title: Anger expression and blood pressure in adolescents.
abstract: The clinical significance of childhood hypertension is important as elevated pressures during childhood are found to follow a progressively increasing track into adulthood. Little work has been done to examine the relationship of emotions and emotional behavioral factors to the development of hypertension in children. Using the Roy Adaptation Model as a guide, this study investigated the relationship of anger expression and blood pressure (BP) among adolescents 16-18 years of age. Participants were 63 urban high school seniors. Measurements included the Anger Expression Inventory, a Demographic Questionnaire, and measures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Analysis revealed significant positive relationships between anger expression with blood pressure, and a significant inverse relationship between blood pressure and the control of anger for girls. No significant relationships between anger expression and blood pressure were noted for boys. The majority of students (53%) were found to have high normal or hypertensive blood pressure readings, putting them at increased cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Monroe Family Practice Associates, Monroe, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Tamie M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Starner
authors.forename: Rosalind M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000786:Anger / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D003971:Diastole; D019260:Expressed Emotion / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015146:Midwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D016294:Models, Nursing; D008960:Models, Psychological; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011322:Primary Prevention; D012016:Reference Values; D012094:Repression, Psychology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012573:School Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013599:Systole; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data