Effects of affectionate touch between spouses on cardiovascular stress responses

社会关系对健康有益，研究支持这样一种观点，即幸福的已婚人士比未婚人士更健康，寿命更长。对大多数人来说，婚姻是一种强大的社会纽带，在一段关系中可以找到许多方面的联系，伴侣可能是依恋的目标，并且有多种积极的身体接触机会。与他人积极的身体接触会产生潜在的减压生理变化，而这种变化可能会因依恋而增强。总的来说，这些发现表明，婚姻的一些健康相关的好处可能会受到触摸的调节或介导。对非拉丁美洲人的研究表明，温暖的伴侣接触（包括积极的身体接触和积极的社会互动）可能会降低血压（BP）和心率（HR）对心理压力的反应。本研究将探讨这些影响的心理生理机制。它还将测试一个模型，其中的影响可能会因个体差异，夫妇特征和文化背景而异。文化影响将通过比较拉丁美洲和非拉丁美洲夫妇进行研究。我们专注于拉丁美洲人，因为虽然数据稀缺，拉丁美洲文化被视为相对于美国主流规范的高接触。此外，拉丁美洲人的心血管风险低于预期。目前的研究将调查积极的身体接触是拉丁美洲夫妇压力反应更有效的减少剂的可能性。该试验项目有3个具体目标：1）确定身体接触和社会互动在多大程度上有助于降低BP和HR对实验室压力源的反应; 2）检查身体接触和社会互动如何影响BP和HR压力反应的潜在贡献者（心输出量[CO]、总外周阻力[TPR]、交感神经和副交感神经心脏激活）;探讨显著个体差异、夫妻特征和文化背景对这些效应的潜在调节作用。核心假设是：1）身体接触和社会互动都将降低BP和HR对实验室应激源的反应; 2）互动和触摸都将降低TPR，但不降低CO; 3）互动和触摸将降低压力期间交感神经的增加和副交感神经的减少;和4）身体接触相关的HR和BP衰减将与关于身体接触的积极态度和经历相关，更少的回避型依恋，更高的婚姻满意度和典型的触摸水平，以及拉丁裔。样本将包括200对结婚至少6个月的夫妇（年龄21-48岁）。在分别进行实验室压力刺激之前，合作伙伴将一起度过10分钟，同时记录心血管变量（对照条件将要求合作伙伴彼此分开等待）。为了将身体接触的影响与社会互动的影响区分开来，在压力前阶段，夫妻们要么接触，要么不接触，要么热情匡威，产生四个治疗组，加上一个对照组。每种实验条件将招募大约相同数量的拉丁裔和非拉丁裔夫妇。 公共卫生相关性：社会联系似乎可以减少或预防许多健康问题。特别是婚姻幸福的人，比从未结婚的人更健康，寿命更长。身体上的情感是婚姻满意度的一个重要因素，可以通过减少压力反应来增强健康。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Social connection is beneficial to health, and research supports the idea that happily married individuals are healthier and live longer than the unmarried. For most individuals, marriage is a powerful social bond, in which many aspects of connection are found within a single relationship, the partner is likely a target of attachment, and there are multiple opportunities for positive physical contact. Positive physical contact with others engenders potential stress-reducing physiological changes that may be enhanced by attachment. Taken together, these findings suggest some health-related benefits of marriage may be moderated or mediated by touch. Studies in non-Latinos have shown warm partner contact (comprising both positive physical contact and positive social interaction) may cause reduced blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses to psychosocial stressors. The current study will explore the psychophysiological mechanisms of these effects. It will also test a model in which the effects may vary based on individual differences, couple characteristics, and cultural context. Cultural influences will be studied by comparing Latino and non-Latino couples. We focus on Latinos because, although data are scarce, Latino cultures are viewed as high-contact relative to mainstream American norms. Also, Latinos have lower than expected cardiovascular risk. The current study will investigate the possibility that positive physical contact is a more potent reducer of stress responses in Latino couples. This pilot project has 3 specific aims: 1) to determine to what extent physical contact and social interaction contribute to lower BP and HR responses to lab stressors; 2) to examine how physical contact and social interaction affect underlying contributors to BP and HR stress responses (cardiac output [CO], total peripheral resistance [TPR], sympathetic and parasympathetic cardiac activation); and 3) to explore potential moderating influences of salient individual differences, couple characteristics, and cultural context on these effects. The central hypotheses are: 1) both physical contact and social interaction will reduce BP and HR responses to a laboratory stressor; 2) both interaction and touch will reduce TPR, but not CO; 3) interaction and touch will reduce both sympathetic increases and parasympathetic decreases during stress; and 4) physical contact- related attenuation of HR and BP will be associated with positive attitudes and experiences regarding physical contact, less avoidant attachment, higher marital satisfaction and typical levels of touch, and Latino ethnicity. The sample will comprise 200 couples (age 21-48) married at least 6 mo. Partners will spend 10 min together prior to separately performing a laboratory stressor while cardiovascular variables are recorded (a control condition will require partners to wait separately from each other). To disentangle the effects of physical contact from those of social interaction, couples will either touch or not, and will either converse warmly or not, during the pre-stress period, yielding four treatment groups, plus a control group. Approximately equal numbers of Latino and non-Latino couples will be recruited for each experimental condition. Public Health Relevance: Social connection appears to decrease or prevent many health problems. Happily married individuals, in particular, are healthier and live longer than their never-married counterparts. Physical affection is an important contributor to marital satisfaction, and may enhance health by reducing stress responses.