Stress, social support and cardiovascular activity over the working day

The influence of stress on ambulatory blood pressure monitored over the working day, and the potential buffering effect of social support, was assessed in 104 school teachers (37 men and 67 women). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured every 20 min and energy expenditure was assessed using accelerometers. Participants rated the degree of stress they were experiencing at the time of each measurement on a seven-point scale. Episodes of both high and low stress during the working day were reported by 62 participants. They were divided by median split into high and low social support groups on the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List. After controlling for body mass and concomitant energy expenditure, high stress was associated with increased systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. However, the impact of stress was buffered by social support, with no significant increase in blood pressure or heart rate with stress in the high support group. The accelerometers were also shown effectively to discriminate between blood pressure readings taken in the seated and standing positions in terms of energy expenditure. The results corroborate laboratory studies, in showing that social support buffers the impact of episodic stress on cardiovascular activity under naturalistic conditions during the working day.