| | - Alessandra Gorini
- Department of Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, University of Milan, Italy.
| | - Peter J Schwartz
- Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias of Genetic Origin and Laboratory of Cardiovascular Genetics, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Milan, Italy.
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21
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Farah NM, Amran AD, Che Muhamed AM. Attenuation of stress-induced cardiovascular reactivity following high-intensity interval exercise in untrained males. J Sports Sci 2021; 39:2755-2762. [PMID: 34323655 DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2021.1957294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Exaggerated cardiovascular (CV) reactivity to stress is associated with negative cardiovascular outcomes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) on CV reactivity in response to a stress challenge in untrained males. Thirteen, normotensive males (age: 22.8 ± 2 years, BMI: 21.9 ± 3.6 kg/m2) underwent three conditions in counterbalanced order: HIIE (bodyweight exercises; 80-90% HRR), MIE (treadmill-jog; 55-60% HRR) and seated rest (CON) separated by 7-10 days. Thirty minutes after performing HIIE, MIE or CON, subjects underwent a 2-min cold pressor task (CPT). Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) were measured before, during, and after CPT. CV reactivity, i.e., the change in BP and HR responses were compared across conditions. Systolic BP reactivity were attenuated following HIIE (-60%, p = 0.015) and MIE (-42%, p = 0.033) compared to CON, but no differences were observed between HIIE and MIE. HR reactivity was not different across all conditions. We conclude that performing HIIE or MIE 30 minutes prior to acute stress exposure lowers BP reactivity compared to rest in untrained males. These findings highlight the potential benefits of HIIE in lowering stress-induced elevations in blood pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nor Mf Farah
- Center for Community Health Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Amerull Daneal Amran
- Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad Munir Che Muhamed
- Lifestyle Science Cluster, Advanced Medical and Dental Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
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22
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Zawadzki MJ, Gavrilova L. All the lonely people: Comparing the effects of loneliness as a social stressor to non-lonely stress on blood pressure recovery. Int J Psychophysiol 2021; 167:94-101. [PMID: 34228984 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2021.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined whether recalling a social stress that evoked lonely feelings produces greater affective and blood pressure responses than recalling non-social stress or a relaxing event. METHODS Young adults (n = 114) underwent one of three inductions: recalling a social stressor in which one felt lonely, recalling a non-social non-lonely stressor, and relaxation. Negative affect was assessed during baseline, induction, and recovery. Blood pressure was assessed continuously using a finger cuff. RESULTS Both the lonely and non-lonely stress conditions reported increased negative affect following the induction, with neither condition having fully recovered to baseline levels by the end of the study. For blood pressure, during recovery, blood pressure increased linearly for the lonely stress condition, but remained steady for the other conditions. CONCLUSIONS Recalling a social stress evoking lonely feelings may be more harmful for cardiovascular health than recalling non-social stressors. Results extend work demonstrating that in vivo stressors involving social evaluation elicit larger stress responses compared to stressors without this component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Zawadzki
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, United States of America.
| | - Larisa Gavrilova
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of California, Merced, United States of America
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23
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Johnson AJ, Urizar GG. Internalized Shame and Social Stress-Induced Blood Pressure Patterns among Young Black Women. Ethn Dis 2021; 31:167-176. [PMID: 33883857 DOI: 10.18865/ed.31.2.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The increasing prevalence of hypertension among young Black women warrants further exploration of hypertension risk factors in this population. Social cognitive pathways that increase hypertension risk have been understudied among Black women. Shame, an emotional response to social evaluative threats, may be important to understanding the contribution of social emotions to hypertension risk. The current study examined the association of internalized shame on systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DPB) patterns of reactivity and recovery in a sample of Black women. Methods Black women (N=32) aged 18-22 were recruited from a public university in August 2019 and January 2020. Participants completed the Internalized Shame Scale, Self-Esteem subscale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. All participants completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and subsequent blood pressure readings were recorded at baseline and 1 min, 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, and 60 min post-TSST. Two separate repeated measures ANOVAs examined time and group effects of low shame (ISS score ≤ 39.9) vs high shame (ISS score ≥ 40) on blood pressure reactivity patterns. Results A significant effect of shame on DBP responses to the TSST was observed (P=.020). DBP for women in the low shame group peaked immediately following the TSST relative to baseline (M =81.2 mm Hg vs M =72.2 mm Hg) and remained stable during 60-minute recovery. DBP for women in the high shame group did not peak until 45 min post-TSST relative to baseline (M =84.2 mm Hg vs M =68.0 mm Hg) only slightly decreasing at 60 min post-TSST. Implications These results highlight the need to further examine the role of shame on hypertension risk among young Black women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber J Johnson
- California State University, Department of Health Science, Long Beach, CA
| | - Guido G Urizar
- California State University, Department of Psychology, Long Beach, CA
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24
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Relationship between self-perceptions of aging and 'living well' among people with mild-to-moderate dementia: Findings from the ideal programme. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2021; 94:104328. [PMID: 33465539 DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2020.104328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A primary goal for dementia research is to understand how to best support people to live well with dementia. Among cognitively healthy older individuals, more positive attitudes toward their own aging (ATOA) and/or feeling younger than their chronological age (i.e. having a younger subjective age: SA) are associated with better quality of life (QoL), satisfaction with life (SwL), and well-being (which are indicators of capability to live well), and fewer depressive symptoms. We tested whether people with dementia (PwD) with more positive ATOA and/or with a younger SA report better QoL, SwL, and well-being, and are less likely to experience depression. METHODS We used cross-sectional data from the IDEAL cohort baseline assessment (conducted between 2014 and 2016), comprising 1541 PwD residing in Great Britain [mean (range) age= 76.3 (43 to 98); 43.6% women]. RESULTS More positive ATOA was associated with better QoL, SwL, well-being, and less likelihood of depression. Younger SA was associated with better QoL, SwL, well-being, and less likelihood of depression. CONCLUSIONS More positive ATOA and younger SA may be beneficial psychological resources that enhance capability to live well with dementia. Promoting more positive perceptions of aging at the societal level may help to equip people with the resilience needed to cope well after a diagnosis of dementia, and enhance the support available to people with dementia. Focusing on retained abilities and achievable goals may help to counteract the impact of negative age-related stereotypes on people with dementia, and enhance person-centered care.
