A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY OF PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS IN 40-YEAR-OLD WOMEN WITH ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

Most studies on essential hypertension have been performed in men. The aim of the present study was to describe psychosocial characteristics of 40-year-old women with never-treated essential hypertension. Psych osocial factors like childhood traumas, economy and education were stu died, and psychological assessments of irritability, hostility, 'John Henryism' and type A behavior pattern carried out. Hypertensive premen opausal women (n = 29) were compared with healthy, age-matched, normot ensive women (n = 18). Neither the women nor the examining physicians were aware of the subjects' blood pressure status, and the setting, th us, was double-blind. All women were investigated in the same phase of the menstrual cycle, and in a random order. The hypertensives' parent s more often had hypertension than the normotensives'. The psychiatris t who conducted the interviews correctly classified the majority of su bjects as either hypertensive or normotensive. Alexithymia and difficu lties in coping with aggression were more prevalent among the hyperten sives. Hypertensive and normotensive women did not differ in most of t he psychosocial factors previously found to differ between hypertensiv e and normotensive men. Our data may imply that psychosocial as well a s genetic factors may contribute differently to the etiology of essent ial hypertension in women than in men.