Two hundred sixty-eight African-American and white children and their biological mothers participated in the study. The purpose of the study was to examine the potential collective impact of maternal hostile coping styles and perceptions of family functioning upon youths' cardiovascular (CV) functioning 2.4 years later, within the context of SES and ethnicity. The mother completed a set of questionnaires that included the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale and three scales from the Family Environment Scale (FES). Childrens' systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) and impedance cardiography derived total peripheral resistance (TPR) was measured at rest two years later. Mothers with lower SES and African-American mothers reported higher levels of hostility compared to those with higher SES and white mothers, respectively. Lower SES mothers reported lower levels of family cohesion and expressiveness than higher SES mothers. Whites reported more family conflict and expressiveness than African Americans. African-American and lower SES youth exhibited higher SBP and DBP values than whites and higher SES youth. Among lower SES African-American youth, CV functioning tended to be impacted negatively when their mothers rated themselves high in hostility. Findings suggest that ethnicity and SES may have independent as well as interactive impacts on the influence of maternal coping styles on the CV functioning of their children, particularly those from lower SES backgrounds.