The CHAMPS Study: Cardiovascular Health Associations with Mindfulness, Physical Exercise and Stress Appraisals

Abstract

Cardiovascular functioning at baseline and during reactivity to acute stressors has been shown to be a significant predictor of future cardiovascular health. Research has indicated that cardiovascular functioning can be modulated through a variety of physical and psychological mechanisms, including exercise, mindfulness characteristics and practice, and stress management. While these three variables are associated with similar cardiovascular changes, exercise, mindfulness, and stress have not yet been considered in an integrative theory despite sharing comparable psychophysiological processes and outcomes. The present study sought to address this gap in the literature by examining associations among aerobic exercise, trait mindfulness, and cognitive stress appraisals and their relations to cardiovascular functioning at baseline and during reactivity to an acute psychological stressor. Fifty-four undergraduates, who were identified as either non-exercising subject pool students or student athletes, participated in the TSST, a stress protocol consisting of a speech task and a mental arithmetic task. Physiological measures for systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability were assessed during the last five minutes of a 10-minute resting baseline period and during the two stress tasks. Self-report measures were collected on stress appraisals, perceived chronic stress, and trait mindfulness. Results indicated that athletes generally demonstrated healthier cardiovascular patterns than non-exercisers at baseline and no notable differences during reactivity. No group differences were found for mindfulness or stress appraisals. Mindfulness overall showed inverse associations with stress, and few physiological reactivity measures were accounted for by mindfulness. Psychological and physiological outcomes, limitations, and future directions are discussed.