Exposure to violence and cardiovascular and neuroendocrine measures in adolescents

Background: Exposure to violence has clear, detrimental psychological consequences, but the physiological effects are less well understood. Purpose: This study examined the influence of exposure to violence on biological basal and reactivity measures in adolescents. Methods: There were 115 high school student participants. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP), heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), and cortisol levels were recorded during baseline and a laboratory stressor The Exposure to Violence interview was administered and assessed two dimensions: total observed violence and total personally experienced violence. These were then divided into component parts: lifetime frequency, proximity, and severity. Results: Greater total experienced violence was associated with increased basal SBP (r =. 19, p <.05) and decreased acute stress reactivity in terms of SBP (P = - 13, p =. 05), HR (P = - 2 1, p =. 00), and HRV (P =. 13, p =. 05). Lifetime frequency of experienced violence was associated with higher basal DBP (r =.33, p <.05), HR (r =.33, p <.05), and cortisol (r =.53, p <. 00), and decreased SBP (P = -.27, p <.05) and DBP (P = -.31, p <.05) reactivity. Exposure to violence is associated with increased biological basal levels in adolescents, supporting allostatic-load research and decreased cardiovascular reactivity, supporting the inoculation effect. Conclusions: The findings illustrate that being a victim of violence has more pervasive biological consequences than witnessing violence and that the accumulation of stressful experiences has the greatest effect on biological markers.