Originally published September 28 2005
Study shows teen blood pressure may be affected by witnessing violence
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Teens who are exposed to frequent real-life violence aren't just affected psychologically, a University of British Columbia in Vancouver study shows, but it can also increase their blood pressure, leading to high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and other conditions, reports Reuters.
Their study findings suggest that exposure to violence may not only have psychological effects, as has been previously demonstrated, but physiological effects as well.
"Real-life exposure to violence has effects not just psychologically, but also on biological systems among adolescents," study author Dr. Edith Chen, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, told Reuters Health.
Previous research found an association between violence exposure and daytime systolic blood pressure (the top number) and nighttime diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) among adolescents.
Other researchers found that elevated blood pressure, heart rate and other indicators of a poor resting physiological profile in adults may be linked to the development of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and other conditions.
Blood pressure, heart rate and hormone levels were measured before and after the subjects participated in a stress task and watched a video of serene nature scenes.
Those who reported experiencing a higher level of violence exhibited higher resting blood pressures and heart rates, and higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol, compared with their peers, the researchers report in the October issue of Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
Still, the teenagers' systolic blood pressure reactivity decreased along with increasing reports of total experienced and observed violence, while their heart rate marginally increased along with increasing reports of total experienced violence, the report indicates.
This finding, coupled with the teens' higher resting systolic blood pressures "suggest that exposure to violence, over time, might take a toll on resting physiological levels, " Chen said.
"In addition, repeated exposure to violence might 'numb' an adolescent's biological stress response system, such that when new stressors occur (e.g., the acute lab stressor), their systems do not respond adequately to that stressor," she added.
Overall, the most pervasive biological effects were seen among teens who more frequently experienced, rather than witnessed, violence.
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