Does Dispositional Mindfulness Predict Cardiovascular Reactivity to Emotional Stress in Prehypertension? Latent Growth Curve Analyses from the Serenity Study

Abstract

Objective: Mindfulness stress buffering theory (Creswell & Lindsay, 2014) posits higher dispositional (trait) mindfulness can protect cardiovascular health by buffering physiological stress reactivity - a risk marker for hypertension and cardiac events. Yet, empirical evidence is mixed. This study used baseline data from the Serenity Study - a recently completed, two-site randomized clinical trial - to assess the link between trait mindfulness and cardiovascular stress reactivity in adults with unmedicated prehypertension (n=153, Mage=50, 47% male, 69% White, 28% African-American).

Methods: Latent growth curve modeling was used to determine whether specific facets of trait mindfulness, measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Decentering subscale of the Experiences Questionnaire, predict blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) responses to a brief laboratory stressor (5-min anger recall task). BP and HR taken 1-min apart were used in latent growth curve models. We hypothesized after controlling for known covariates of cardiovascular health, higher trait mindfulness would predict lower cardiovascular reactivity to, and faster recovery from, acute emotional stress.

Results: Contrary to predictions, no mindfulness facets predicted cardiovascular reactivity or recovery.

Conclusions: These findings indicate trait mindfulness facets may not independently affect BP and HR responses to acute emotional stress among prehypertensive but otherwise healthy adults with normal stress levels, prior to mindfulness training. Mindfulness-based interventions may therefore be necessary to engender benefits of mindfulness on stress physiology, as a putative biological mechanism of cardiovascular risk reduction and health promotion.

Trial registration number and date of registration: NCT02371317, 1/21/2015.

Keywords: cardiovascular reactivity; cardiovascular recovery; hypertension; mindfulness; stress; trait mindfulness.

Conflict of interest statement

a) Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare they have no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1

Line graphs of raw BP and HR data. The red line denotes the end of the anger recall task (ART) and the beginning of the recovery period

Fig. 2

Path diagram of the full latent growth curve model (LGCM) for SBP reactivity. Rectangles across top indicate repeated measures of SBP taken 1-min. apart during anger recall task (stressor). Circles are latent variables. Intercept was coded as peak SBP reactivity (timepoint 3). To improve model fit, the last three timepoints were constrained to be equal, reflecting a flattened curve later in the task (see raw data trend in Figure 1A). Solid double-headed arrow indicates significant correlation between latent factors (p<.05 trait mindfulness facets are shown as measured predictors left covariates associated with cardiovascular risk on right. dashed lines indicate non-significant associations>