Job hassles and cardiovascular reaction patterns among urban bus drivers

Forty-six bus drivers took part in a longitudinal field study of cardiovasc ular reactions to urban driving. "Job hassles" were recorded by observers u sing a standardized list of stress-related events in traffic and on the bus . Measures of blood pressure, heart rate, and ratings of perceived mental s train were obtained after each route segment. Intraindividual correlations between psychophysiological recordings and job hassles were calculated and submitted to cluster analysis. Two reaction patterns were identified, 1 cha racterized by consistently, although modestly, positive associations betwee n the frequency of job hassles and psychophysiological reactions, the other characterized by a low association between the frequency of hassles and in dicators of psychophysiological arousal. The former group displayed signifi cantly higher blood pressure and mental strain ratings in the unwinding pha se after work than did the latter group of workers. The results are discuss ed in terms of rate of "unwinding" after exposure to stressful conditions.