Psychological stress and arterial stiffness in Korean Americans.
OBJECTIVE
Arterial stiffness is identified as a causative factor for hypertension. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between psychological stress and arterial stiffness in Korean Americans.


METHODS
A convenience sample of 102 Korean Americans (aged 21-60 years, 60% women) was recruited from North Carolina. Psychological stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale, the Social, Attitudinal, