10-YEAR STABILITY OF CARDIOVASCULAR-RESPONSES TO LABORATORY STRESSORS

In this study, we examined test-retest stability of cardiovascular str ess responses over a decade of the life span. Participants were 55 mal e college undergraduates, 19 years of age at initial testing, and 29 y ears of age at follow-up testing. Stressors were a foot cold presser a nd an aversive reaction time task. Cardiovascular measures included sy stolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and preejection perio d. For cold presser, the magnitude and pattern of cardiovascular respo nses remained unchanged at the 10-year follow-up. For the reaction tim e task, the characteristic cardiovascular response patterns was preser ved but with significant attenuation of magnitude. The present finding s are consistent with previous observations of temporal stability but over a substantially longer test-retest interval. The long-term stabil ity of stress responses is discussed in the context of stress test met hodology, behavioral response demands, and maturation of the physiolog ical systems involved in cardiovascular response expression.