Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The STEP trials

A round-up of the STEP phase 3 clinical trials evaluating semaglutide for weight loss in people with overweight or obesity.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2008

Open Access 01-12-2008 | Research article

Stressful life events and current psychological distress are associated with self-reported hypertension but not with true hypertension: results from a cross-sectional population-based study

Authors: Felipe Sparrenberger, Sandra C Fuchs, Leila B Moreira, Flávio D Fuchs

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2008

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The evidence linking stress to hypertension has been scarcely documented in population-based studies.

Methods

Participants were selected through a multi-stage probability sampling and interviewed at home, being submitted to measures of demographics, anthropometrics, blood pressure (BP), and risk factors for hypertension. Hypertension was defined as BP ≥ 140/90 mm Hg or use of BP-lowering drugs or as self-reported hypertension. Stressful life events were investigated through an inventory of nine major life events occurring in the year preceding the interview. Psychological distress was evaluated through a facial scale of expression of emotion in the last month.

Results

In the total, 1,484 adult individuals were investigated. Prevalence of hypertension was lower in individuals who reported any stressful life event in comparison with individuals who did not reported an event (34.3 versus 44.2%, P < 0.01), such as relative or friend death, loss of job, divorce, violence and migration. There was a trend for higher prevalence of hypertension in individuals with higher psychological distress in the last month, which was not longer significant after adjustment for confounding. In contrast, individuals who self-reported hypertension, but actually had normal blood pressure and were not using antihypertensive medication, reported higher numbers of stressful events.