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25
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Czarnek G, Richter M, Strojny P. Cardiac sympathetic activity during recovery as an indicator of sympathetic activity during task performance. Psychophysiology 2020; 58:e13724. [PMID: 33205516 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2020] [Revised: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The goals of this research were to analyze cardiac sympathetic recovery patterns and evaluate whether sympathetic cardiac responses to a task challenge can be predicted using residual cardiac activity measured directly after the task (that is, during the recovery period). In two studies (total N = 181), we measured cardiac sympathetic activity, quantified as pre-ejection period and RB interval, during both task performance and the 2-min recovery period following the task. Additional analyses examined effects on the RZ interval. We found that sympathetic recovery from a task was rather quick: Cardiovascular recovery occurred within the first 30 s of the recovery period. Nevertheless, residual cardiac activity during the recovery period had predictive power for task-related cardiac activity. This suggests that sympathetic cardiac activity during recovery may serve as a useful indicator of task-related cardiac sympathetic activity. We discuss the implications of these findings for practical applications and the design of future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Czarnek
- Nano Games, Cracow, Poland.,Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Michael Richter
- School of Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Paweł Strojny
- Nano Games, Cracow, Poland.,Faculty of Management and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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26
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Balderrama-Durbin C, Wang BA, Barden E, Kennedy S, Ergas D, Poole LZ. Reactivity and recovery in romantic relationships following a trauma analog: Examination of respiratory sinus arrhythmia in community couples. Psychophysiology 2020; 58:e13721. [PMID: 33169844 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Emotion regulation has important implications for individual and relationship health. Psychophysiological responses, such as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), can serve as a key indicator of emotion regulation processes subsequent to a stressor and may be the process by which couples confer health benefits. Moreover, partners in romantic relationships can mutually impact physiological states both during times of stress and times of support. The current study examined physiological reactivity through RSA during a laboratory stress-induction (i.e., stressful-film trauma analog) and recovery within the context of a romantic relationship. Sex, relationship health, and individual mental health indicators were examined as moderators of reactivity and recovery. Forty-five (n = 90 individuals) community couples, primarily White (n = 75, 83.3%), heterosexual (n = 63, 70.0%), and dating (n = 67, 74.4%), were examined. Both partners' RSA were measured continuously through a series of baseline tasks, a stressful-film task, and a post-film interaction task. Reactivity and recovery trajectories were moderated by sex, study task (i.e., baseline, film, and post-film), and individual mental health (ps < .05). Repeated-measures actor partner interdependence modeling analyses revealed a strong self-regulatory (i.e., actor) effect across all tasks as well as co-regulation (i.e., partner effects) during the post-film interaction task. Findings provided some evidence of stress transmission to the non-exposed partner. This study offers initial evidence of self- and co-regulation following a laboratory stress-induction and potential predictors and moderations of the set point and stability of these regulatory dynamics. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Eileen Barden
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Seigie Kennedy
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
| | - Dana Ergas
- Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY, USA
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27
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Schneider L, Hadjistavropoulos H, Dear B, Titov N. Efficacy of internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy following an acute coronary event: A randomized controlled trial. Internet Interv 2020; 21:100324. [PMID: 32455120 PMCID: PMC7235608 DOI: 10.1016/j.invent.2020.100324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression and anxiety are common among people who have experienced an acute coronary event (e.g., heart attack). Multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation programs often focus on reducing risk factors associated with future cardiac events, however, mental health interventions are not routinely available. Given known difficulties with access to mental health treatment, the present study sought to explore the efficacy and acceptability of an Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy program (Cardiac Wellbeing Course) among participants who experienced an acute coronary event. The five-lesson course was delivered over eight weeks and was provided with brief weekly contact, via telephone and secure email with a guide. Participants were randomized to the Cardiac Wellbeing Course (n = 25) or waiting-list control group (n = 28). Symptoms were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and four-week follow-up. Completion rates (84%) and satisfaction ratings (95%) were high. Statistically significant between-group improvements were observed for the treatment group on primary measures of general anxiety (Cohen's d = 1.62; 67% reduction), depression (Cohen's d = 1.09; 61% reduction), and physical activity levels (Cohen's d = 0.27; 70% increase). Statistically significant improvements were also observed on secondary measures of distress (Cohen's d = 0.98; 51% reduction), cardiac anxiety (Cohen's d = 0.92; 34% reduction), and mental-health quality of life (Cohen's d = 0.23; 24% improvement). The changes were maintained at four-week follow-up. The current findings add to the existing literature and highlight the potential of Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy programs among participants who have experienced an acute coronary event.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.H. Schneider
- 3737 Wascana Parkway, Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - H.D. Hadjistavropoulos
- 3737 Wascana Parkway, Department of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
- Corresponding author.
| | - B.F. Dear
- eCentreClinic, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - N. Titov
- eCentreClinic, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
- MindSpot Clinic, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Balaclava Road, North Ryde, NSW 2109, Australia
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28
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Lucas T, Riis JL, Buchalski Z, Drolet CE, Dawadi A, Granger DA. Reactivity of salivary uric acid in response to social evaluative stress in African Americans. Biol Psychol 2020; 153:107882. [PMID: 32220569 PMCID: PMC7269824 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2020.107882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
High uric acid (UA) is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD), both of which occur disproportionately among African Americans. High UA also predicts greater blood pressure reactivity responses to acute social stress. However, whether UA itself shows reactivity in response to stress is unknown. We evaluated salivary uric acid (sUA) and blood pressure reactivity in response to acute social stress. Healthy African Americans (N = 103; 32 % male; M age = 31.36 years), completed the Trier Social Stress Test. sUA and blood pressure measurements were taken before, during and after the stressor task. sUA showed significant reactivity and recovery, especially among older African Americans. Total sUA activation was also associated with systolic and diastolic blood pressure total activation. Findings illuminate that acute stress may be a way in which UA is implicated in hypertension and CVD, suggesting a critical need to explore UA reactivity as a novel parameter of the acute stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Lucas
- Division of Public Health, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 200 East 1st Street, Flint, MI, 48502, United States; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 909 Wilson Road, B636, East Lansing, MI, 48824, United States; Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States.
| | - Jenna L Riis
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States; Department of Psychological Science, School of Social Ecology, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States
| | - Zachary Buchalski
- Division of Public Health, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 200 East 1st Street, Flint, MI, 48502, United States
| | - Caroline E Drolet
- Division of Public Health, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 200 East 1st Street, Flint, MI, 48502, United States
| | - Anurag Dawadi
- Division of Public Health, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 200 East 1st Street, Flint, MI, 48502, United States
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG, Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States; Department of Acute and Chronic Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, United States; Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, United States; Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 615 North Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States; Salivary Bioscience Laboratory and Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0156, United States
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Eiman MN, Pomeroy JML, Weinstein AA. Relationship of actigraphy-assessed sleep efficiency and sleep duration to reactivity to stress. SLEEP SCIENCE (SAO PAULO, BRAZIL) 2020; 12:257-264. [PMID: 32318246 PMCID: PMC7159077 DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20190090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Objective: Sleep duration is an important predictor of cardiovascular health outcomes, but the role of sleep efficiency is less clear. This study investigated actigraphy-assessed sleep efficiency and sleep duration and their relationship with responses to mental and physical challenge tasks. Methods: To record sleep, actigraph devices were worn on the wrist continuously by 25 participants (age: 33.9±6.9, 60% female) for the duration of a seven-day period. Movement data were used to estimate sleep duration and efficiency. Mental (Stroop test) and physical (cold pressor) challenges were used to assess reactivity to and recovery from stress. During these tasks, heart rate, blood pressure, and emotional states were measured. Results: Significant findings from the mental challenge included a negative correlation between sleep efficiency and reaction time. There were no significant relationships between sleep efficiency and cardiovascular measures during the mental challenge, but sleep duration was related to cardiovascular reactivity. For the physical challenge, sleep efficiency was positively and significantly correlated with blood pressure recovery and sleep duration was not related to any outcome measures. Discussion: Previous literature has focused on sleep duration when assessing sleep and cardiovascular outcomes. However, sleep efficiency may be equally or more important when investigating reactivity to and recovery from stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew N Eiman
- George Mason University, Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability - Fairfax - Virginia - United States
| | - Julia Mary Louise Pomeroy
- George Mason University, Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability - Fairfax - Virginia - United States
| | - Ali A Weinstein
- George Mason University, Center for the Study of Chronic Illness and Disability - Fairfax - Virginia - United States
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Lee EM, Hughes BM. Trait dominance and cardiovascular functioning during social stress. Stress Health 2019; 35:516-524. [PMID: 31276288 DOI: 10.1002/smi.2884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to stress has been found to be an important indicator of future ill health, and individual differences in personality have been posited to explain disparities in outcomes. Dominance is associated with forceful persons who desire hierarchy in social interactions. This study investigated dominance and CVR during social or asocial stressors. Sixty-one women, categorized as low, moderate, or high in dominance using the Jackson Personality Research Form, completed a social or asocial stressor while undergoing cardiovascular measurement during baseline, stressor, and recovery phases. A 3 × 2 × 3 analysis of covariance revealed a significant Phase × Stressor × Dominance interaction for systolic blood pressure (SBP). Women with lower and moderate dominance-but not women with higher dominance-exhibited greater SBP responses to stress in the social condition compared with the asocial condition. No significant difference was found for women with higher dominance, indicative of blunted SBP during the social stressor. During recovery, women with lower dominance had marginally elevated SBP in the social condition compared with the asocial condition. The current study extends prior knowledge of the association between dominance and CVR, such that greater dominance was associated with blunted SBP and lower dominance was associated with attenuated recovery to social stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eimear M Lee
- School of Psychology and Sport Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Brian M Hughes
- School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
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Jeong JH, Hanevold C, Harris RA, Kapuku G, Pollock J, Pollock D, Harshfield G. Angiotensin II receptor blocker attenuates stress pressor response in young adult African Americans. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2019; 21:1191-1199. [PMID: 31328876 DOI: 10.1111/jch.13625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2019] [Revised: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
African Americans (AAs) are susceptible to hypertension (HTN) and its associated organ damage leading to adverse cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. Psychological stress is proposed to contribute to the development of HTN; however, the potential role of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in stress-related HTN in AAs is largely unknown. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that activation of RAS is a potential contributing factor for altered CV responses to stress, and suppression of angiotensin II (Ang II) activity will improve hemodynamic responses to a prolonged mental stressor in healthy young AAs. Utilizing a double-blind, randomized, crossover study design, 132 normotensive AAs (25 ± 7 years) were treated with either a placebo (PLC) or 150 mg/d irbesartan (an Ang II type 1 receptor blocker; ARB) for 1 week. On the final day of each treatment, hemodynamic measures and urinary sodium excretion (UNaV) were collected before, during and after a 45 minute-mental stress. The magnitude of stress-induced increase in blood pressure with ARB was blunted and delayed compared to PLC. Systolic blood pressure at the end of recovery on ARB was significantly lower compared to either PLC (110 ± 13 vs 117 ± 12 mm Hg respectively; P < 0.001) or the prestress level on ARB (P = 0.02). ARB treatment reduced overall vasoconstriction and improved poststress UNaV. ARB attenuated blood pressure responses to mental stress and improved the poststress BP recovery process which were partly linked to reduced overall vasoconstriction and improved stress-induced UNaV in young adult AAs prior to the development of disease conditions. These results suggest that treatment approaches that inhibit RAS action could have significant relevance to potentially lower susceptibility to stress responses and eventually the premature development of HTN in AAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Hee Jeong
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Georgia Prevention Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
| | - Coral Hanevold
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Nephrology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Ryan A Harris
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Georgia Prevention Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
| | - Gaston Kapuku
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Georgia Prevention Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
| | - Jennifer Pollock
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - David Pollock
- Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Gregory Harshfield
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Georgia Prevention Institute, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia
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32
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Nederend I, de Geus EJC, Blom NA, Ten Harkel ADJ. Long-term follow-up after ventricular septal defect repair in children: cardiac autonomic control, cardiac function and exercise capacity. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2019; 53:1082-1088. [PMID: 29253118 DOI: 10.1093/ejcts/ezx438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Accepted: 11/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Survival after surgical repair of a ventricular septal defect (VSD) is good, but, as in almost all congenital heart diseases, late complications are frequent in adulthood. The exact mechanisms, timing and who is at risk are not fully understood. Altered cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity might play a role in these long-term sequelae. The aim of this study was to extensively evaluate children late after VSD repair including their cardiac ANS activity, cardiac function and exercise capacity. METHODS Thirty-three patients after surgical VSD repair and 66 healthy age-matched controls underwent 24-h monitoring of ANS control and cardiac output using impedance cardiography, detailed echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing. RESULTS Ambulatory cardiac ANS control was not different between the patients and the controls. Right ventricular function, exercise capacity and ambulatory cardiac output were decreased in patients compared with the controls. No relationships were found between cardiac ANS activity and cardiac function. CONCLUSIONS Long (average time after repair was 9.9 years) after successful surgical correction of a VSD, cardiac ANS control is not different from the controls. Right ventricular function and exercise capacity are impaired in VSD patients. Post-surgical outcome in these patients may be less benign than presently assumed; therefore, follow-up should be continued into adulthood to detect adverse outcomes in a timely fashion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ineke Nederend
- Department of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Pediatric Cardiology, LUMC University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Eco J C de Geus
- Department of Biological Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Movement Sciences, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nico A Blom
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, LUMC University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Arend D J Ten Harkel
- Department of Pediatric Cardiology, LUMC University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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Steptoe A, Hiltl TJ, Dowd JB, Hamer M. Socioeconomic status and central adiposity as determinants of stress-related biological responses relevant to cardiovascular disease risk. Brain Behav Immun 2019; 77:16-24. [PMID: 30468859 PMCID: PMC6417991 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress-related processes have been implicated in the associations between lower socioeconomic status (SES), central adiposity, and cardiovascular disease risk. This study analysed the impact of SES and central adiposity on cardiovascular, inflammatory and neuroendocrine stress responses, and associations with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in a sample of 537 men and women aged 53-76 years (mean 62.89 years). SES was defined by grade of employment (higher, intermediate, and lower categories), and central adiposity was indexed by waist-hip ratio (WHR). Cardiovascular, inflammatory and cortisol responses were monitored during administration of a standardized mental stress testing protocol and salivary cortisol was measured repeatedly over the day. Lower SES was associated with raised systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), plasma interleukin (IL-6), fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and salivary cortisol, and a large WHR accentuated SES differences in fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and likelihood of CMV seropositivity, independently of general adiposity indexed by body mass index. During mental stress testing, return to resting levels (recovery) following behavioural challenge in systolic and diastolic BP and heart rate was impaired among lower SES participants, particularly those with large WHR. Lower SES participants had greater cortisol concentrations across the day, but this pattern did not vary with WHR. These findings extend the evidence relating lower SES to stress-related biological risk factors for cardiovascular disease, and indicate that central adiposity may augment these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Steptoe
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Tanja-Julia Hiltl
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Jennifer Beam Dowd
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Mark Hamer
- Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK; School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU, UK
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Woerner J, Lucas T, Pierce J, Riis JL, Granger DA. Salivary uric acid: Associations with resting and reactive blood pressure response to social evaluative stress in healthy African Americans. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2019; 101:19-26. [PMID: 30399459 PMCID: PMC6379116 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 09/21/2018] [Accepted: 10/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
High levels of uric acid are associated with greater risk of stress-related cardiovascular illnesses that occur disproportionately among African Americans. Whether hyperuricemia affects biological response to acute stress remains largely unknown, suggesting a need to clarify this potential connection. The current study examined how salivary uric acid (sUA) is associated with resting and reactive blood pressure - two robust predictors of hypertension and related cardiovascular disease and disparity. Healthy African Americans (N = 107; 32% male; M age = 31.74 years), completed the Trier Social Stress Test to induce social-evaluative stress. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings were recorded before, during, and after the task to assess resting and reactive change in blood pressure. Participants also provided a saliva sample at baseline that was assayed for sUA. At rest, and controlling for age, sUA was modestly associated with higher systolic (r = .201, p = .044), but not diastolic (r = .100, p = .319) blood pressure. In response to the stressor task, and once again controlling for age, sUA was also associated with higher total activation of both systolic (r = .219, p = .025) and diastolic blood pressure (r = .198, p < .044). A subsequent moderation analysis showed that associations between sUA and BP measures were significant for females, but not for males. Findings suggest that uric acid may be implicated in hypertension and cardiovascular health disparities through associations with elevated blood pressure responses to acute social stress, and that low levels of uric acid might be protective, particularly for females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Woerner
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, 389 Whitney Ave., New Haven, CT, 06511, United States
| | - Todd Lucas
- Division of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, 200 East 1(st) Street, Flint, MI, 48502, United States; Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 5057 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI, 48202, United States; Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG., Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States.
| | - Jennifer Pierce
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan, 325 E. Eisenhower Pkwy Ste. 100, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
| | - Jenna L Riis
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG., Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States
| | - Douglas A Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California Irvine, 4201 SBSG., Irvine, CA, 92697-7085, United States; Department of Acute and Chronic Care, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Department of Population, Family, and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 615 North Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD, 21205, United States; Salivary Bioscience Laboratory and Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0156, United States
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35
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Distinct effects of early-life experience and trait aggression on cardiovascular reactivity and recovery. Physiol Behav 2019; 199:375-385. [PMID: 30529343 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
We previously demonstrated independent effects of early-life experience (ELE) and trait aggression (TA) on resting heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) in rats. The present study examined the effects of TA and ELE on stress-evoked cardiovascular reactivity and recovery. Pups born to Wistar-Kyoto dams were exposed to daily 180-min periods of maternal separation (MS) during the first two weeks of life, and aggression was assessed in adult offspring using the resident-intruder test. Radiotelemetry was then used to record stress-evoked HR and MAP responses in response to: strobe light, novel environment, intruder rat, or restraint. Maximal HR and MAP responses were quantified as indices of reactivity, and exponential decay curves were fitted to determine decay constants as a measure of recovery. Strobe light was the weakest stressor, evoking the lowest increases in MAP and HR, which were significantly greater in MS-exposed rats irrespective of TA. In contrast, reactivity to and recovery from exposure to a novel environment or an intruder were significantly influenced by TA, but not ELE. TA animals exhibited greater reactivity in both of these paradigms, with either decreased (novel environment) or increased (intruder) recovery. Restraint stress induced the largest changes in HR and MAP with the slowest recovery, and these responses were shaped by a significant ELE x TA interaction. These data indicate that cardiovascular reactivity and recovery are influenced by ELE, TA, or ELE x TA interaction depending on stressor aversiveness as well as its physical and psychological dimensions.
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36
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No association between cardiometabolic risk and neural reactivity to acute psychosocial stress. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2018; 20:1115-1122. [PMID: 30380518 PMCID: PMC6205354 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.10.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Revised: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Background Exaggerated reactivity to acute psychosocial stress is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular and metabolic disease. A dysfunction of the cortico-limbic network coordinating the peripheral adaptation to acute stress exposure may constitute a brain mechanism underlying this association. We opted to characterize the changes of this network associated with acute psychosocial stress exposure in individuals with low and high cardiometabolic risk (CMR). Methods In 57 subjects without overt cardiac or cerebral disease, the Framingham risk score and presence/absence of type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome defined CMR. Psychosocial stress was induced during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of brain activity by an established social threat paradigm. Measurements of heart rate, blood pressure and saliva cortisol quantified the peripheral stress reaction. Regression analyses for the anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, insula and regulatory prefrontal regions evaluated the association of stress-associated brain activation and CMR. Results Psychosocial stress exposure was associated with an increased activity of a brain network including anterior and posterior cingulate cortex, putamen, insula, parahippocampus and right hippocampus. Psychosocial stress-associated brain activation did neither covary with Framingham risk score nor differ between groups with low or high CMR. Conclusion Exposure to acute psychosocial stress induces the activation of a well-defined cortico-limbic network. However, we did not find an association between CMR and this network's stress reactivity. We successfully induced psychosocial stress during the fMRI session. A cortico-limbic network changed activity with acute stress exposure. Stress-associated brain activation did not covary with the Framingham risk score, a cardiometabolic risk marker. Stress-associated brain activation did not differ between groups with low versus high cardiometabolic risk.
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Dietz LJ, Pham SV, Melhem N, Porta G, Brent DA. Blood pressure recovery to social stress in parentally bereaved and non-bereaved youths. J Psychosom Res 2018; 113:58-65. [PMID: 30190049 PMCID: PMC6157912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2018.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine differences in blood pressure response and recovery in a sample of bereaved and non-bereaved youths during an acute stress task conducted 5 years after time of parental death. METHODS One-hundred and ninety-two (n = 192) bereaved and non-bereaved offspring (ages 11-29) participated in an adaptation of the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST) 5-years after the time of parental death. Blood pressure measurements were collected before, during, and after the laboratory stress protocol. Mixed models for repeated measures were used to analyze the effects of bereavement status and course of psychiatric disorder in the 5-year period after parental death in both offspring and caregivers on blood pressure response; linear regression was used to examine these associations with blood pressure recovery. RESULTS Although there were no differences across groups in diastolic (DBP) or systolic blood pressure (SBP) response to stress, bereaved offspring demonstrated less SBP recovery to the TSST as compared to non-bereaved offspring. A significant interaction between bereavement status and race, and a marginally significant interaction between bereavement status and sex indicated poor SBP recovery for parentally bereaved racial/ethnic minority offspring as compared to parentally bereaved Caucasian offspring, and for parentally bereaved males compared to parentally bereaved females. CONCLUSIONS Parentally bereaved youths demonstrate blood pressure response to social stress tasks similar to that of non-bereaved youths, but parentally bereaved ethnic/racial minority youths and parentally bereaved males evidence a less complete recovery from the effects of stress. The health consequences of poor blood pressure recovery in bereaved youths are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura J Dietz
- University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Johnstown, PA, United States.
| | | | - Nadine Melhem
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Giovanna Porta
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
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Nicholl DDM, Hanly PJ, Zalucky AA, Mann MC, MacRae JM, Poulin MJ, Handley GB, Sola DY, Ahmed SB. CPAP Therapy Delays Cardiovagal Reactivation and Decreases Arterial Renin-Angiotensin System Activity in Humans With Obstructive Sleep Apnea. J Clin Sleep Med 2018; 14:1509-1520. [PMID: 30176965 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.7326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2017] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. The effect of OSA treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on the cardiovascular response to a stressor is unknown. We sought to determine the effect of CPAP therapy on heart rate variability (HRV) and arterial stiffness, at baseline, in response to, and recovery from a physiological stressor, Angiotensin II (AngII), in humans with OSA. METHODS Twenty-five incident healthy subjects (32% female; 49 ± 2 years) with moderate-severe OSA and nocturnal hypoxia were studied in high-salt balance, a state of maximal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) suppression, before CPAP, and after 4 weeks of effective CPAP therapy (usage > 4 h/night) in a second identical study day. HRV was calculated by spectral power and time domain analysis. Aortic augmentation index (AIx) and carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWVcf) were measured by applanation tonometry. HRV and arterial stiffness were measured at baseline and in response to AngII challenge (3 ng/ kg/min·30 minutes, 6 ng/kg/min·30 minutes, recovery·30 minutes). The primary outcome was the association between CPAP treatment and HRV and arterial stiffness responses to, and recovery from, AngII challenge. In an exploratory analysis subjects were stratified by sex. RESULTS CPAP corrected OSA and nocturnal hypoxemia. CPAP treatment was associated with increased sensitivity and delayed recovery from AngII (Δln HF [high frequency; recovery: -0.09 ± 0.19 versus -0.59 ± 0.17 ms2, P = .042; ΔrMSSD [root mean successive differences; recovery: -0.4 ± 2.0 versus -7.2 ± 1.9 ms, P = .001], ΔpNN50 [percentage of normal waves differing ≥ 50 ms compared to the preceding wave; AngII: 1.3 ± 2.3 versus -3.0 ± 2.4%, P = .043; recovery: -0.4 ± 1.4 versus -6.0 ± 1.9%, P = .001], all values pre-CPAP versus post-CPAP treatment). No differences were observed by sex. There was increased AIx sensitivity to AngII after CPAP among men (8.2 ± 1.7 versus 11.9 ± 2.2%, P = .046), but not women (11.4 ± 1.5 versus 11.6 ± 2.1%, P = .4). No change in PWVcf sensitivity was observed in either sex. CONCLUSIONS CPAP therapy was associated with delayed cardiovagal reactivation after a stressor and down-regulation of the arterial RAS. These findings may have important implications in mitigating cardiovascular risk in both men and women with OSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- David D M Nicholl
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Patrick J Hanly
