Key result
Specific personality traits explain ~26% of variation in 24-hour systolic blood pressure.
Why the study?
Do specific personality traits influence ambulatory 24-hour systolic blood pressure and heart rate in healthy middle-aged men?
Cross-Sectional (n=85)
No
Do specific personality traits influence ambulatory 24-hour systolic blood pressure and heart rate in healthy middle-aged men?
Effect estimate: adjusted R2 = 25.6%
p-value: p=<0.0001
Psychological traits related to anger, aggression, and anxiety can act as modest modifiers of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure and heart rate.
May inform ambulatory BP interpretation; leaves open causal role and need for prospective validation.
The evidence of emotional impacts on day and night blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and non-dipping of BP remains fragmentary. Personality traits previously tested by self-reports as determinants of office, screening or mean daytime BP produced mixed results. Therefore, we hypothesized that some traits are acting together as modifiers of 24-h and day/night ambulatory BP and HR. A population sample of healthy 47-54 year-old men, n = 85, unaware of their BP status, was evaluated. In multiple regression, 25% of the 24-h systolic BP (SBP) variation was explained by independent augmenting predictors Trait Anger-Anger Expression Styles, Large and Lasting Emotions, and by an attenuating predictor Anxiety. Only Verbal Aggression increased night-time SBP much more than daytime SBP and diminished day-night dipping of SBP. Strong Large/Lasting Emotions and Indirect Aggression increased daytime SBP only. Day and night HR increased with a high Suspicious Hostility (7.4% of variation), in particular with items Distrust/Vulnerability (11.5% of variation). In conclusion, mean levels of HR and BP during a 24-h period are slightly modified by particular personality traits. Some traits appear to affect either daytime or night-time periods more. Day to night carry-over effects on SBP may occur.
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Pávek et al. (2009) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy (unaware of blood pressure status) (n=85). Personality traits (Anger, Hostility, Emotions, Anxiety) was evaluated on 24-hour systolic blood pressure variation (adjusted R2 = 25.6%, p=<0.0001). Specific personality traits including trait anger and large/lasting emotions independently augmented 24-hour systolic blood pressure, while anxiety attenuated it, explaining 25.6% of its variation.
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