title: The interactive effect of change in perceived stress and trait anxiety on vagal recovery from cognitive challenge.
abstract: The present study tested the hypothesis that the change in state negative affect (measured as perceived stress) after cognitive challenge moderates the relationship of trait anxiety and anger to vagal recovery from that challenge. Cardiac vagal control (assessed using heart rate variability) and respiratory rate were measured in a sample of 905 participants from the Midlife in the United States Study. Cognitive challenges consisted of computerized mental arithmetic and Stroop color-word matching tasks. Multiple regression analyses controlling for the effects of the demographic, lifestyle, and medical factors influencing cardiac vagal control showed a significant moderating effect of change in perceived stress on the relationship of trait anxiety to vagal recovery from cognitive challenges (Beta=.253, p=.013). After adjustment for respiratory rate, this effect became marginally significant (Beta=.177, p=.037). In contrast, for the relationship of trait anger to vagal recovery, this effect was not significant either before (Beta=.141, p=.257) or after (Beta=.186, p=.072) adjusting for respiratory rate. Secondary analyses revealed that among the individuals with higher levels of trait anxiety, greater reductions in perceived stress were associated with greater increases in cardiac vagal control after the challenge. In contrast, among the individuals with lower levels of trait anxiety, changes in perceived stress had no impact on vagal recovery. Therefore, change in perceived stress moderates the relationship of trait anxiety, but not trait anger, to vagal recovery from cognitive challenge.
authors.affiliation: Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, 1150 St. Nicholas Ave Suite 121, New York, NY 10032, USA. os2184@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Olga V
authors.initials: OV
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: Paula S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: McKinley
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Burg
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Carol D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Ryff
authors.forename: Maxine
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weinstein
authors.forename: Teresa E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Seeman
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Sloan
mesh_terms: D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D057190:Stroop Test; D014481:United States; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology*