Key result
Effortful active coping and anger provocation had additive effects on heart rate and diastolic blood pressure, but not on systolic blood pressure, in female students.
Why the study?
Do effortful active coping and anger provocation have additive effects on cardiovascular responses in female students?
Do effortful active coping and anger provocation have additive effects on cardiovascular responses in female students?
Effortful active coping and acute anger provocation have additive effects on heart rate and diastolic blood pressure in women, likely produced by different physiological mechanisms.
Hypothesis-generating for distinct CV reactivity pathways in young women; leaves open extension to patients or interventions.
This study addresses the question of whether effortful active coping and anger provocation add in their effects on cardiovascular responses. Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) responses of 64 female students were collected during an active versus nonactive coping task with and without provocation. After a baseline period, women did mental arithmetic (active coping) or read numbers aloud (nonactive coping). Half of each group was then additionally provoked. Ratings of the emotional states (Positive and Negative Affect Scale) indicate that provocation led to an increase in anger, but not in fear or negative or positive affect. Effortful active coping and provocation elevated cardiovascular activity. Although active coping enhanced all cardiovascular variables, provocation particularly affected HR and DBP. The effects of active coping and provocation on HR and DBP but not on SBP were additive and probably were produced by different physiological mechanisms.
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Bongard et al. (1997) studied Cardiovascular responses to stress and anger (n=64). Effortful active coping (mental arithmetic) and anger provocation vs. Nonactive coping (reading numbers aloud) without provocation was evaluated on Heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) responses. Effortful active coping and anger provocation had additive effects on heart rate and diastolic blood pressure, but not on systolic blood pressure, in female students.
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