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Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Association Between Separation-Related Psychological Distress and Blood Pressure Reactivity Over Time.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Bourassa, KJ; Hasselmo, K; Sbarra, DA
Published in: Psychological science
August 2016

Divorce is a stressor associated with long-term health risk, though the mechanisms of this effect are poorly understood. Cardiovascular reactivity is one biological pathway implicated as a predictor of poor long-term health after divorce. A sample of recently separated and divorced adults (N = 138) was assessed over an average of 7.5 months to explore whether individual differences in heart rate variability-assessed by respiratory sinus arrhythmia-operate in combination with subjective reports of separation-related distress to predict prospective changes in cardiovascular reactivity, as indexed by blood pressure reactivity. Participants with low resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia at baseline showed no association between divorce-related distress and later blood pressure reactivity, whereas participants with high respiratory sinus arrhythmia showed a positive association. In addition, within-person variation in respiratory sinus arrhythmia and between-persons variation in separation-related distress interacted to predict blood pressure reactivity at each laboratory visit. Individual differences in heart rate variability and subjective distress operate together to predict cardiovascular reactivity and may explain some of the long-term health risk associated with divorce.

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Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

August 2016

Volume

27

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1123 / 1135

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress, Psychological
  • Self Report
  • Rest
  • Prospective Studies
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Individuality
  • Humans
  • Heart Rate
 

Citation

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Bourassa, K. J., Hasselmo, K., & Sbarra, D. A. (2016). Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Association Between Separation-Related Psychological Distress and Blood Pressure Reactivity Over Time. Psychological Science, 27(8), 1123–1135. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616651972
Bourassa, Kyle J., Karen Hasselmo, and David A. Sbarra. “Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Association Between Separation-Related Psychological Distress and Blood Pressure Reactivity Over Time.Psychological Science 27, no. 8 (August 2016): 1123–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616651972.
Bourassa, Kyle J., et al. “Heart Rate Variability Moderates the Association Between Separation-Related Psychological Distress and Blood Pressure Reactivity Over Time.Psychological Science, vol. 27, no. 8, Aug. 2016, pp. 1123–35. Epmc, doi:10.1177/0956797616651972.
Journal cover image

Published In

Psychological science

DOI

EISSN

1467-9280

ISSN

0956-7976

Publication Date

August 2016

Volume

27

Issue

8

Start / End Page

1123 / 1135

Related Subject Headings

  • Stress, Psychological
  • Self Report
  • Rest
  • Prospective Studies
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Individuality
  • Humans
  • Heart Rate