Gender Moderation of Academic Performance and Blood Pressure Relationships Among College Students

Academic stress and performance may influence cardiovascular health in college students, but the relationship remains unclear. Previous research examining grade point average (GPA) and blood pressure has yielded inconsistent findings, potentially due to unexamined, gender differences. PURPOSE: To investigate whether gender moderates the relationship between academic performance and blood pressure in college students. METHODS: College students (n=106, 60.4% male, age range 18-24 years) provided GPA data and underwent blood pressure assessment, including brachial systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) measurements. Independent t-tests compared, gender differences. Hierarchical moderated regression tested GPA x gender interactions, with gender-stratified correlations calculated separately. RESULTS: Females demonstrated significantly higher GPAs than males (3.6180.297 vs 3.4170.486, p.05). Gender-stratified analyses showed opposite correlation patterns: males exhibited negative correlations (SBP: r=-.048, p>.10; DBP:r=-.188, p>.10) while females showed positive correlations (SBP:r=+.205, p>.10; DBP: r=+.254, p