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Sleep Centre, Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ann A Zalucky
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Michelle C Mann
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jennifer M MacRae
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Alberta Kidney Disease Network, Canada
| | - Marc J Poulin
- Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Darlene Y Sola
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Sofia B Ahmed
- Department of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Alberta Kidney Disease Network, Canada
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Carnevali L, Koenig J, Sgoifo A, Ottaviani C. Autonomic and Brain Morphological Predictors of Stress Resilience. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:228. [PMID: 29681793 PMCID: PMC5897537 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Stressful life events are an important cause of psychopathology. Humans exposed to aversive or stressful experiences show considerable inter-individual heterogeneity in their responses. However, the majority does not develop stress-related psychiatric disorders. The dynamic processes encompassing positive and functional adaptation in the face of significant adversity have been broadly defined as resilience. Traditionally, the assessment of resilience has been confined to self-report measures, both within the general community and putative high-risk populations. Although this approach has value, it is highly susceptible to subjective bias and may not capture the dynamic nature of resilience, as underlying construct. Recognizing the obvious benefits of more objective measures of resilience, research in the field has just started investigating the predictive value of several potential biological markers. This review provides an overview of theoretical views and empirical evidence suggesting that individual differences in heart rate variability (HRV), a surrogate index of resting cardiac vagal outflow, may underlie different levels of resilience toward the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders. Following this line of thought, recent studies describing associations between regional brain morphometric characteristics and resting state vagally-mediated HRV are summarized. Existing studies suggest that the structural morphology of the anterior cingulated cortex (ACC), particularly its cortical thickness, is implicated in the expression of individual differences in HRV. These findings are discussed in light of emerging structural neuroimaging research, linking morphological characteristics of the ACC to psychological traits ascribed to a high-resilient profile and abnormal structural integrity of the ACC to the psychophysiological expression of stress-related mental health consequences. We conclude that a multidisciplinary approach integrating brain structural imaging with HRV monitoring could offer novel perspectives about brain-body pathways in resilience and adaptation to psychological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Carnevali
- Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,Stress Physiology Lab, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Julian Koenig
- Section for Translational Psychobiology in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.,University Hospital of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrea Sgoifo
- Stress Physiology Lab, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Cristina Ottaviani
- Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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40
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Ottaviani C. Brain-heart interaction in perseverative cognition. Psychophysiology 2018; 55:e13082. [PMID: 29607505 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The move from the concept of homeostasis to that of allostasis has led reactivity stress research to widen the object of its investigation: from the brief physiological response that occurs when one is facing a stressor to what happens when one is anticipating or recovering from a stressor. A paradigmatic example is represented by perseverative cognition, during which human beings react "as if" they were constantly facing a concrete stressor. The core idea behind this review is that the cognitive inflexibility that characterizes perseverative cognition is reflected in both our body (by increased autonomic nervous system rigidity assessed by heart rate variability; HRV) and our brain (by reduced prefrontal-amygdala functional connectivity). This is a review of studies conducted in different settings (laboratory, daily life), populations (healthy, major depression, generalized anxiety), location (United States, Europe), and age groups (children, adults) that consistently replicated the association between autonomic, subjective, and behavioral measures of cognitive inflexibility during perseverative cognition. Moreover, compelling neuroimaging data suggest that HRV reduction from pre- to post-induction of perseverative cognition is associated with both structural and functional brain abnormalities reflecting impaired prefrontal inhibitory control over subcortical structures (e.g., diminished prefrontal-amygdala functional connectivity). The integration of neuroscience techniques with clinical autonomic research has advanced our understanding of the neurobiology of brain-heart interaction during perseverative cognition, potentially yielding to more effective treatment packages. This is clinically relevant if one considers that perseverative cognition is a pervasive transdiagnostic factor that carries prognostic risk for both psychological and somatic health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Ottaviani
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Neuroimaging Laboratory, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome, Italy
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Boylan JM, Cundiff JM, Matthews KA. Socioeconomic Status and Cardiovascular Responses to Standardized Stressors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychosom Med 2018; 80:278-293. [PMID: 29381657 PMCID: PMC5878130 DOI: 10.1097/psy.0000000000000561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Disparities in cardiovascular health by socioeconomic status (SES) are a pressing public health concern. Hypothesized mechanisms linking low SES to poor health are large cardiovascular responses to and delayed recovery from psychological stress. The current study presents a meta-analysis of the literature on the association of SES with blood pressure and heart rate reactivity to and recovery from acute stress tasks. METHODS The PubMed database was searched, and 26 unique studies with relevant data were identified (k = 25 reactivity [n = 14,617], k = 6 recovery [n = 1,324]). RESULTS Using random-effects models, no significant association between SES and cardiovascular reactivity to stress emerged (r = .008, 95% confidence interval = -.02 to .04), although higher SES was associated with better recovery from stress (r = -.14, 95% confidence interval -.23 to -.05). Stressor type moderated the reactivity effect, wherein higher SES was associated with greater reactivity to cognitive stressors (r = .036, p = .024), not with reactivity to interpersonal stressors (r = -.02, p = .62), but was associated with lower reactivity to tasks with combinations of cognitive, interpersonal, and physical challenges (r = -.12, p = .029). Accounting for publication bias revealed a significant association between SES and reactivity in the opposite direction of hypotheses. CONCLUSIONS Cardiovascular recovery from acute stress, but not reactivity to stress, may be a key pathway between low SES and risk for cardiovascular diseases. Heterogeneity in effect size and direction, challenges related to working across temporal dynamics, and recommendations for future research are discussed.
