Kevin T. Larkin

Research examining the relation between dispositional optimism and the magnitude of cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to stress has produced mixed findings, with some studies finding that optimism was associated with increased CVR, some with decreased CVR, and some with no association with CVR. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether task difficulty accounted for these mixed findings and moderated the association between optimism and CVR. Seventy-four young adults classified as having high optimism and 78 young adults classified as having low optimism based on the Life Orientation Test-Revised were randomized to complete either an easy or difficult Raven’s Matrices task. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and HR variability were measured during a pre-task rest period followed by the task period. Participants also completed ratings of positive and negative affect experienced while completing the task, as well as measures of task appraisals. Results revealed that high optimism participants exhibited greater diastolic blood pressure reactivity (DBP) to both the easy and difficult stress tasks compared to low optimism counterparts. Low optimism participants randomized to the difficult task condition exhibited a significant reduction in standard deviation of normal-to-normal (SDNN) intervals in comparison to those assigned to the easy task condition, a differential task response not detected among the high optimism sample. Analysis of affective responses to the tasks showed that high optimism participants reported experiencing more positive affect than low optimism participants, but no group differences were observed for negative affect. No differences between high and low optimism samples were observed on task performance, and significant DBP and SDNN findings remained when controlling for task performance. Task difficulty only moderated the relation between optimism and SDNN response to stress but not HR or BP responses, demonstrating the importance of assessing a broad range of physiological parameters when exploring relations between psychological constructs like optimism and autonomic responses to stress.

Men and women have been shown to exhibit different patterns of cardiovascular response to stress, with men commonly exhibiting greater blood pressure reactions than women and women exhibiting greater heart rate (HR) reactions than men. To examine whether this observed difference between sexes is influenced by one’s gender role as well as gender role-related task characteristics, 48 young men and 48 young women were selected to complete an interpersonal interaction in two-person dyads, with traditional masculine men paired with traditional feminine women and androgynous men paired with androgynous women. Two aspects of the interpersonal interaction were manipulated: Agency (degree of challenge; High versus Low) and Communion (degree of agreement; Agree versus Disagree). HR and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were measured during a resting, preparation, and interaction period. Participants also completed questionnaires assessing state anger and task appraisals. Results from a dyadic linear mixed model analysis revealed that traditional feminine women exhibited significantly higher HR during the interaction than traditional men, especially during the listening phases of the task. Participants with traditional gender roles exhibited higher SBP reactions to the listening phases of the task than participants with androgynous gender roles regardless of their sex. No effects for gender-relevant task characteristics were observed. The results of this study suggest that the gender role of participants is important to consider when designing studies exploring sex differences in response to interpersonal challenges.

Background. Muslims in the United States (US) exhibit high rates of cigarette smoking. Guided by the Social Cognitive Theory, the study aimed to investigate the associations between the number of serious cigarette smoking cessation attempts and cognitive as well as environmental factors in adult US Muslim smokers. Methods. This cross-sectional study was based on a convenience sample of adult (≥ 18 years) US Muslim smokers. After receiving IRB approval, data were collected using an on-line survey. Unadjusted Poisson regression followed by adjusted multivariable Poisson regression analyses were conducted to answer the research question. Results. One hundred thirty-two smokers completed the questionnaire. Smokers reported more serious cigarette smoking cessation attempts if they 1) had more knowledge about the consequences of cigarette smoking cessation, 2) had more positive attitudes regarding quitting, and 3) reported greater religiosity. Additionally, smokers reported fewer serious cigarette smoking cessation attempts if they 1) were employed, 2) affiliated with Sunnah sect, 3) reported better self-assessed health, 4) reported higher perceived value for quitting, and 5) indicated that using tobacco was not allowed inside the home. Only three smokers reported using both prescription medications and counseling to aid with smoking cessation attempts. Conclusions. Inadequate utilization of pharmaceutical smoking cessation products and provider professional assistance may exacerbate the problems associated with elevated rates of smoking among US Muslim smokers. Knowledge of the consequences, more positive attitudes, and greater religiosity can be influential constructs in future interventions aimed at encouraging smoking cessation attempts in this population. Article type: Original Research

This study aimed to examine the role of family environment upon responses to interpersonal conflict in young adulthood, and to determine whether response patterns differed between men and women. Behavioral, affective, and cardiovascular responses of 17 young adults from families rated extreme (EXT) on scales of cohesion and flexibility were compared with those of 21 young adults from balanced (BAL) families. Participants engaged in 2 role‐play conflicts, 1 with a male confederate and 1 with a female confederate. Measures of positive and negative verbal and nonverbal behaviors, self‐reported anxiety and anger, and heart rate and blood pressure were obtained. Results showed EXT participants exhibited more negative verbal and less positive verbal behavior during both interactions than BAL participants. EXT men exhibited greater DBP, state anger, and negative nonverbal responses than BAL men, findings not observed for women. These findings indicate that exposure to a negative family environment influences how young adult men respond to interpersonal confrontation more than young adult women.

Low heart rate variability (HRV) characterizes several medical and psychological diseases. HRV biofeedback is a newly developed approach that may have some use for treating the array of disorders in which HRV is relatively low. This review critically appraises evidence for the effectiveness of HRV and related biofeedback across 14 studies in improving (1) HRV and baroreflex outcomes and (2) clinical outcomes. Results revealed that HRV biofeedback consistently effectuates acute improvements during biofeedback practice, whereas the presence of short-term and long-term carry-over effects is less clear. Some evidence suggests HRV biofeedback may result in long-term carry-over effects on baroreflex gain, which is an area most promising for future investigations. On the other hand, concerning clinical outcomes, there is ample evidence attesting to efficacy of HRV biofeedback. However, because clinical and physiological outcomes do not improve concurrently in all cases, the mechanism by which HRV biofeedback results in salutary effects in unclear. Considerations for the field in addressing shortcomings of the reviewed studies and advancing understanding of the way in which HRV biofeedback may improve physiological and clinical outcomes are offered in light of the reviewed evidence.

To investigate the relation between forgiveness and apology as they relate to cardiovascular reactivity and recovery, 29 men and 50 women were exposed to an interpersonal transgression (i.e., verbal harassment) while performing a serial subtraction task. Participants were categorized into high and low forgiveness groups based on scores on the forgiving personality scale. Following the task, approximately half of the participants received an apology from the experimenter for his/her comments during the task. Although no group differences in cardiovascular reactivity were observed during the serial subtraction task, persons high in forgiveness displayed more rapid diastolic and mean arterial blood pressure recovery than persons low in forgiveness. In response to the apology, participants displayed greater high frequency heart rate variability recovery compared to those who did not receive an apology. A significant apology × sex interaction was observed for diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial blood pressure. Women who received an apology exhibited faster recovery from the transgression than women who did not receive an apology. In contrast, men who received an apology exhibited delayed recovery from the transgression compared to men who did not receive an apology. These results indicate that there are potentially healthful benefits to forgiveness and apology, but the relation is influenced by situation and by sex.