Background: Arab Americans exhibit higher rates of hypertension and other cardiovascular risk factors relative to national averages. While research suggests some minorities may exhibit increased cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) to, and slowed recovery from, stress compared to Whites, which may represent a risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, this has not been studied in Arab Americans. This study examined differences between Arab Americans and Whites in cognitive appraisal, and blood pressure and heart rate (HR) reactivity and recovery to laboratory stressors.
Methods: The undergraduate sample included 27 Arab Americans (16 female) and 27 gender matched Whites. Eligible participants completed two stressful laboratory tasks (mental arithmetic [MA] and stress-recall [SR]). Cognitive appraisals were assessed for each task, and physiological data were collected during baseline, each laboratory task, and recovery. Ethnicity differences in baseline cardiovascular values and cognitive appraisals were examined with t-tests, while differences in CVR and recovery were tested with ANCOVA, controlling for initial values.
Results: Arab Americans showed lower baseline systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure than Whites. Arab Americans also reported greater threat and stress associated with MA, and greater threat for SR. No CVR differences were observed during MA; however during and after SR, Arab Americans evidenced lesser systolic and diastolic blood pressure reactivity and lesser HR recovery compared to Whites.
Conclusions: Overall, Arab Americans showed lesser reactivity than Whites, but also exhibited slower HR recovery. These results may be attributable to physiological habituation to chronic stress associated with minority status.