title: Affective moderators of the cardiovascular response to stress in offspring of hypertensives.
abstract: The present study examined the influence of trait anxiety on the cardiovascular responses of normotensive offspring of hypertensives and normotensives. Forty-eight young adult males, half of whom were offspring of hypertensives (PH+), were exposed to an extended active coping stressor. This was a 1 hr shock avoidance procedure with avoidance made contingent on video-game performance. Trait anxiety status interacted with parental history of hypertension in predicting cardiovascular response. PH+ subjects who scored high on trait anxiety exhibited greater elevations of heart rate and forearm blood flow, and decreases in forearm vascular resistance than did PH+/low trait anxiety subjects or offspring of normotensives (PH-). Cardiovascular responses of PH+/low trait anxiety subjects did not differ significantly from those of PH- subjects. Results suggest affective factors may moderate cardiovascular responses of individuals at risk for hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal / Q000235:genetics*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000235:genetics; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications