Ewart Craig K, Elder Gavin J, Jorgensen Randall S, Fitzgerald Sheila T
From the Department of Psychology (Ewart, Elder, Jorgensen), Syracuse University; and the Department of Environmental Health Sciences (Fitzgerald), Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University.
Psychosom Med. 2017 May;79(4):416-425. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000412.
A social action theory of chronic stress proposes that agonistic striving (seeking to influence or control others) impairs cardiovascular health by magnifying the impact of high adversity-induced cortisol levels on blood pressure. We tested three predictions of social action theory: (1) the social action theory taxonomy of regulatory strivings characterizes young adults from high-adversity neighborhoods; (2) high cortisol levels predict high blood pressure more reliably in the subgroup with the agonistic striving profile than in subgroups with other profiles; (3) the association of higher cortisol and higher blood pressure with agonistic striving is not explained by negative affect (depressive symptoms/dysphoria, anger, hostility).
Participants were young adults (N = 198, mean [SD] age = 32 [3.4] years); 71% female; 65% black) from disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. Motive profiles (including agonistic strivings) were assessed using the Social Competence Interview. Cortisol levels were derived from saliva samples; blood pressure level was obtained during two days of ambulatory monitoring. Psychological measures of negative affect were assessed using questionnaires.
The predicted taxonomy of regulatory strivings was replicated in this sample; the interaction between cortisol and motive profile was significant (F(2, 91) = 6.72, p = .002); analyses of simple effects disclosed that higher cortisol levels predicted higher ambulatory blood pressure only in individuals who exhibited agonistic striving. Depressive symptoms/dysphoria, trait anger, and hostility were not correlated with agonistic striving, cortisol, or blood pressure.
Agonistic striving may represent a distinctive (and novel) social-cognitive mechanism of toxic stress and cardiovascular risk.
慢性应激的社会行动理论提出，竞争性努力（试图影响或控制他人）会通过放大高逆境诱导的皮质醇水平对血压的影响来损害心血管健康。我们检验了社会行动理论的三个预测：（1）调节性努力的社会行动理论分类法能够刻画来自高逆境社区的年轻人；（2）在具有竞争性努力特征的亚组中，高皮质醇水平比在具有其他特征的亚组中更可靠地预测高血压；（3）较高的皮质醇和较高的血压与竞争性努力之间的关联不能用消极情绪（抑郁症状/烦躁不安、愤怒、敌意）来解释。
参与者为来自弱势城市社区的年轻人（N = 198，平均[标准差]年龄 = 32 [3.4]岁）；71%为女性；65%为黑人。使用社会能力访谈评估动机特征（包括竞争性努力）。皮质醇水平来自唾液样本；血压水平通过两天的动态监测获得。使用问卷评估消极情绪的心理测量指标。
在该样本中复制了预测的调节性努力分类法；皮质醇与动机特征之间的交互作用显著（F(2, 91) = 6.72，p = .002）；简单效应分析表明，仅在表现出竞争性努力的个体中，较高的皮质醇水平预测较高的动态血压。抑郁症状/烦躁不安、特质愤怒和敌意与竞争性努力、皮质醇或血压均无相关性。
竞争性努力可能代表了一种独特的（且新颖的）毒性应激和心血管风险的社会认知机制。
