Key result
Lower diastolic blood pressure during partner interactions was associated with a lesser increase in systolic blood pressure over 6.2 years (9.84 mm Hg differential change at +1/-1 SD; p=0.006).
Why the study?
Lower blood pressure during romantic partner interactions may underlie the link between romantic relationships and better cardiovascular health, but its effect on long-term cardiovascular outcomes required investigation.
Does momentary ambulatory blood pressure response to romantic partner interactions predict long-term changes in blood pressure and left ventricular mass index in married working adults?
Cohort (n=538)
Does momentary ambulatory blood pressure response to romantic partner interactions predict long-term changes in blood pressure and left ventricular mass index in married working adults?
Effect estimate: B = 1.68
p-value: p=0.006
Lower momentary diastolic ambulatory blood pressure during romantic partner interactions is associated with lesser long-term increases in systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
These partner-related BP associations merit prospective confirmation; leaves open whether targeted interventions modify long-term trajectories.
OBJECTIVE: Lower blood pressure (BP) during romantic partner interactions may underlie the association between romantic relationships and better long-term cardiovascular health. This secondary analysis examined the effect of momentary ambulatory BP (ABP) response to partner interactions on between-person changes in left ventricular mass index and mean systolic and diastolic BP over time. METHODS: Participants were 538 married, working adults (mean [SD] = 46.9 [8.8] years, 56.7% female) with a screening BP of ≤160/105 mm Hg. Participants completed questionnaires, 24-hour ABP monitoring, and an echocardiogram at waves 1 and 2 (mean [SD] = 6.2 [1.0] years later). Associations between ABP response to partner (versus nonpartner) interactions and cardiovascular outcomes were examined using multilevel structural equation models. RESULTS: Participants with lower diastolic BP during partner interactions at wave 1 had a lesser increase in systolic BP at wave 2 (B = 1.68, SE = 0.61, p = .006; 9.84 mm Hg differential change in systolic BP for participants at +1/-1 SD diastolic ABP response to partner interactions). Participants with lower diastolic ABP during partner-specific interactions at wave 1 also had a lesser increase in diastolic BP (B = 0.83, SE = 0.42, p = .045; 4.89 mm Hg differential change in diastolic BP at +1/-1 SD). Systolic ABP response to partner-specific interactions did not predict changes in cardiovascular outcomes; diastolic ABP response did not predict changes in left ventricular mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Momentary diastolic ABP response to partner-specific interactions may function as a mechanism underlying the cardioprotective effect of romantic relationships on long-term BP outcomes.
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Cornelius et al. (2020) reported a cohort. Ambulatory blood pressure response to partner interactions vs. Ambulatory blood pressure response to nonpartner interactions was evaluated on Between-person changes in left ventricular mass index and mean systolic and diastolic BP over time (B = 1.68, p=0.006). Lower diastolic blood pressure during partner interactions was associated with a lesser increase in systolic blood pressure over 6.2 years (9.84 mm Hg differential change at +1/-1 SD; p=0.006).
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