Correspondence between laboratory and ambulatory measures of cardiovascular reactivity: a multilevel modeling approach.

We examined the correspondence between laboratory measures of cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) and within-person changes in cardiovascular activity during the challenges of daily life, after adjustment for posture, activity, and other effects. Healthy adults (n = 335) were administered laboratory measures of CVR along with 6 days of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and electronic diary reports. Compared with low reactors, high laboratory systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactors showed larger increases in SBP during periods of high task demand or low decisional control in daily life. High diastolic blood pressure (DBP) reactors showed larger increases in ambulatory DBP during situations rated as both low control and high demand. This multilevel modeling approach may enhance our ability to detect the correspondence between laboratory and ambulatory measures of CVR, and to identify the circumstances under which it may be most clearly observed.