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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #275241
Title: Interactive effects of stress reactivity and usual stress on adolescents cardiovascular health

Author
item Roemmich, James
item FEDA, DENISE - University Of Buffalo
item SEELBINDER, APRIL - University Of Buffalo
item LAMBIASE, MAYA - University Of Buffalo
item DORN, JOAN - University Of Buffalo

Submitted to: American College of Sports Medicine
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/21/2012
Publication Date: 5/1/2012
Citation: Roemmich, J.N., Feda, D.M., Seelbinder, A.M., Lambiase, M.J., Dorn, J. 2012. Interactive effects of stress reactivity and usual stress on adolescents cardiovascular health [abstract]. American College of Sports Medicine. 44:728(Suppl. 2 5S).

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Adolescents experience stressful situations at high rates during school. Psychological stress is associated with the progression of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The diathesis-stress model suggests that youth experiencing the greatest cumulative stress are at greatest risk for developing antecedents of CVD. Thus, youth with the greatest reactivity to a stressor may be at most risk for CVD pathogenesis, especially if they also incur frequent daily stressors, such as during a year of high school. PURPOSE: To determine the relationships between the magnitude of CV stress reactivity and the amount of daily stress with the pathogenesis of CVD as characterized by carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) at the end of the school year. METHODS: 23 boys and 19 girls age 13-16 y were studied for cardiovascular reactivity to an interpersonal speech stressor and usual stress (perceived stress scale-14) in August just before the start of the school year. Usual stress was measured again in October after the beginning of the school year. Carotid artery IMT was measured immediately after the school year the following June. Multiple regression was used to determine the interactive association of CV stress reactivity (e.g., systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity) and school year (October) stress on carotid artery IMT and BAR when covarying for resting SBP and baseline (August) level of usual stress. RESULTS: As main effects, SBP reactivity to the speech stressor was associated with IMT (beta = 0.005, p < 0.005), while school year usual stress was not (beta = 0.002, p > 0.17). The interaction of SBP reactivity and school year usual stress was significant (p < 0.02). The overall interaction model predicted that youth with low stress reactivity and low school stress; low reactivity and high stress; high reactivity and low stress; and high reactivity and high stress would have IMT of 0.44, 0.48, 0.55, and 0.50 mm, respectively. CONCLUSION: With the methods used, higher stress reactivity and usual stress increased IMT by a predicted 25% and 12%, respectively. SBP stress reactivity predicts IMT better than usual stress, and children with the greatest reactivity to a stressor may be at the greatest risk for subclinical progression of CVD.