Conclusion

Recent stressful life events and current psychological distress are not associated with hypertension. Associations between stress events and distress with self-reported hypertension are not intermediated by effects of stress on blood pressure, and may be ascribed to negative feeling about disease and not to the disease itself.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Nyklicek I, Vingerhoets JJ, Van Heck GL: Hypertension and objective and self-reported stressor exposure: a review. J Psychosom Res. 1996, 40: 585-601. 10.1016/0022-3999(95)00647-8.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Parati G, Antonicelli R, Guazzarotti F, Paciaroni E, Mancia G: Cardiovascular effects of an earthquake. Direct evidence by ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Hypertension. 2001, 38: 1093-1095. 10.1161/hy1101.095334.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Schwartz AR, Gerin W, Davidson KW, Pickering TG, Brosschot JF, Thayer JF, Christenfeld N, Linden W: Toward causal model of cardiovascular responses to stress and the development of cardiovascular disease. Psychosom Med. 2003, 65: 22-35. 10.1097/01.PSY.0000046075.79922.61.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Rozanski A, Blumenthal JA, Kaplan J: Impact of psychological factors on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and implications for therapy. Circulation. 1999, 99: 2192-2217.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Nicolson DJ, Dickinson HO, Campbell F, Cook J, Renton F, Ford GA, Mason J: Relaxation therapies for the management of essential hypertension in adults (Protocol for a Cochrane Review). The Cochrane Library. 2006, Oxford: Update Software, 1
6.
Bernatova I, Csizmadiova Z: Effect of chronic social stress on nitric oxide synthesis and vascular function in rats with family history of hypertension. Life Sci. 2006, 78: 1726-1732. 10.1016/j.lfs.2005.08.005.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Light KC, Girdler SS, Sherwood A, Bragdon EE, Brownley KA, West SG, Hinderliter AL: High stress responsivity predicts later blood pressure only in combination with positive family history and high life stress. Hypertension. 1999, 33: 1458-1464.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Andren L, Hansson L, Bjorkman M, Jonsson A: Noise as a contributory factor in the development of elevated arterial pressure. A study of the mechanisms by which noise may raise blood pressure in man. Acta Med Scand. 1980, 207: 493-498.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Gerin WA, Chaplin WD, Schwartz JEB, Holland JC, Alter RE, Wheeler RF, Duong DG, Pickering TGA: Sustained blood pressure increase after an acute stressor: the effects of the 11 September 2001 attack on the New York City World Trade Center. J Hypertens. 2005, 23: 279-284. 10.1097/00004872-200502000-00009.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Pickering TG, James GD, Boddie C, Harshfield GA, Blank S, Laragh JH: How common is white coat hypertension?. JAMA. 1988, 259: 225-228. 10.1001/jama.259.2.225.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Menendez Villalva C, Montes Martinez A, Nunez Losada C, Fernandez Dominguez MJ, Gamarra Mondelo T, Bujan Garmendia S: Environmental stress and cardiovascular reactivity: the effect of stressful life events on hypertensive patients. Aten Primaria. 2002, 30: 631-637.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Radi S, Lang T, Lauwers-Cancès V, Diène E, Chatellier G, Larabi L, De Gaudemaris R, IHPAF group: Job constraint and arterial hypertension: different effects in men and women: the IHPAF II case-control study. Occup Environ Med. 2005, 62: 711-717. 10.1136/oem.2004.012955.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
13.
Rutledge T, Hogan BE: A quantitative review of prospective evidence linking psychological factors with hypertension development. Psychosom Med. 2002, 64: 758-766. 10.1097/01.PSY.0000031578.42041.1C.PubMed
14.
15.
O'Brien E, Mee F, Atkins N, Thomas M: Evaluation of three devices for self-measurement of blood pressure according to the revised British Hypertension Society Protocol: The Omron HEM-705CP, Philips HP 5332 and Nissei DS-175. Blood Pr Monitor. 1996, 1: 55-61.
16.
Mc'Dowell I, Newell C: Measuring Health. A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires. Cap. 5: Psychological Well-Being. 1996, New York:Oxford University Press, 2
17.
Alexander F: Psychoanalytic study of case of essential hypertension. Psychossom Med. 1939, 31: 139-152.CrossRef
18.
Kirkland SA, MacLean DR, Langille DB, Joffres MR, MacPherson KM, Andreou P: Knowledge and awareness of risk factors for cardiovascular disease among Canadians 55 to 74 years of age: results from the Canadian Heart Health Surveys,1986–1992. CMAJ. 1999, 161 (8 Suppl): S3-S9.PubMedPubMedCentral
19.
Perez LH, Gutierrez LA, Vioque J, Torres Y: Relation between overweight, diabetes, stress and hypertension: a case-control study in Yarumal – Antioqia, Colombia. Eur J Epidemiol. 2001, 17: 275-280. 10.1023/A:1017975925554.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Everson SA, Kaplan GA, Goldberg DE, Salonen JT: Hypertension incidence is predicted by high levels of hopelessness in finish men. Hypertension. 2000, 35: 561-567.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Tennant C: Life stress and hypertension. J Cardiovasc Risk. 2001, 8: 51-56. 10.1097/00043798-200102000-00007.PubMed
22.
Theorell T, Svensson J, Knox S, Waller D, Alvarez M: Young men with high blood pressure report few recent life events. J Psychosom Res. 1986, 30 (2): 243-249. 10.1016/0022-3999(86)90055-3.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Jorgensen RS, Houston BK: Family history of hypertension, personality patterns, and cardiovascular reactivity to stress. Psychosom Med. 1986, 48: 102-117.CrossRefPubMed
24.
Absi M, France C, Harju A, Wittmers L: Adrenocortical and nociceptive responses to opioid blockade in hypertension-prone men and women. Psychosom Med. 2006, 68: 292-298. 10.1097/01.psy.0000203240.64965.bd.CrossRef
25.
Wiehe M, Costa FS, Moreira LB, Stoll MR, Fuchs FD: Migraine is more frequent in individuals with optimal and normal blood pressure: a population-based study. J Hypertens. 2002, 20: 1303-1306. 10.1097/00004872-200207000-00016.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Hagen K, Zwart JA, Holmen J, Svebak S, Bovim G, Stovner LJ: The Nord-Trondelag Health Study Does hypertension protect against chronic musculoskeletal complaints? The Nord-Trondelag Health Study. Arch Intern Med. 2005, 165: 916-922. 10.1001/archinte.165.8.916.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Greiner BA, Krause N, Ragland D, Fisher JM: Occupational stressors and hypertension: a multi-method study using observer-based job analysis and self-reports in urban transit operators. Soc Sci Med. 2004, 59: 1081-1094. 10.1016/j.socscimed.2003.12.006.CrossRefPubMed
28.
Jorgensen RS, Johnson BT, Kolodziej ME, Schreer GE: Elevated blood pressure and personality: a meta-analytic review. Psychol Bull. 1996, 120: 293-320. 10.1037/0033-2909.120.2.293.CrossRefPubMed
29.
Levenstein S, Smith MW, Kaplan GA: Psychosocial predictors of hypertension in men and women. Arch Intern Med. 2001, 161: 1341-1346. 10.1001/archinte.161.10.1341.CrossRefPubMed
30.
Cozier Y, Palmer JR, Horton NJ, Fredman L, Wise LA, Rosenberg L: Racial discrimination and the incidence of hypertension in US black women. Ann Epidemiol. 2006, 16: 681-687. 10.1016/j.annepidem.2005.11.008.CrossRefPubMed
31.
Sparrenberger F, Santos IS, Lima RCL: Association of stressful life events and psychological distress: a community-based study. Cad Saude Publica. 2004, 20 (1): 249-258.CrossRefPubMed
32.
Turner J, Wheaton B: Checklist measurement of stressful life events. Measuring stress. Edited by: Cohen S, Kessler RC, Gordon LU. 1997, New York: Oxford University Press, 29-58.
33.
Lepore SJ: Measurement of chronic stressors. Measuring stress. Edited by: Cohen S, Kessler RC, Gordon LU. 1997, New York: Oxford University Press, 102-120.
34.
Eckenrode J, Bolger N: Daily and within-day event measurement. Measuring stress. Edited by: Cohen S, Kessler RC, Gordon LU. 1997, New York: Oxford University Press, 80-101.
Metadata
Title
Stressful life events and current psychological distress are associated with self-reported hypertension but not with true hypertension: results from a cross-sectional population-based study
Authors
Felipe Sparrenberger
Sandra C Fuchs
Leila B Moreira
Flávio D Fuchs
Publication date
01-12-2008
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2008
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-8-357

Other articles of this Issue 1/2008

BMC Public Health 1/2008 Go to the issue

Debate

Learning from a Rapid Health Impact Assessment of a proposed maternity service reconfiguration in the English NHS

Research article

Determinants of health-related quality of life in elderly in Tehran, Iran

Research article

Mental health literacy and attitudes in a Swedish community sample – Investigating the role of personal experience of mental health care

Research article

Adverse childhood experiences and prescription drug use in a cohort study of adult HMO patients

Research article

Estimating the burden of rhodesiense sleeping sickness during an outbreak in Serere, eastern Uganda

Research article

Development and validation of psychosocial determinants measures of physical activity among Iranian adolescent girls