Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social support and age-related differences in cardiovascular function: An examination of potential mediators

  • Empirical Articles
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

The investigators examined the potential influence of social support on age-related differences in resting cardiovascular function and the potential mediators responsible for such associations in 67 normotensive women and men. Consistent with prior research, age predicted increased resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). More importantly, regression analyses revealed that social support moderated agerelated differences in resting SBP and DBP, as age predicted higher resting blood pressure for individuals low in social support, but was unrelated to blood pressure for individuals high in social support. An examination of potential pathways revealed that these results were not mediated by various health-related variables, personality factors, or psychological processes. Implications for the study of social support and health are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kart CS, Metress EK, Metress SP:Human Aging and Chronic Disease. London: Jones and Bartlett, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rowe JW, Kahn RL: Human aging: Usual and successful.Science. 1987,237: 143–149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Timiras PS:Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics. London: CRC Press, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Sharma R: Theories of aging. In Timiras PS (ed),Physiological Basis of Aging and Geriatrics. London: CRC Press, 1994, 37–46.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Warner HR, Butler, RN, Sprott RL, Schneider EL.Modern Biology Theories of Aging. New York: Raven Press, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Szklo M: Epidemiologic patterns of blood pressure in children.Epidemiologic Reviews. 1979,1: 143–169.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Cohen S: Psychosocial models of the role of social support in the etiology of physical disease.Health Psychology. 1988,7: 269–297.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Smith EL: Special considerations in developing exercise programs for the older adult. In Matarazzo JD, Weiss SM, Herd JA, Miller NE, Weiss SM (eds),Behavioral Health: A Handbook of Health Enhancement and Disease Prevention. New York: Wiley, 1984, 525–546.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Lakatta EG: Heart and circulation. In Schneider EL, Rowe JW (eds),Handbook of the Biology of Aging. New York: Academic Press, 1991, 181–216.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Schocken DD, Roth GS: Reduced β-adrenergic receptor concentrations in aging man.Nature 1977,267: 856–858.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Bertel O, Buhler FR, Kiowski W, Lutold BE: Decreased beta adrenoreceptor responsiveness as related to age, blood pressure, and plasma catecholamines in patients with essential hypertension.Hypertension. 1980,2: 130–138.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Vestel RE, Wood AJ, Shand DG: Reduced B-adrenoceptor sensitivity in the elderly.Clinical Pharmacology and Therapy. 1979,26: 181–186.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Palmer GJ, Ziegler MG, Lake RC: Response of norepinephrine and blood pressure to stress increases with age.Journal of Gerontology. 1978,33: 482–487.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Pfeifer MA, Weinberg CR, Cook D, et al: Differential changes of autonomic nervous system function with age in man.American Journal of Medicine. 1983,75: 249–258.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Fleg JL, Tzankoff SP, Lakatta EG: Age-related augmentation of plasma catecholamines during dynamic exercise in healthy males.Journal of Applied Physiology. 1985,59: 1033–1039.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Garwood M, Engel BT, Capriotti R: Autonomic nervous system function and aging: Response specificity.Psychophysiology. 1982,19: 378–385.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Landahl S, Bengtsson C, Sigurdsson JA, Svanborg A, Svardsudd K: Age-related changes in blood pressure.Hypertension. 1986,8: 1044–1049.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Steptoe A, Moses J, Edwards S: Age-related differences in cardiovascular reactions to mental stress tests in women.Health Psychology. 1990,9: 18–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. MacMahon S, Peto R, Cutler J, et al: Blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Part 1, Prolonged differences in blood pressure: Prospective observational studies corrected for the regression dilution bias.Lancet. 1990,335: 765–774.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Fries ED: Salt, volume and the prevalence of hypertension.Circulation. 1976,53: 589–595.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Sarason IG, Sarason BR, Shearin EN: Social support as an individual difference variable: Its stability, origins, and relational aspects.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1986,50: 845–855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Berkman LF: The role of social relations in health promotion.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1995,57: 245–254.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Broadhead WE, Kaplan BH, James SA, et al: The epidemiologic evidence for a relationship between social support and health.American Journal of Epidemiology. 1983,117: 521–537.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. House JS, Landis KR, Umberson D: Social relationships and health.Science. 1988,241: 540–545.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Kamarck TW, Manuck SB, Jennings RJ: Social support reduces cardiovascular reactivity to psychological challenge: A laboratory model.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1990,52: 42–58.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Gerin W, Pieper C, Levy R, Pickering TG: Social support in social interactions: A moderator of cardiovascular reactivity.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1992,54: 324–336.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Lepore SJ, Allen KA, Evans GW: Social support lowers cardiovascular reactivity to an acute stressor.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1993,55: 518–524.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Uchino BN, Cacioppo JT, Kiecolt-Glaser JK: The relationship between social support and physiological processes: A review with emphasis on underlying mechanisms and implications for health.Psychological Bulletin. 1996,119: 488–531.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Uchino BN, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Cacioppo JT: Age-related changes in cardiovascular response as a function of a chronic stressor and social support.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1992,63: 839–846.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Uchino BN, Cacioppo JT, Malarkey W, Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK: Appraisal support predicts age-related differences in cardiovascular function in women.Health Psychology. 1995,14: 556–562.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Davidson DM, Shumaker SA: Social support and cardiovascular disease.Arteriosclerosis. 1987,7: 101–104.

