{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,16]],"date-time":"2026-06-16T11:17:03Z","timestamp":1781608623719,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Psychosom Med"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2017,5]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>A social action theory of chronic stress proposes that agonistic striving (seeking to influence or control others) impairs cardiovascular health by magnifying the impact of high adversity-induced cortisol levels on blood pressure. We tested three predictions of social action theory: (1) the social action theory taxonomy of regulatory strivings characterizes young adults from high-adversity neighborhoods; (2) high cortisol levels predict high blood pressure more reliably in the subgroup with the agonistic striving profile than in subgroups with other profiles; (3) the association of higher cortisol and higher blood pressure with agonistic striving is not explained by negative affect (depressive symptoms\/dysphoria, anger, hostility).<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Participants were young adults (<jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">N<\/jats:italic> = 198, mean [SD] age = 32 [3.4] years); 71% female; 65% black) from disadvantaged urban neighborhoods. Motive profiles (including agonistic strivings) were assessed using the Social Competence Interview. Cortisol levels were derived from saliva samples; blood pressure level was obtained during two days of ambulatory monitoring. Psychological measures of negative affect were assessed using questionnaires.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>The predicted taxonomy of regulatory strivings was replicated in this sample; the interaction between cortisol and motive profile was significant (<jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">F<\/jats:italic>(2, 91) = 6.72, <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">p<\/jats:italic> = .002); analyses of simple effects disclosed that higher cortisol levels predicted higher ambulatory blood pressure only in individuals who exhibited agonistic striving. Depressive symptoms\/dysphoria, trait anger, and hostility were not correlated with agonistic striving, cortisol, or blood pressure.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>\n          <jats:sec>\n            <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n            <jats:p>Agonistic striving may represent a distinctive (and novel) social-cognitive mechanism of toxic stress and cardiovascular risk.<\/jats:p>\n          <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1097\/psy.0000000000000412","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2016,11,4]],"date-time":"2016-11-04T14:15:54Z","timestamp":1478268954000},"page":"416-425","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["The Role of Agonistic Striving in the Association Between Cortisol and High Blood Pressure"],"prefix":"10.1097","volume":"79","author":[{"given":"Craig K.","family":"Ewart","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Gavin J.","family":"Elder","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Randall S.","family":"Jorgensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sheila T.","family":"Fitzgerald","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","reference":[{"key":"bib1-20230829","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1097\/PSY.0000000000000149","article-title":"Racial and ethnic disparities in health: examining the contexts that shape resilience and risk","volume":"77","year":"2015","journal-title":"Psychosom Med"},{"key":"bib3-20230829","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"510","DOI":"10.1037\/a0023127","article-title":"Do agonistic motives matter more than anger? 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