Individual differences in cardiovascular reactions to stress and cigarette smoking.

Examined the stability of cardiovascular (CDV) reactions to psychological stress and cigarette smoking and the extent to which CDV actions to stress were predictive of CDV reactions to smoking. 26 male Ss were given an initial test involving 2 repetitions of mental arithmetic stress and paced smoking while blood pressure and heart rate were measured. Ss were retested 2 mo later in the same paradigm. Large and stable individual differences were observed in CDV reactivity to both stress and smoking. For systolic and diastolic blood pressure, but not heart rate, reactions to stress were modestly correlated with reactions to cigarette smoking, suggesting that levels of reactivity to cigarette smoking may have significance for coronary heart disease and blood pressure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)