The Role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies, Emotional Expressivity, and Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression on Cognitive Stress Appraisals and Cardiovascular Reactivity During an Acute Interpersonal Stress Recall Task

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in the United States. Primary risk factors only account for 50% of the new cases of CVD; therefore, other biopsychosocial factors must be involved. While stress and emotions, such as anger and anxiety, have been linked to CVD and changes in cardiovascular reactivity (CVR), the purpose of this study was to examine the associations between maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, emotional expressivity, and ambivalence over emotional expression with cognitive appraisals of threat/stressfulness and CVR to an acute interpersonal stress recall task. It was hypothesized that: 1) A positive association would be found between maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and appraisal of threat and stressfulness; 2) A positive association would be found between maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and SBP, DBP, pulse, LF reactivity, and LF/HF reactivity, and a negative association with RMSSD and HF reactivity; 3) A negative association would be found between emotional expressivity and appraisal of threat and stressfulness; 4) A negative association would be found between emotional expressivity and SBP, DBP, pulse, LF reactivity, and LF/HF reactivity, and a positive association with RMSSD and HF reactivity; 5) A positive association would be found between ambivalence over emotion expression and appraisal of threat and stressfulness; 6) A positive association would be found between ambivalence over emotion expression and SBP, DBP, pulse, LF reactivity, and LF/HF reactivity, and a negative association with RMSSD and HF reactivity; 7) It was unclear how expression, ambivalence, and cognitive appraisals are related, thus a mediational analysis was planned.