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Patterns of adaptation to stress cardiovascular responses in smokers during ad libitum smoking and withdrawal
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  • Tracey Keogh,
  • Siobhán Howard,
  • Motohiro Nakajima,
  • Mustafa al'Absi
Tracey Keogh
University of Limerick

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Siobhán Howard
University of Limerick
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Motohiro Nakajima
Eikei University of Hiroshima
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Mustafa al'Absi
University of Minnesota Medical School
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Abstract

There is considerable evidence documenting associations between tobacco smoking, including initiation, maintenance, and relapse of addiction, with diminished cardiovascular responses to acute psychological stress. However, less is known about how smokers respond to repeated stress across time. The current study examined patterns of cardiovascular reactivity and adaptation to recurrent stress among abstinent smokers, smokers who continued to smoke at their normal rate, and non-smokers. Smokers were randomly assigned to one of two conditions; ad libitum (n = 42), or 24h abstinence (n = 61); and non-smokers (n = 43) provided comparative referencing. Across the two laboratory sessions, participants (n = 149) were asked to complete a modified version of the trier social stress test (TSST), while monitoring systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate activity. Results showed that while non-smokers had elevated cardiovascular reactivity to begin with, they showed a greater capacity to habituate to recurrent stress across sessions. The data also suggest that smokers displayed attenuated cardiovascular reactivity to acute psychological stress and showed little habituation to repeated stress. In adjusted models, smokers exhibited less systolic blood pressure tolerance to stress. This poorer response profile in smokers may be a potential mechanism that leads to further cardiotoxic effects on health. Key words: Smoking, cardiovascular reactivity, habituation, stress
04 Jun 2024Submitted to Psychophysiology
05 Jun 2024Submission Checks Completed
05 Jun 2024Assigned to Editor
05 Jun 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
14 Jun 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
19 Jul 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
20 Sep 20241st Revision Received
20 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
20 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
20 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
20 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
19 Oct 2024Editorial Decision: Accept