Cardiovascular Correlates of Interpersonal Mistreatment in Healthy Adults

Abstract The present study examined connections between self-reported experiences of interpersonal mistreatment and cardiovascular responses during laboratory dyadic interactions. One hundred and eight unacquainted participants were paired to form 54 opposite-gender, same-ethnicity (22 African American and 32 European American) dyads. Blood pressure and heart rate responses were monitored while dyads participated in three 4-minute problem-solving focused interactions. Multilevel modeling revealed significant, positive associations between frequency of interpersonal mistreatment and systolic and diastolic resting blood pressure levels among African American men and European American women. Among all women, significant and positive associations were observed between mistreatment and diastolic blood pressure reactivity assessed during the problem-solving focused interactions. Results highlight interpersonal mistreatment as a potential contributor to cardiovascular functioning for both men and women.