title: Cognitive Avoidant Coping Is Associated with Higher Carotid Intima Media Thickness Among Middle-Aged Adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cognitive avoidant coping (CAV) has been associated with elevated autonomic stress reactivity, thus presumably elevating risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, more direct evidence for this hypothesis is lacking.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to relate carotid intima media thickness (IMT) to CAV in nonclinical participants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 124 participants (61 women) with a mean age of 37.52 years (SD = 7.93, MIN = 30, MAX = 60) participated in the study. IMT was assessed by ultrasonic imaging and CAV via questionnaire (Mainz Coping Inventory; MCI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analysis revealed that although CAV was not significantly associated with IMT, there was a significant interaction of CAV and age. Whereas for younger adults, there was no significant relation for older individuals, CAV and IMT were significantly positively associated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that CAV could constitute a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases with increasing age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Health Psychology Unit, University of Graz, Graz, Austria. andreas.schwerdtfeger@uni-graz.at.|Department of Psychology, Karl-Franzens-University Graz, 8010, Graz, Austria. andreas.schwerdtfeger@uni-graz.at.
authors.forename: Andreas R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Schwerdtfeger
authors.affiliation: Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Scharnagl
authors.affiliation: Clinical Institute of Medical and Chemical Laboratory Diagnostics, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Tatjana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stojakovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Health Psychology Unit, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Eva-Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Rathner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Cardiovascular risk; Cognitive avoidant coping; Intima media thickness; Preclinical atherosclerosis