Gender, social support, and cardiovascular responses to stress

Objective: Laboratory research indicates that the presence of a supportive other can reduce physiological responses to a stressor, Whether there are g ender differences, either on the part of the provider or the recipient, in this social support effect is explored. Such differences might shed some li ght on the frequent epidemiological reports of gender differences in social support and health. Methods: Male and female subjects gave an impromptu sp eech and received either standardized supportive or nonsupportive feedback from a male or female confederate. Blood pressure and heart rate were monit ored continuously during baseline and speech periods. Results: Speakers wit h a supportive female audience showed a systolic increase of 25 mm Hg over baseline. Those with a nonsupportive female audience increased 36 mm Hg. A supportive male audience led to increases of 32 mm Hg, and a nonsupportive male audience 28 mm Hg. There was no significant effect of gender of subjec t. Conclusions: Results indicate that social support provided by women redu ced cardiovascular changes for both male and female speakers compared with presence of a nonsupportive female audience. Social support from men did no t. These findings suggest a possible mechanism that might help explain the epidemiological literature on the relationship between gender, social suppo rt, and health. The findings are consistent with the notion that married me n are healthier because they marry women. Women do not profit as much from marriage or suffer as much from separation, in terms of health outcomes, be cause the support they gain or lose is the less effective support of a man. These findings render more plausible the possibility that differences in s ocial support might contribute to health differences, through the dampening of cardiovascular responses to stress.