Factors that moderate the effect of laboratory-based social support on cardiovascular reactivity to stress

Social support has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Cardiovascular reactivity to stress (CVR) is thought to mediate the association between social support and CVD. Examining the effects of laboratory analogues of social support on CVR offers the possibility of experimental control over important confounding variables in social support research; however, such research has yielded conflicting findings.While a number of researchers found that laboratory-based social support attenuated CVR, others found increased CVR when social support was provided, and even that social support had no effect on CVR. A review of the relevant literature suggests that this inconsistency may be associated with a range of methodological issues relating to social support manipulations, evaluation potential, experimenter behaviour, sample characteristics, andpersonality variables that moderate the observed relationship between social support and CVR. Implications for social support research and for the design of socially supportive interventions are discussed.Social support has been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality.Cardiovascular reactivity to stress (CVR) is thought to mediate the association betweensocial support and CVD. Examining the effects of laboratory analogues of social supporton CVR offers the possibility of experimental control over important confounding variablesin social support research; however, such research has yielded conflicting findings.While a number of researchers found that laboratory-based social support attenuated CVR,others found increased CVR when social support was provided, and even that social supporthad no effect on CVR. A review of the relevant literature suggests that this inconsistency may be associated with a range of methodological issues relating to social support manipulations, evaluation potential, experimenter behaviour, sample characteristics, and personality variables that moderate the observed relationship between social support and CVR. Implications for social support research and for the design of socially supportive interventions are discussed.