    Google Scholar 

  32. Umberson D: Family status and health behaviors: Social control as a dimension of social integration.Journal of Health and Social Behavior. 1987,28: 306–319.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Cohen S, Doyle WJ, Skoner DP, Rabin BS, Gwaltney JM: Social ties and susceptibility to the common cold.Journal of the American Medical Association. 1997,277: 1940–1944.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Bolger N, Eckenrode J: Social relationships, personality, and anxiety during a major stressful event.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1991,61: 440–449.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Smith TW, Gallo LC: Personality traits as risk factors for physical illness. In Baum A, Revenson T, Singer J (eds),Handbook of Health Psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum (in press, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Booth-Kewley S, Friedman HS: Psychological predictors of heart disease: A quantitative review.Psychological Bulletin. 1987,101: 343–362.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Smith TW: Hostility and health: Current status of a psychosomatic hypothesis.Health Psychology. 1992,11: 139–150.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Pessenhofer H: Single cuff comparison of two methods for indirect measurement of arterial blood pressure: Standard auscultatory method versus automatic oscillometric method.Basic Research in Cardiology. 1986,81: 101–109.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Kirshon B, Lee W, Cotton DB, Giebel R: Indirect blood pressure monitoring in the postpartum patient.Obstetrics and Gynecology. 1987,70: 799–801.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Ornstein S, Markert G, Litchfield L, Zemp L: Evaluation of the DINAMAP blood pressure monitor in an ambulatory primary care setting.Journal of Family Practice 1988,26: 517–521.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Gorback MS, Quill TJ, Lavine ML: The relative accuracies of two automated noninvasive arterial pressure measurement devices.Journal of Clinical Monitoring. 1991,7: 13–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Epstein RH, Huffnagle S, Bartkowski RR: Comparative accuracies of a finger blood pressure monitor and an oscillometric blood pressure monitor.Journal of Clinical Monitoring. 1991,7: 161–167.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Kamarck TW, Jennings JR, Debski TT, et al: Reliable measures of behaviorally-evoked cardiovascular reactivity from a PC-based test battery: Results from student and community samples.Psychophysiology 1992,29: 17–28.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Cohen S, Mermelstein RJ, Kamarck T, Hoberman HM: Measuring the functional components of social support. In Sarason IG, Sarason B (eds),Social Support: Theory, Research, and Application. The Hague, Holland: Martinus Niijhoff, 1985, 73–94.

    Google Scholar 

  45. Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Dura JR, Speicher CE, Trask OJ, Glaser RG: Spousal caregivers of dementia victims: Longitudinal changes in immunity and health.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1991,53: 345–362.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Eysenck HJ: A short questionnaire for the measurement of two dimensions of personality.Journal of Applied Psychology. 1958,42: 14–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Finch JF, Zautra AJ: Testing latent longitudinal models of social ties and depression among the elderly: A comparison of distribution-free and maximum likelihood estimates with nonnormal dataPsychology and Aging. 1992,7: 107–118.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  48. Buss AH, Perry M: The aggression questionnaire.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1992,63: 452–459.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Beck AT:Depression: Clinical, Experimental, and theoretical Aspects. New York: Harper & Row, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  50. Beck AT, Ward CH, Mendelson M, Mock J, Erbaugh J: An inventory for measuring depression.Archives of General Psychiatry. 1961,4: 561–571.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  51. Cohen S, Williamson GM: Perceived stress in a probability sample in the United States. In Spacapan S, Oskamp S (eds),The Social Psychology of Health. London: Sage, 1988, 31–67.

    Google Scholar 

  52. Diener E, Emmons RA, Larsen RJ, Griffin S: The Satisfaction with Life Scale.Journal of Personality Assessment. 1985,49: 71–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  53. Pavot W, Diener E: Review of the Satisfaction with Life Scale.Psychological Assessment. 1993,5: 164–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Aiken LS, West SG:Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions. London: Sage, 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  55. Cohen J, Cohen P:Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  56. Anderson NB, Armstead CA: Towards understanding the association of socioeconomic status and health: A new challenge for the biopsychosocial approach.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1995,57: 213–225.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Baron RM, Kenny DA: The moderator-mediator distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1986,51: 1173–1182.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  58. Baron RS, Cutrona CE, Hicklin D, Russell DW, Lubaroff DM: Social support and immune function among spouses of cancer patients.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1990,59: 344–352.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Bonneau R, Malarkey W, Hughes J: Stress-induced modulation of the immune response to recombinant Hepatitis B vaccine.Psychosomatic Medicine. 1992,54: 22–29.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Kenney RAPhysiology of Aging. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  61. Sarason BR, Sarason IG, Pierce GR:Social Support: An Interactional View. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  62. Collins R, Peto R, MacMahon S, et al: Blood pressure, stroke, and coronary heart disease. Part 2, Short-term reductions in blood pressure; overview of randomised drug trials in their epidemiological context.Lancet. 1990,335: 827–838.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Utah, 390 S. 1530 E. Room 502, 84112-0251, Salt Lake City, CT

    Bert N. Uchino, Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Darcy Uno, Raymond Betancourt & Timothy S. Garvey

Authors
  1. Bert N. Uchino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Julianne Holt-Lunstad
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Darcy Uno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Raymond Betancourt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Timothy S. Garvey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by a James A. Shannon Director's Award 1 R55 AG13968 from the National Institute on Aging and a University Research Committee grant No. 21560 from the University of Utah awarded to the first author.

About this article

Cite this article

Uchino, B.N., Holt-Lunstad, J., Uno, D. et al. Social support and age-related differences in cardiovascular function: An examination of potential mediators. ann. behav. med. 21, 135–142 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908294

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908294

Keywords

Search

Navigation