4-YEAR STABILITY OF CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIVITY TO PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS

The 4-year stability of cardiovascular responses to laboratory psychol ogical stress (mental arithmetic) was examined in 75 adults. The stabi lity coefficients were .76 for heart rate (NR) change and .81 for abso lute HR, .66 for systolic blood pressure (SBP) change and .52 for abso lute SBT, .16 for diastolic blood pressure (DBP) change and .27 for ab solute DBP. Males had greater SBP and DBP reactivity than females in t he first session, but this reactivity decreased by the 4-year follow-u p session (which was not the case for women).