title: Stable pessimistic attributions interact with socioeconomic status to influence blood pressure and vulnerability to hypertension.
abstract: We investigated the relationship of pessimistic attributional style (specifically, stable attributions for negative events) and socioeconomic status (SES) to cardiovascular and catecholamine profiles in a biracial sample of 37 postmenopausal women (aged 39-64 years) not taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Blood pressure (BP) variation in response to the demands of daily life was assessed by 24-hour ambulatory monitoring on a typical workday. Subjects were classified into groups by stable pessimistic attributions (high vs. low pessimism) and by SES (high vs. low). Significant SES x pessimism interactions were found. Low SES/high pessimism women demonstrated higher systolic BP (SBP) during the day, evening, and sleep periods of 24-hour ambulatory monitoring compared with the other three groups. A greater proportion of this group was in the hypertensive range (> or = 140/90 mm Hg) compared with the other groups (57% vs. 8%-29%). Low SES/high pessimism women also reported reduced available social support compared with the other three groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grewen
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Girdler
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bragdon
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Costello
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Light
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000652:urine; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009341:Negativism; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012944:Social Support
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines