Cardiovascular reactivity and adolescent boys' physical health.

OBJECTIVE Minor illnesses and major diseases are affected by individual, environmental, and social factors. The purpose of the study was to determine if cardiovascular reactivity, an individual characteristic, was related to adolescent boys' health status and behaviors. METHODS A total of 89 low socioeconomic status 16-year-old boys who had been classified using teacher ratings during childhood as anxious, disruptive, anxious-disruptive, or normal participated in a laboratory stress experiment. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure were measured during the Social Competence Interview. Using the upper and lower quartiles of SBP change scores, 21 boys were classified as reactors and 20 boys were classified as nonreactors. Subjects were interviewed to assess health behaviors and outcomes, as well as stressful life events. RESULTS No significant group differences were found for minor or major physical health problems. A logistic regression analysis indicated that risky health behaviors were associated with SBP reactivity, personality characteristics, and negative life events. Specifically, nonreactors, who were disruptive, had more negative life events and engaged in more health-compromising behaviors (eg, smoking cigarettes, unprotected sex), which may contribute to future health problems (eg, cancer, AIDS). Anxious individuals may be more vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases in part because of exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to stress. CONCLUSION Low socioeconomic status boys may be at risk for different health problems caused by differing personality characteristics associated with divergent health-related behaviors.