The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress
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The Ohio State University / OhioLINK
2005
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1120488830 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-osu11204888302021-08-03T05:50:01Z The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress Bonfiglio, Diane B. V. social support cardiovascular reactivity optimism blood pressure cardiovascular recovery Optimistic disposition is associated with benefits to psychological and physical health, including cardiovascular health. However, the mechanisms through which optimism exacts its benefits are not clear. Optimism may be related to smaller magnitude cardiovascular reactivity to stressors and promote more efficient recovery from the stressor. Additionally, optimism may influence cardiovascular health by impacting social support. Highly optimistic individuals may be better able to mobilize and utilize coping resources such as social support. Optimists’ utilization of social support may be particularly important with respect to their response to psychological stressors. Optimists may better employ social support to buffer their initial cardiovascular reactivity to stressors. Further, optimists may better employ social support to promote more efficient cardiovascular recovery following the termination of the stressor. The current study was designed to test whether highly optimistic women incur greater benefit from social support manipulations than women who are low in optimism with respect to their responses to acute psychosocial stressors. This investigation directly investigated the hypothesis that optimism’s relationship with a positive health outcome is mediated in part by the effective utilization of social support. Data from this study did not support the notion that highly optimistic individuals are more adept at utilizing a stranger-support manipulation as a buffer to potentially damaging cardiovascular reactivity to an acute math stressor. However, future research is needed to investigate whether the utilization of alternative support manipulations or stress tasks yield differing results. Though the major hypothesis of this investigation was not supported, baseline data from this study do suggest that optimistic individuals experience a different social environment than their less optimistic counterparts. Optimism does appear to be related to social network size and perceptions of social support, such that greater optimism is related to greater support. Greater optimism was also associated with less hostility, less inwardly-directed anger, fewer depressive symptoms, and greater extraversion, each of which may in fact influence individuals’ levels of social support, as well as less perceived stress. This suggests that outside of the laboratory, highly optimistic individuals may have greater access to social support which they may then use to combat stress. 2005-07-13 English text The Ohio State University / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1120488830 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1120488830 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
| sources |
NDLTD |
| topic |
social support cardiovascular reactivity optimism blood pressure cardiovascular recovery |
| spellingShingle |
social support cardiovascular reactivity optimism blood pressure cardiovascular recovery Bonfiglio, Diane B. V. The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| author |
Bonfiglio, Diane B. V. |
| author_facet |
Bonfiglio, Diane B. V. |
| author_sort |
Bonfiglio, Diane B. V. |
| title |
The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| title_short |
The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| title_full |
The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| title_fullStr |
The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| title_full_unstemmed |
The interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| title_sort |
interaction of dispositional optimism and social support in the moderation of cardiovascular responses to acute psychosocial stress |
| publisher |
The Ohio State University / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2005 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1120488830 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
AT bonfigliodianebv theinteractionofdispositionaloptimismandsocialsupportinthemoderationofcardiovascularresponsestoacutepsychosocialstress AT bonfigliodianebv interactionofdispositionaloptimismandsocialsupportinthemoderationofcardiovascularresponsestoacutepsychosocialstress |
| _version_ |
1719426285431685120 |