Psychosocial factors associated with cardiovascular reactivity in older adults

This study examined associations of psychosocial factors with cardiovascular reactivity in two groups of men and women--spouse caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (M age = 69.4 N = 82) and controls (M age = 68.5, N = 78) group-matched for age and gender. Cardiovascular responses...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychosomatic medicine 1993-03, Vol.55 (2), p.164-177
Main Authors: VITALIANO, P. P, RUSSO, J, BAILEY, S. L, YOUNG, H. M, MCCANN, B. S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Age Factors
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Cardiovascular Diseases - etiology
Caregivers - psychology
Cognition
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hostility
Humans
Illness and personality
Male
Middle Aged
Personality Assessment
Psychology and medicine
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Type A Personality
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Summary:This study examined associations of psychosocial factors with cardiovascular reactivity in two groups of men and women--spouse caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (M age = 69.4 N = 82) and controls (M age = 68.5, N = 78) group-matched for age and gender. Cardiovascular responses to an emotional task (speech sample about one's spouse) yielded higher systolic and diastolic blood pressures (SBP, DBP) than a spoken cognitive task, which in turn yielded higher BPs and heart rate (HR) than the baseline rest period. HR was greater in response to the two tasks than in response to the baseline period, but it did not differ across tasks. Regression models of SBP, DBP, and HR reactivity in response to the two tasks demonstrated that after controlling for hypertension and gender, combinations of hostility, anger expression, avoidance coping, Type A behavior and Expressed Emotion (criticism) explained more reactivity in response to the emotional (8-12%) than the cognitive task (4-7%). Caregivers were more reactive than controls only if they were hypertensive. Psychosocial factors may be as important in explaining reactivity in older adults as in younger adults.
ISSN:0033-3174
DOI:10.1097/00006842-199303000-00005