Table 2.

Effects of the TSST on psychological stress and physiological measures after controlling for Age, BMI, and Systolic BP^a.

	Mean (SD)				p-Value for repeated ANCOVA
	Pre-test		Post-test
	Exp.	Control	Exp.	Control
Acute psychological stress
SUDS	1.66 ± 1.77	2.56 ± 2.12	4.87 ± 2.08	1.67 ± 1.63	0.000*
STAI	31.00 ± 7.59	32.59 ± 8.91	35.81 ± 10.78	30.02 ± 8.92	0.000*
Blood pressurea
Systolic BP	104.91 ± 7.63	106.00 ± 9.48	112.49 ± 8.78	106.51 ± 9.12	0.000*
Diastolic BP	60.65 ± 5.36	62.49 ± 7.80	65.72 ± 6.28	62.76 ± 7.84	0.000*
Heart rate
Heart Rate	60.33 ± 8.65	60.93 ± 8.89	63.12 ± 9.33	60.51 ± 7.22	0.016*
Autonomic function
PEP	0.092 ± 0.017	0.089 ± 0.018	0.0930 ± 0.032	0.083 ± 0.023	0.181*
HF	66.95 ± 16.30	65.70 ± 16.86	67.11 ± 15.81	64.08 ± 18.82	0.579*
Arterial stiffness
cfPWV	5.68 ± 0.81	6.18 ± 1.29	6.13 ± 0.90	6.32 ± 1.19	0.025*
AIx	−0.03 ± 13.89	6.68 ± 13.56	2.11 ± 15.45	4.47 ± 14.22	0.017*

TSST = Trier social stress test.

BMI = body mass index.

BP = blood pressure.

Exp. = experimental group.

SUDS = Subjective units of distress scale.

STAI = Spielberger Sate-Trait Anxiety Inventory – state anxiety subscale.

PEP = pre-ejection period.

HF = high frequency power in normalized unit.

cfPWV = carotid and femoral pulse wave velocity.

AIx = augmentation index.

^aControlled for age and BMI.

^*Significant at α level < .05 of repeated measures analysis of covariance.