Journal article
Early Life Stress, Coping, and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Social Stress
Psychosomatic medicine, Vol.85(2), pp.118-129
02/01/2023
DOI: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001165
PMCID: PMC9918702
PMID: 36728859
Abstract
Objective Early life stress (ELS) occurring during childhood and adolescence is an established risk factor for later cardiovascular disease and dysregulated reactivity to acute social stress. This study examined whether ELS associations with baseline cardiovascular functioning, cardiovascular stress reactivity and recovery, and emotional stress reactivity vary across levels of emotion-oriented, task-oriented, and avoidant coping styles. Methods The sample included 1027 adolescents and young adults (mean age = 19.29 years; 50% female; 64% Black, 34% non-Hispanic White) who reported on their ELS exposure and coping styles. Participants completed a standardized acute social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test [TSST]), with heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) measured before, during, and after the TSST. Self-reports of negative emotions during the TSST indexed emotional stress reactivity. Results Multiple regression models adjusting for demographic factors and body mass index showed that ELS was associated with lower HR stress reactivity, avoidant coping was related to lower systolic BP and diastolic BP during stress and lower systolic BP during recovery, and higher emotion-oriented coping and lower task-oriented coping predicted greater emotional stress reactivity. A consistent pattern emerged where emotion-oriented coping amplified the associations between ELS and maladaptive stress responses (blunted cardiovascular stress reactivity and recovery; enhanced emotional stress reactivity), whereas lower levels of emotion-oriented coping were associated with resilient profiles among those who experienced ELS (lower resting HR, lower emotional stress reactivity, average HR and BP stress reactivity and recovery). However, low levels of emotion-oriented coping also conferred a risk of higher BP during recovery for those with high levels of ELS. Conclusions These results suggest that low to moderate levels of emotion-oriented coping promote optimal cardiovascular and emotional reactivity to acute stress among individuals exposed to ELS.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Early Life Stress, Coping, and Cardiovascular Reactivity to Acute Social Stress
- Creators
- Sylvie Mrug - University of Alabama at BirminghamJennifer S. Pollock - University of Alabama at BirminghamDavid M. Pollock - University of Alabama at BirminghamMichael E. Seifert - University of Alabama at BirminghamKim A. Johnson - University of IowaDavid C. Knight - University of Alabama
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Psychosomatic medicine, Vol.85(2), pp.118-129
- DOI
- 10.1097/PSY.0000000000001165
- PMID
- 36728859
- PMCID
- PMC9918702
- NLM abbreviation
- Psychosom Med
- ISSN
- 0033-3174
- eISSN
- 1534-7796
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Number of pages
- 12
- Grant note
- R01MH098348 / National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA; NIH National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 02/01/2023
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Neuroscience and Pharmacology; Health, Sport, and Human Physiology
- Record Identifier
- 9984441854402771
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