Cardiovascular Responses as a Function of Ethnicity, Gender, 5HTTLPR Genotype, Dispositional Anger and Negative Affect

Abstract

Excessive BP and HR elevations during daily activities increase cardiovascular risk and are related to individual differences in dispositional anger and anger expression style. Additionally, a polymorphism in the serotonin transporter gene (5HTTLPR) has previously been shown to effect BP reactivity to psychological stress. The potential unique and joint effects of 5HTTLPR genotype, dispositional anger and naturally-occurring negative affect on the cardiovascular responses of Singaporean ethnic and gender groups were investigated. Participants (N=229) wore ambulatory BP monitors and completed computerized self-report assessments for three days. Ethnic differences were obtained where HR increased with increasing levels of negative affect for Chinese with high anger-in (AI) and Malays with low AI, but decreased for their respective counterparts. Males and females with high AI showed differing patterns as a function of negative affect. Finally, two and three-way interactions were obtained which provide preliminary evidence of 5HTTLPR genotype as a moderator of cardiovascular reactivity in Singaporean ethnic groups.