Individual differences in adaptation of cardiovascular responses to stress

Brian M. Hughes, Siobhán Howard, Jack E. James, Niamh M. Higgins

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Previous research has described patterns of adaptation of cardiovascular responses across prolonged or recurring stress. However, despite important implications for the study of reactivity, relatively little research has directly examined the antecedents or consequences of this adaptation. We present data showing that neuroticism, a personality trait associated with dispositional appraisals of stress, is associated with reductions in HR, CO, and TPR responses across stress exposures. Comparisons of reactivity curves suggest blunted initial stress responses among persons with high neuroticism, and higher initial responses followed by greater decreases among persons with low neuroticism. The data also suggest an association between adaptation of cardiovascular responses and myocardial hemodynamic responding. Such findings shed new light on previous studies detecting healthful correlates of short-term stress responding, and highlight the relevance of adaptation to future cardiovascular reactivity research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)129-136
Number of pages8
JournalBiological Psychology
Volume86
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adaptation
  • Cardiovascular reactivity
  • Habituation-sensitization
  • Individual differences
  • Neuroticism

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Individual differences in adaptation of cardiovascular responses to stress'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this