The purpose of the proposed research is to examine: (1) sex differences in physiological reactivity to stress, including variations related to menopausal status and age; (2) the role of marital interactions as a stress buffer or stress stimulus, including the effect of behavior type discordance in couples; (3) the effects of varying stress task relevancy on reactivity; (4) the generalizability of reactivity patterns across varying stress tasks conducted in the laboratory compared with more naturalistic stressors; and (5) the role of Type A behavior and sex role conflict on reactivity to stress. Twenty pairs each of Type A-A, A-B, B-A, and B-B husband-wife couples will serve as paid volunteers. All couples will be married at least two years, between the ages of 30-60, and in good health. Half of the pairs (N=40) will include premenopausal women, half postmenopausal. In Experiment I, each subject will be monitored for blood pressure, heart rate, electrodermal responses, and respiration while exposed to a series of lab stressors. Urine samples will also be collected for catecholamine assay. In Experiment I simultaneous physiological reactivity recordings will be made of couples participating in three videotaped marital interaction tasks. Results of these experiments will be analyzed through factor analysis and multiple discriminant function analysis to determine the 10 most and least reactive couples. These subjects will then participate in 14-hr ambulatory monitoring during the course of their normal working day. Multivariate repeated measures ANOVAS, univariate analyses, factor analysis, discriminant function analysis, and causal modeling techniques will be performed on reactivity measures to assess between and within group differences in stress reactivity. In addition, the role of a number of biopsychosocial variables will be examined. It is anticipated that results of this study will contribute to elucidating the biopsychosocial factors differentiating male and female stress reactivity. Further, it is hoped that these findings may have implications for explaining women's relative resistance to heart disease and lead to the development of improved heart disease prevention and intervention programs.
| Sullaway, M E; Morell, M A (1990) Marital relationships and Type A-B behavior assessed using the structured interview, Jenkins Activity Survey, and Framingham Type A Scale. J Behav Med 13:419-36 |
