Cardiac vagal activity during psychological stress varies with social functioning in older women
Victoria B. Egizio,
J. Richard Jennings,
Israel C. Christie,
Lei K. Sheu,
Karen A. Matthews,
Peter J. Gianaros,
Victoria B. Egizio
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJ. Richard Jennings
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorIsrael C. Christie
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorLei K. Sheu
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorKaren A. Matthews
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorPeter J. Gianaros
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorVictoria B. Egizio,
J. Richard Jennings,
Israel C. Christie,
Lei K. Sheu,
Karen A. Matthews,
Peter J. Gianaros,
Victoria B. Egizio
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorJ. Richard Jennings
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorIsrael C. Christie
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorLei K. Sheu
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorKaren A. Matthews
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorPeter J. Gianaros
Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Search for more papers by this authorAddress reprint requests to: Victoria Egizio, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara St., Room E1329, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Research support was provided by the Pittsburgh Mind-Body Center (National Institutes of Health grant HL 076852/076858), by National Institutes of Health grants MH K01 070616-03, HL 28266, and T32HL007560. We also thank Dr. Lewis Kuller for his support as principal investigator of the Healthy Women Study.
Abstract
The polyvagal theory states that social behavior is linked to cardiac vagal control. This theory has been tested widely in infants and children, but less so in adults. Thus, we examined if resting or stress-related changes in high-frequency heart rate variability (HF-HRV; a presumed index of vagal control) varied with social functioning in 50 healthy women (mean age 68 years). After completing assessments of social functioning, women were exposed to laboratory stressors with concurrent psychophysiological monitoring. Although stressor-induced suppression of HF-HRV was common, women with less stressor-induced suppression of HF-HRV reported more positive social functioning. Resting HF-HRV was not related to social functioning. These findings are at apparent odds with the polyvagal theory; however, they complement prior work suggesting that emotional self-regulation could plausibly modulate cardiac vagal control in association with social functioning.
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