title: Self-reported stressors, symptom complaints and psychobiological functioning I: Cardiovascular stress reactivity.
abstract: Taking into account neuroticism and lifestyle variables (smoking and alcohol consumption), cardiovascular and psychological reactions to stressful films were studied in four groups of subjects selected on self-reported levels of recent stressor load and symptom complaints (low-load/low-symptoms: low-load/high-symptoms; high-load/low-symptoms; high-load/high-symptoms). The films were known either to stimulate or to depress cardiovascular activity. The results showed that psychological reactions (distress; deactivation; openness/involvement) were associated with group membership and condition. In addition, high-symptom subjects were characterized by faster resting heart rates and smaller ECG T-wave amplitudes (TWAs), reflective of greater sympathetic tone on the myocard. Further, low-symptom subjects, in particular those labeled as stress-resistant (high-load/low-symptoms), exhibited larger myocardial responses to the cardiovascular-stimulating films than did high-symptom subjects. Low-symptom subjects showed predicted variations in physiological responses to the different films, whereas the responses by the high-symptom subjects showed lesser variation across films. It is concluded that the cardiovascular responses of low-symptom subjects more accurately followed the energetic demands of the body, whereas the high-symptom subjects were in a comparatively enduring state of arousal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Psychology, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Vingerhoets@kub.nl
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Vingerhoets
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ratliff-Crain
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jabaaij
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Menges
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baum
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000294:innervation*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D012803:Sick Role; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014434:Type A Personality