What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Observational. Population: Healthy (n=108). Intervention: Trait hostility and perceived social support. Primary outcome: Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate reactivity.

January 27, 2005Open Access

Hostility and perceived social support: interactive effects on cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors

Key Result

Higher trait hostility combined with high perceived social support was associated with greater systolic blood pressure reactivity to laboratory stressors.

Study Design

Type

Observational (n=108)

Structured PICO

Do trait hostility and perceived social support interact to affect cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors in healthy college students?

Population

108 healthy college students (53 men, 55 women)

Intervention

Assessment of trait hostility and perceived social support during laboratory stressors (speech and mental arithmetic tasks)

Outcome

Cardiovascular reactivity (systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate)surrogate

Trait hostility and perceived social support interact to influence cardiovascular reactivity to stress, suggesting a complex relationship between psychosocial factors and cardiovascular risk.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Previous research has identified trait hostility and social isolation as possible psychosocial risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD). However, few studies have examined hostility and social support simultaneously to determine their independent and possible interactive relations with CHD and disease-promoting mechanisms. PURPOSE: Hypotheses derived from a general interpersonal model were tested in a study examining trait hostility and perceived social support as predictors of cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors. METHODS: Healthy college students (53 men, 55 women) performed speech and mental arithmetic tasks while blood pressure and heart rate were monitored. RESULTS: There was an interactive effect of hostility and perceived social support on systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) reactivity. Higher hostility scores were associated with greater SBP reactivity for participants who were high in perceived social support; whereas for those with low social support scores, greater hostility was associated with somewhat less SBP reactivity. The same pattern was obtained for DBP, but only during the speech task. CONCLUSIONS: These findings encourage further research conceptualizing trait hostility within a general interpersonal framework that calls attention to both positive and negative person-environment transactions.