DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.90206.2026 ISSN: 0363-6135
Psychological distress is differentially associated with resting cardiovascular indices in cisgender LGBQ and heterosexual young adults
Seheni Kariyawasan, Evan J. Nessen, Joshua Ferrill, Lisa M. Roberts, Jesse D. Moreira-BouchardMany studies of BP and cardiovascular function in queer people rely on self-report cardiovascular data, often using dichotomous hypertension/normotension. In our study using direct measurements of HR and BP, we found that queer young adults displayed greater depression, anxiety, and stress than heterosexual peers. Importantly, psychological variables were differentially associated with cardiovascular indices by sexual orientation. Our findings suggest that differences in psychosocial-cardiovascular coupling may be detectable before overt resting cardiovascular disparities emerge in young adulthood.