Race and gender comparisons: I. Hemodynamic responses to a series of stressors.

A sample of 155 adults, age 18-49 years, including nearly equal subgroups of Black and White men and women, underwent evaluation of cardiovascular reactivity during 5 behavioral stressors. Among the men, overall blood pressure increases to tasks did not differ, but Blacks showed generally higher total peripheral resistance, whereas Whites showed greater heart rate and cardiac output increases. Among the women, the same racial-group differences were evident during certain tasks, but not during others. Men showed greater overall systolic blood pressure increases than did women, and they also showed less recovery toward baseline levels in systolic and diastolic pressure and stroke volume 5 min after the stressors. Other gender differences were task specific. The possible contributions of structural changes in the myocardium and vasculature, of altered sympathetic receptor distribution, and of task-specific behavioral factors influencing task involvement are discussed.