Published Online
on November 8, 2004

A more recent version of this article appeared on December 1, 2004

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Submitted on May 21, 2004
Revised on July 8, 2004

Job Strain, Ethnicity, and Sympathetic Nervous System Activity

KaMala S. Thomas^*; Richard A. Nelesen; Michael G. Ziegler; Wayne A. Bardwell; and Joel E. Dimsdale

From San Diego State University and University of California San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology (K.S.T.); the Department of Psychiatry (R.A.N., W.A.B., J.E.D.), University of California San Diego; the Department of Medicine (M.G.Z.), University of California San Diego.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ksthomas{at}ucsd.edu.

Abstract--Several studies have demonstrated that blacks have heightened pressor sensitivity in response to the -agonist, phenylephrine. However, studies examining whether psychosocial factors contribute to this difference are scarce. We examined the effects of job strain on pressor sensitivity in 76 whites and 46 blacks who were enrolled in a study of stress, sleep, and blood pressure. Responses to phenylephrine were examined at an inpatient clinical research center. After a 3-minute baseline period, a 100-microgram phenylephrine bolus was administered to participants intravenously. To measure catecholamines, 24-hour urine samples were also collected from participants. There was a significant relationship between job strain and pressor sensitivity, such that individuals with low decisional control and high job demands experienced a greater increase in diastolic pressure after receiving phenylephrine. Low decisional control was also associated with decreased baroreflex sensitivity. There was an interaction between ethnicity and job control on blood pressure responses to phenylephrine and on 24-hour urinary norepinephrine levels. Blacks who perceived less control experienced a greater increase in diastolic pressure after receiving phenylephrine and had elevated norepinephrine levels. These findings suggest possible mechanisms by which job strain may be associated with cardiovascular disease.

Key words: baroreflex • blood pressure • catecholamines • norepinephrine • blacks

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