Greater pressor reactivity in women with pre-eclampsia is not related to specific psychological or emotional stressors.
To investigate whether emotional or psychosocial factors could be significantly related with the development of pre-eclampsia, 15 pregnant women with early diagnosis of pre-eclampsia and 15 normotensive pregnant controls of comparable age (23-37 yr.), gestational age (10-37 wk.), parity (70% primiparous), amount of instruction, and marital status underwent a blood pressure monitoring during a specific psychological assessment based on a semistructured interview followed by the administration of three different questionnaires: the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised, the Perceived Stress Questionnaire-Recent, and the Questionnaire about Social Relationships. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured at 2-min. intervals by an automatic device both during the interview and the questionnaires' administration. Both systolic and diastolic responses were significantly increased in both groups during the interview (deltaSBP = 15 vs. 10%; deltaDBP=28 vs. 15.8%), whereas no differences were observed in blood pressure while answering questionnaires. Conversely, differences in questionnaire responses between groups were not statistically significant. Present results confirm a greater pressor reactivity in these women with pre-eclampsia but does not specifically support that this was related to psychological or emotional stress.
Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, v.le Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.
Nicolino C F
NC
Rossi
Ornella
O
Montebarocci
Paola
P
Surcinelli
Bruno
B
Baldaro
Vincenzo
V
Immordino
Claudio
C
Borghi
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011311:Pressoreceptors / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology