Publication Date
Spring 2026
College
College of Sciences & Mathematics
Department
Psychological Science, Department of
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
lingfei.luan@belmont.edu
Presentation Type
Article
Summary
White coat syndrome – also known as white coat hypertension – consists in a sharp increase in blood pressure as a result of increased underlying anxiety (Mancia et al. 1677) in clinical and health settings. White coat syndrome has had conflicting results surrounding it, with early research suggesting it requires no serious clinical attention or diagnosis, while more recent research suggests the contrary, that white coat syndrome is clinically problematic and associated with increased cardiovascular risk, metabolic abnormalities, cardiovascular fatalities, and asymptomatic organ damage. This study aims to fill a gap in literature by investigating the impact of induced white coat hypertension on physiological correlates of stress and autonomic function. Participants will undergo two separate study sessions, throughout which they will undergo testing that consists of electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate variability (HRV), and blood pressure (BP). We hypothesize that participants will generally experience a significant increase in blood pressure and heart rate, indicating that white coat syndrome is a real clinical dilemma with real implications for the physiological problems associated with said anxiety and the syndrome itself. Current data collection is in progress.
Recommended Citation
Villarreal, Alvaro, "Physiological Correlates of Health-Related Anxiety - An Investigation between Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Electrodermal Activity and Blood Pressure Reactivity in Clinical Settings" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 800.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/800
