Cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress: the influence of demographic variables.

Large magnitude cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress have been implicated in the development and expression of cardiovascular disease. Given that cardiovascular disease varies as a function of demographic variables such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status (SES), it is surprising that there are few substantive data on the eVects of such variables on the magnitude of cardiovascular reactions to stress. Although counter examples exist, small scale studies have reported greater heart rate reactions to stress in women, irrespective of stage of the menstrual cycle. Age has also been found to influence cardiovascular reactivity, with younger cohorts showing larger heart rate but lower systolic blood pressure reactions to stress. Finally, the one published study that has examined SES variations in reactivity found larger systolic blood pressure reactions to stress in higher occupational groups. Thus, the available data suggest that cardiovascular reactions to psychological stress are patterned by age, sex, and SES in a manner that is not wholly commensurate with the demographic stratification of cardiovascular disease prevalence. The present analyses of cardiovascular reactions to stress in three substantial age cohorts, which included both men and women and individuals varying in SES, allowed further examination of the demography of cardiovascular reactivity.