Psychosocial factors contribute to resting blood pressure in African Americans

Abstract

Objectives: African Americans as a group have higher blood pressure than individuals of northern European ancestry (non-Hispanic Whites). We investigate whether psychosocial factors explain the resting blood pressure of healthy, community-dwelling African Americans in our study.

Participants: A convenience sample of self-reported normotensive African Americans aged 18-65 years who live in the North Carolina Triangle region.

Design: The study protocol consisted of three resting blood pressure sessions with assessment of the following psychosocial factors: anger expression, interpersonal support, anxiety, depression, hostility, active coping, and perceived racism. Additional clinical assessments were height, weight, waist girth, fasting glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and cholesterol.

Results: Resting systolic blood pressure was positively associated with male sex (P<.001) and positively correlated with age (P<.0001), waist girth (P<.0001), body mass index (P=.023), and a Cook Medley Hostility subscale identified as aggressive responding (P=.031). Mean arterial pressure was positively correlated with age (P<.0001), waist girth (P=.0041), Spielberger Anger Expression subscale anger control (P=.023), and aggressive responding (P=.020).

Conclusions: Anger and hostility are significantly associated with resting blood pressure and may modulate behavioral and traditional (biologic) risk factors that determine cardiovascular physiology.