Article

The interactive effect of change in perceived stress and trait anxiety on vagal recovery from cognitive challenge.

Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Behavioral Medicine, 1150 St. Nicholas Ave Suite 121, New York, NY 10032, USA.
International journal of psychophysiology: official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology (impact factor: 3.05). 09/2011; 82(3):225-32. DOI:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2011.09.002 pp.225-32
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT The present study tested the hypothesis that the change in state negative affect (measured as perceived stress) after cognitive challenge moderates the relationship of trait anxiety and anger to vagal recovery from that challenge. Cardiac vagal control (assessed using heart rate variability) and respiratory rate were measured in a sample of 905 participants from the Midlife in the United States Study. Cognitive challenges consisted of computerized mental arithmetic and Stroop color-word matching tasks. Multiple regression analyses controlling for the effects of the demographic, lifestyle, and medical factors influencing cardiac vagal control showed a significant moderating effect of change in perceived stress on the relationship of trait anxiety to vagal recovery from cognitive challenges (Beta=.253, p=.013). After adjustment for respiratory rate, this effect became marginally significant (Beta=.177, p=.037). In contrast, for the relationship of trait anger to vagal recovery, this effect was not significant either before (Beta=.141, p=.257) or after (Beta=.186, p=.072) adjusting for respiratory rate. Secondary analyses revealed that among the individuals with higher levels of trait anxiety, greater reductions in perceived stress were associated with greater increases in cardiac vagal control after the challenge. In contrast, among the individuals with lower levels of trait anxiety, changes in perceived stress had no impact on vagal recovery. Therefore, change in perceived stress moderates the relationship of trait anxiety, but not trait anger, to vagal recovery from cognitive challenge.

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Keywords

905 participants
 
cardiac vagal control
 
cognitive challenge
 
cognitive challenge moderates
 
cognitive challenges
 
computerized mental arithmetic
 
greater increases
 
heart rate variability
 
marginally significant
 
medical factors influencing cardiac vagal control
 
Multiple regression analyses
 
respiratory rate
 
Secondary analyses
 
state negative
 
stress moderates
 
Stroop color-word
 
trait anger
 
trait anxiety
 
United States Study
 
vagal recovery