Haemodynamic reactions to acute psychological stress and smoking status in a large community sample.
Exaggerated haemodynamic reactions to acute psychological stress have been implicated in a number of adverse health outcomes. This study examined, in a large community sample, the cross-sectional associations between haemodynamic reactivity and self-reported smoking status. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured at rest and in response to a 3-minute arithmetic stress task. Participants were classified as current, ex-, or non-smokers by their response to a simple prompt. Smokers had significantly smaller SBP and DBP reactions to acute stress than ex- and non-smokers; current and ex-smokers had lower HR reactivity. These effects remained significant following adjustment for a host of variables likely to be associated with reactivity and/or smoking. Although the act of smoking acutely increases haemodynamic activity, the present findings contribute to a growing body of literature showing that smokers have blunted reactivity to mental stress. They also support the hypothesis that blunted reactivity may be characteristic of a range of dependencies. The present results also suggest that smoking status needs to be considered in the design and analysis of stress reactivity studies.
Phillips
Anna C
AC
School of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, England, UK. A.C.Phillips@bham.ac.uk
Der
Geoff
G
Hunt
Kate
K
Carroll
Douglas
D
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055815:Young Adult