Psychosocial factors contribute to resting blood pressure in African Americans.

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.