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Leger KA, Charles ST, Almeida DM. Let It Go: Lingering Negative Affect in Response to Daily Stressors Is Associated With Physical Health Years Later. Psychol Sci 2018; 29:1283-1290. [PMID: 29553880 DOI: 10.1177/0956797618763097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The way we respond to life's daily stressors has strong implications for our physical health. Researchers have documented the detrimental effects of initial emotional reactivity to daily stressors on future physical health outcomes but have yet to examine the effects of emotions that linger after a stressor occurs. The current study investigated how negative affect that lingers the day after a minor stressor occurs is associated with health-related outcomes. Participants ( N = 1,155) in a community-based, nationwide study answered questions about daily stressors and affect across 8 consecutive days and about their physical health almost 10 years later. Multilevel models indicated that people experience heightened levels of negative affect the day after a stressor occurs. Furthermore, higher levels of lingering negative affect are associated with greater numbers of chronic conditions and worse functional limitations 10 years later. Findings suggest that affective recovery from daily stressors has unique importance for long-term physical health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate A Leger
- 1 Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine
| | - Susan T Charles
- 1 Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine
| | - David M Almeida
- 2 Department of Human Development and Human Studies, Pennsylvania State University
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Hermosura AH, Haynes SN, Kaholokula JK. A Preliminary Study of the Relationship between Perceived Racism and Cardiovascular Reactivity and Recovery in Native Hawaiians. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 2018; 5:1142-1154. [PMID: 29512031 PMCID: PMC6132570 DOI: 10.1007/s40615-018-0463-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Native Hawaiians, compared to other ethnic groups in Hawai‘i, have significantly higher mortality rates and die at a younger average age from cardiovascular disease (CVD). This may be partially explained by elevated cardiovascular responses to racial stressors. Our study examined the degree to which blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) reactivity and recovery, and ratings of subjective distress to racial stressors, differ as a function of Native Hawaiian college students’ levels of perceived racism. This study had three phases. Phase 1 involved the development of a blatant and subtle racial stressor. Phase 2 involved assigning 132 students into high- or low-perceived racism groups based on scores on two perceived interpersonal racism measures. Phase 3 involved a psychophysiology laboratory experiment conducted with 35 of the 132 students. BP, HR, and subjective distress were measured during exposure to the blatant and subtle racial stressors. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) recovery following exposure to both stressors was significant for both groups. Although not significant, three trends were observed among the high-perceived racism group, which included: (1) greater reactivity to exposure to the subtle stressor than to the blatant stressor, (2) incomplete HR recovery following exposure to both stressors, and (3) incomplete SBP and diastolic blood pressure recovery following exposure to the subtle stressor. Participants also reported significantly greater subjective distress following exposure to the blatant than to the subtle stressor. Specific interventions, such as increased self-awareness of physiological responses to racial stressors, targeted at at-risk individuals are necessary to reduce a person’s risk for CVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Hepuapo'okela Hermosura
- Department of Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 677 Ala Moana Boulevard, Ste 1016, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA.
| | - Stephen N Haynes
- Department of Psychology, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 2530 Dole Street, Sakamaki C 400, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA
| | - Joseph Keawe'aimoku Kaholokula
- Department of Native Hawaiian Health, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, 677 Ala Moana Boulevard, Ste 1016, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
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Steptoe A, Kivimäki M, Lowe G, Rumley A, Hamer M. Blood Pressure and Fibrinogen Responses to Mental Stress as Predictors of Incident Hypertension over an 8-Year Period. Ann Behav Med 2017; 50:898-906. [PMID: 27401000 PMCID: PMC5126198 DOI: 10.1007/s12160-016-9817-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Heightened blood pressure (BP) responses to mental stress predict raised BP levels over subsequent years, but evidence for associations with incident hypertension is limited, and the significance of inflammatory responses is uncertain. Purpose We investigated the relationship between BP and plasma fibrinogen responses to stress and incident hypertension over an average 8-year follow-up. Method Participants were 636 men and women (mean age 59.1 years) from the Whitehall II epidemiological cohort with no history of cardiovascular disease and hypertension. They performed standardized behavioral tasks (color/word conflict and mirror tracing), and hypertension was defined by clinic measures and medication status. Results Of participants in the highest systolic BP reactivity tertile, 29.3 % became hypertensive over the follow-up period compared with 16.5 % of those in the lowest tertile, with an odds ratio of 2.02 (95 % CI 1.17–3.88, p = 0.012) after adjustment for age, sex, grade of employment, body mass index, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, follow-up time, subjective stress response, perceived task difficulty, perceived task engagement, and baseline BP. Similar associations were observed for diastolic BP reactivity (odds ratio 2.05, 95 % CI 1.23–3.40, p = 0.006) and for impaired systolic BP post-stress recovery (odds ratio 2.06, 95 % CI 1.19–3.57, p = 0.010). Fibrinogen reactions to tasks also predicted future hypertension in women (odds ratio 2.64, 95 % CI 1.11–6.30, p = 0.029) but not men. Conclusions These data suggest that heightened cardiovascular and inflammatory reactivity to mental stress is associated with hypertension risk, and may be a mechanism through which psychosocial factors impact on the development of hypertension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Steptoe
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Mika Kivimäki
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, 1-19 Torrington Place, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Gordon Lowe
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Ann Rumley
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Mark Hamer
- National Centre for Sport & Exercise Medicine, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK
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Kawabata Y, Tseng WL, Murray-Close D. Relational-Interdependent Self-Construal and Gender Predicting Blood Pressure Reactivity and Recovery From Stress in Early Adolescence. JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR RESEARCH ON ADOLESCENCE 2017; 27:782-796. [PMID: 29152862 DOI: 10.1111/jora.12314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the association between relational-interdependent self-construals (relational interdependence) and blood pressure reactivity and recovery from two types of peer stressors (i.e., relational and instrumental) and gender as a moderator of this association. One hundred and ninety-six early adolescents (M = 10.11 years) reported their relational interdependence and participated in a laboratory stress protocol in which their systolic and diastolic blood pressures before, during, and after experiencing peer stressors were assessed. Results indicated that for males only, those with high relational interdependence showed greater systolic blood pressure reactivity and, at a trend level, impaired recovery from instrumental stressors; females with high relational interdependence showed greater diastolic blood pressure reactivity to relational stressors.
