Social support schemas, trait anger, and cardiovascular responses.

Full Abstract

This study examined the influence of activated support schemas on cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) during an anger-recall interview. Eighty Chinese female undergraduates wrote about a supportive tie or a casual acquaintance and subsequently disclosed an anger-provoking event while their heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured. Compared to participants in the 'acquaintance' condition, those in the 'support' condition showed lower HR, SBP and DBP reactivity, as well as smaller state anger increases and less negative appraisals of the recalled anger event. Reactivity increased as a function of trait anger. High trait anger individuals also had greater increases in state anger and more negative appraisals of the recalled event compared to their low trait anger counterparts. Support schema activation reduced the effects of trait anger on CVR such that high trait anger individuals in the 'support' condition had significantly lower CVR compared to high trait anger individuals in the 'acquaintance' condition. These findings suggest that social support schemas may have beneficial effects even in the absence of actual, enacted support.

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Author information

Author/s: Ratnasingam, Prema (P); Bishop, George D (GD);

Affiliation: National University of Singapore, Singapore.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (Int J Psychophysiol), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Mar; vol 63 (issue 3) : pp 308-16

Dates: Created 2007/02/27; Completed 2007/05/17;

PMID: 17275113, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adaptation, Physiological
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Anger - physiology
Blood Pressure - physiology
Female
Heart Rate - physiology

Heart Rate - physiology
Humans
Imagination - physiology
Linear Models
Personality - physiology
Reference Values
Social Support

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