Abstract
The investigators examined the potential influence of social support on age-related differences in resting cardiovascular function and the potential mediators responsible for such associations in 67 normotensive women and men. Consistent with prior research, age predicted increased resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). More importantly, regression analyses revealed that social support moderated agerelated differences in resting SBP and DBP, as age predicted higher resting blood pressure for individuals low in social support, but was unrelated to blood pressure for individuals high in social support. An examination of potential pathways revealed that these results were not mediated by various health-related variables, personality factors, or psychological processes. Implications for the study of social support and health are discussed.
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Preparation of this manuscript was supported in part by a James A. Shannon Director's Award 1 R55 AG13968 from the National Institute on Aging and a University Research Committee grant No. 21560 from the University of Utah awarded to the first author.
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Uchino, B.N., Holt-Lunstad, J., Uno, D. et al. Social support and age-related differences in cardiovascular function: An examination of potential mediators. ann. behav. med. 21, 135–142 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908294
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02908294