Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40346916›Full record

SynthesisPsychophysiology2025

Acute Psychological Stress and Pulse Wave Velocity: Meta-Analysis and Recommendations for Future Research.

Gabriel Zieff, Noora Sharma, Keeron Stone, Patricia Pagan Lassalle, Aiden J Chauntry, Erik D Hanson, Michelle L Meyer, Claudio Battaglini, Justin B Moore, Craig Paterson and 1 more

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Psychophysiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Gabriel ZieffDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4043-2911
Noora SharmaDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Keeron StoneCentre for Cardiovascular Health and Ageing, Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff, UK.
Patricia Pagan LassalleDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Aiden J ChauntryDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Erik D HansonDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Michelle L MeyerDepartment of Human Movement Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Claudio BattagliniDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Justin B MooreDepartment of Implementation Science, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Craig PatersonDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Lee StonerDepartment of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

Funding

Cardiovascular Epidemiology Training GrantT32HL007055 · NHLBI · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Wayne D. Rosamond · 1986 to 2026
$10.0M
NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL007055
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Repeated exposures to acute psychological stress may be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine the effect of acute psychological stress on central pulse wave velocity (PWV) compared to pre-stress (baseline) levels in adults free of overt CVD. Electronic databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Google Scholar) were queried from inception to July 2024. Reference lists of eligible studies and previous relevant reviews were also screened. Studies were included if: (i) a noninvasive measure of PWV was used that included a central (aortic) arterial segment; (ii) participants were adults (≥ 18 years) free of overt CVD; and (iii) the acute stressor was purely psychological in nature. Appraisal and Synthesis Methods: Effect sizes were calculated as standardized mean differences (SMD) and pooled using a random-effects model. The magnitude of effect was adjudicated as trivial (< 0.2), small (0.2), moderate (0.5), or large (0.8). A total of 11,689 studies were identified, from which 7 studies (11 effects, N = 162 participants) were eligible for inclusion. Moderate Acute psychological stress induced a moderate (SMD: 0.51, p < 0.0001; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.68) increase (detrimental) in central PWV, and there was insubstantial heterogeneity between studies (Cochran's Q (10) = 2.62 (p = 0.99)). The small overall number of studies as well as key differences in study methodologies limit the ability to elucidate the magnitude and consistency of stress-induced increases in PWV. Nonetheless, the present findings suggest that acute psychological stress induces significant increases in central PWV among adults free of overt CVD. The acute PWV response to psychological stress likely contributes to elevated CVD risk over time.

Indexed as

Cardiovascular DiseasesPulse Wave AnalysisStress, PsychologicalVascular StiffnessAdultHumans

Identifiers

PMID40346916
PMCPMC12065061

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.