A longitudinal analysis of coping style and cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stressors

The association between active and passive coping and cardiovascular reactivity has been of interest because of its theoretical implications. However, most past studies utilized laboratory manipulations and cross-sectional data. A complementary approach would be to examine individual differences in active and passive coping and their links to lab-based reactivity over time. The present longitudinal study used the COPE Inventory to assess active and passive coping styles, which were used to predict cardiovascular reactivity of 107 individuals to a laboratory stressor at a 10-month follow-up. Consistent with hypotheses, results showed that Time 1 active coping scores predicted significantly greater heart rate reactivity at Time 2, β = 0.16, p = .02. In contrast, passive coping did not predict any indices of cardiovascular reactivity over time. These findings are discussed in light of their theoretical implications.