Gender identity, interpersonal interactions, and ambulatory blood pressure

Schemas related to gender identity have been hypothesized to influence the salience of events, the degree to which they are perceived as threatening, and the recruitment of coping efforts when faced with a schema relevant stressor. Literature examining the effects of gender identity on psychophysiological responses to stressors has relied on laboratory studies. We examined the association of feminine gender identity and contextual variables on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in a sample of New York City Traffic Enforcement Agents (TEA) in real world contexts. Multilevel regression modeling revealed that femininity was associated with elevations in ambulatory diastolic blood pressure when the TEA was engaged in a gender-relevant interpersonal task. These findings show that identity-related schemas may influence engagement and cardiovascular responses to gender salient activities.