Cardiovascular-Oxytocin Links in Social Interaction

描述(由申请人提供)：社会孤立和低社会支持与冠心病和死亡风险的增加有关，可能是通过心血管和神经内分泌对潜在应激源的反应机制。越来越多的证据表明，社会支持和心理生理反应之间存在关联，但实验研究并没有在实际社交网络关系的背景下考察支持，也没有研究特质敌意和关系质量可能产生的调节作用。此外，在这种背景下，压力降低神经内分泌基础的联系和依恋的作用还没有被研究。建议的研究将解决已婚夫妇的这些问题。情侣们将完成三个双向互动任务(支持性、中性或冲突性)中的一项，然后个人参与一项有压力的演讲任务。我们将研究支持性和冲突性社会互动对血压、儿茶酚胺、皮质醇和催产素反应的同时影响，以及在随后的压力任务中，社会互动对这些变量变化的“遗留”影响。我们预测，配偶之间的支持性互动将与并发和随后的心血管、儿茶酚胺和皮质醇反应减少相关，同时互动将增强这些反应。此外，我们将研究催产素的变化作为这些影响的可能中介。我们还预计，个体在特质敌意和先前关系质量上的差异将缓和社交互动对这些生理反应的同时和延续效应。研究一将在18至50岁的年龄范围内测试这些影响的缓和程度。研究二将比较这些对高加索人和非裔美国人的影响。解释社会支持的心理生物学和人际关系中的相关心理社会风险因素可以指导减少风险的预防性干预措施的完善。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Social isolation and low social support are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease and death, presumably through the mechanism of cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity to potential stressors. There is mounting evidence of an association between social support and psychophysiological responses, but the experimental studies have not examined support in the context of actual social network relationships, nor have they examined the likely moderating effects of trait hostility and relationship quality. Further, the role of stress reducing neuroendocrine bases of affiliation and attachment have not been examined in this context. The studies proposed will address these issues in married couples. Couples will complete one of three dyadic interaction tasks (supportive, neutral, or conflictual), followed by individual participation in a stressful speaking task. Concurrent effects of supportive and conflictual social interaction on blood pressure, catecholamine, cortisol and oxytocin responses will be examined, as will "carry over" effects of social interaction on changes in these same variables during the subsequent stressful task. We predict that supportive interactions between spouses will be associated with decreased concurrent and subsequent cardiovascular, catecholamine, and cortisol responses, and that conflcitual interactions will heighten these responses. Further, we will examine changes in oxytocin as a possible mediator of these effects. We also expect that individual differences in trait hostility and prior relationship quality will moderate the concurrent and carryover effects of social interaction on these physiological responses. Study one will test the moderation of these effects across the age range of 18 to 50 years. Study two will compare these effects in Caucasians and African Americans. Explication of the psychobiology of social support and related psychosocial risk factors in personal relationships could guide the refinement of risk reducing, preventive interventions.