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Grinberg AM, O'Hara KL, Sbarra DA. Preliminary evidence of attenuated blood pressure reactivity to acute stress in adults following a recent marital separation. Psychol Health 2017; 33:430-444. [PMID: 28880686 DOI: 10.1080/08870446.2017.1373111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study explores cardiovascular reactivity during an acute-stress task in a sample of recently separated adults. DESIGN In a cross-sectional design, we examined the association between adults' subjective separation-related distress and changes in heart rate and blood pressure across the acute-stress laboratory paradigm in a sample of 133 (n = 49 men) recently separated adults. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Heart rate (HR) and Blood pressure (BP) were recorded across a resting baseline period, a math stressor task, and a recovery period. RESULTS Multilevel analyses revealed that adults who reported greater separation-related distress exhibited higher initial BP and a slower linear increase in BP across the study period. In addition, adults reporting greater separation-related distress evidenced significantly slower declines in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) following the acute-stress task. HR reactivity was not moderated by separation-related distress. CONCLUSIONS In recently separated adults, preliminary evidence suggests that the context of the stressors may reveal differential patterns of problematic reactivity (exaggerated or blunted responding). Greater emotional intrusion and hyperactivity symptoms may index increased risk for blunted cardiovascular reactivity to general stressors. This pattern of reactivity is consistent with models of allostatic load that emphasise the deleterious effect of hyporesponsivity to environmental demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin M Grinberg
- a Department of Psychology , University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - Karey L O'Hara
- a Department of Psychology , University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
| | - David A Sbarra
- a Department of Psychology , University of Arizona , Tucson , AZ , USA
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Ruiz JM, Taylor DJ, Uchino BN, Smith TW, Allison M, Ahn C, Johnson JJ, Smyth JM. Evaluating the longitudinal risk of social vigilance on atherosclerosis: study protocol for the North Texas Heart Study. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e017345. [PMID: 28808040 PMCID: PMC5791551 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Psychosocial factors are increasingly recognised as important determinants of cardiovascular disease risk. The North Texas Heart Study aims to understand the mechanisms responsible for this association with a focus on social vigilance (ie, scanning the environment for social threats). There is also growing interest in supplementing traditional methods (eg, survey assessment of psychosocial risk paired with cross-sectional and longitudinal health outcomes) with daily or repeated momentary assessment of psychosocial factors. However, there are relatively few longitudinal studies directly comparing these approaches with hard endpoints. METHODS AND ANALYSIS The North Texas Heart Study proposes a longitudinal measurement burst design to examine psychosocial determinants of subclinical atherosclerosis. A sample of 300 healthy community participants, stratified by age and gender, will complete survey measures, as well as 2 days of ecological momentary assessment at baseline and at a 2-year follow-up. A range of psychosocial and behavioural factors, objective biomarkers, as well as carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) will be assessed at both time points. Unadjusted and adjusted models will evaluate cross-sectional associations and determinants of change in the cIMT. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The Institutional Review Board at the study coordinating institute (University of North Texas) has approved this study. Positive, negative or inconclusive primary and ancillary findings will be disseminated in scientific journals and conferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Ruiz
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Daniel J Taylor
- Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, USA
| | - Bert N Uchino
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Timothy W Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Matthew Allison
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Chul Ahn
- Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Jillian J Johnson
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joshua M Smyth
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aging of the baby boomer generation has led to an unprecedented rise in the number of US adults reaching old age, prompting an urgent call for innovative and cost-effective ways to address the increasing health care needs of the aging population. Studying the role of psychosocial factors on health care use could offer insight into how to minimize hospitalizations among older adults. METHODS We use prospective data from a subsample of 4735 participants (mean [standard deviation] age = 69 [8.79] years, 61% women) from the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative study of US adults over age 50, to examine the association between self-perceptions of aging (SPA) and self-reported overnight hospitalizations after adjusting for a comprehensive list of sociodemographic, health-related, and behavioral factors. RESULTS Over the 4-year follow-up period, there were a total of 5196 overnight hospitalizations, and 44% of the sample reported being hospitalized overnight at least once. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, each standard deviation increase in positive SPA was associated with a lower rate of overnight hospitalization (incidence rate ratio = 0.75; 95% confidence interval = 0.71-0.80, p < .001). After dividing respondents into quartiles of SPA, we observed a dose-response relationship with individuals in higher quartiles showing increasingly lower rates of overnight hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Positive self-perceptions of aging are associated with a lower rate of hospitalization among older adults over a 4-year period. Future research should examine the factors that contribute to older adults' SPA and explore the pathways through which attitudes toward aging influence the use of health care resources.
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Lucas T, Lumley MA, Flack JM, Wegner R, Pierce J, Goetz S. A preliminary experimental examination of worldview verification, perceived racism, and stress reactivity in African Americans. Health Psychol 2016; 35:366-75. [PMID: 27018728 DOI: 10.1037/hea0000284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE According to worldview verification theory, inconsistencies between lived experiences and worldviews are psychologically threatening. These inconsistencies may be key determinants of stress processes that influence cardiovascular health disparities. This preliminary examination considers how experiencing injustice can affect perceived racism and biological stress reactivity among African Americans. Guided by worldview verification theory, it was hypothesized that responses to receiving an unfair outcome would be moderated by fairness of the accompanying decision process, and that this effect would further depend on the consistency of the decision process with preexisting justice beliefs. METHOD A sample of 118 healthy African American adults completed baseline measures of justice beliefs, followed by a laboratory-based social-evaluative stressor task. Two randomized fairness manipulations were implemented during the task: participants were given either high or low levels of distributive (outcome) and procedural (decision process) justice. Glucocorticoid (cortisol) and inflammatory (C-reactive protein) biological responses were measured in oral fluids, and attributions of racism were also measured. RESULTS The hypothesized 3-way interaction was generally obtained. Among African Americans with a strong belief in justice, perceived racism, cortisol, and C-reactive protein responses to low distributive justice were higher when procedural justice was low. Among African Americans with a weak belief in justice however, these responses were higher when a low level of distributive justice was coupled with high procedural justice. CONCLUSIONS Biological and psychological processes that contribute to cardiovascular health disparities are affected by consistency between individual-level and contextual justice factors. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd Lucas
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University
| | | | - John M Flack
- Department of Internal Medicine, Wayne State University
| | | | - Jennifer Pierce
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University
| | - Stefan Goetz
- Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Wayne State University
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