Natural history of male psychological health, XIII: Who develops high blood pressure and who responds to treatment
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study was an effort to clarify both the psychological contributions to and the long-term consequences of uncomplicated essential hypertension. METHOD: The subjects were 193 healthy college students selected as sophomores and prospectively followed for over 50 years. Independent assessments of physical and mental health were made. RESULTS: Although objective indices of psychopathology predicted both physical morbidity and mortality, they did not predict hypertension. When pyknic somatotype, college diastolic blood pressure, and well- integrated personality in college were controlled, no other preadult variable predicted hypertension. As expected, heart disease, obesity, and alcohol abuse were each correlated with hypertension. After roughly 20 years, 14 of the 41 men with treated hypertension were in stable remission, and 13 men had developed cardiac complications. No differences between these groups could be discerned. CONCLUSIONS: Over time, hypertension appeared to be more a product of biological than of psychosomatic variables. Good psychological health did not diminish the risk of hypertension.
Access content
To read the fulltext, please use one of the options below to sign in or purchase access.- Personal login
- Institutional Login
- Sign in via OpenAthens
- Register for access
-
Please login/register if you wish to pair your device and check access availability.
Not a subscriber?
PsychiatryOnline subscription options offer access to the DSM-5 library, books, journals, CME, and patient resources. This all-in-one virtual library provides psychiatrists and mental health professionals with key resources for diagnosis, treatment, research, and professional development.
Need more help? PsychiatryOnline Customer Service may be reached by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-368-5777 (in the U.S.) or 703-907-7322 (outside the U.S.).