Several studies have reported a positive association between psychological stress and cardiovascular diseases; however, there is scarce evidence about various aspects of life stress, including traumatic, positive, and negative events. We aimed to evaluate the association between various stressful life events and indicators of cardiovascular risk, including the augmentation index. A total of 3276 participants from the Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases Etiology Research Center cohort (Mean age: 50.9) were analyzed cross-sectionally. By using the Life Experience Questionnaire, exposures were grouped as a "positive event," "negative event," or "traumatic event." The augmentation index and subclinical atherosclerosis were measured. Multivariate polytomous logistic regression was used. Overall, stressful life events did not show any significant association with any cardiovascular index; however, increased odds ratios were observed between augmentation index quartiles and those who had experienced traumatic events (quartile 4: odds ratio = 1.41, 95% confidence interval = 1.09-1.82). The association remained valid among women when stratified by sex. There was no significant result in men. Traumatic events in women were positively associated with the augmentation index. These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to trauma in the context of increased cardiovascular risk in women.
Keywords: Carotid intima-media thickness; Psychological trauma/stress; Psychological/vascular stiffness/cardiovascular diseases.