PERSONALITY AND THE INCIDENCE OF HYPERTENSION AMONG OLDER MEN - LONGITUDINAL FINDINGS FROM THE NORMATIVE AGING STUDY

Personality predictors of hypertension incidence were studied in 838 c ommunity-residing men from the Normative Aging Study. They were follow ed over a mean of 17 years during which time 38% developed hypertensio n. Stepwise proportional hazards regression was used to identify scale s from the Cattell 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire that predicted hypertension incidence, controlling for biomedical, social, and behavi oral risk factors. There was a significant negative relation between t he personality trait of emotional stability and the incidence of hyper tension, controlling for baseline blood pressure, education, and alcoh ol consumption. These results support those who argue that personality characteristics predict the development of hypertension.