EVALUATION INTERFERES WITH SOCIAL SUPPORT - EFFECTS ON CARDIOVASCULARSTRESS REACTIVITY IN WOMEN

We examined the role of social support in moderating cardiovascular re activity to behavioral stress. Fifty female students performed a stres sful math task while alone or in the presence of a close female friend . The friend-present condition was either high or low in evaluation po tential. Subjects in the non-evaluative friend-present condition showe d reduced systolic blood pressure reactivity compared to those alone d uring the task. Subjects in the evaluative friend-present condition di d not differ from the others on any cardiovascular measure. Perceived closeness to the friend and length of the friendship positively correl ated with size of the systolic blood pressure reduction in subjects as signed to friend-present conditions, regardless of evaluation conditio n. Simultaneous monitoring of the friends' cardiovascular activity rev ealed that the non-evaluative friends showed decreasing blood pressure during the task, whereas the evaluative friends did not. The findings suggest that the measurable benefit of social support may require pro tocols with minimal or no element of evaluation.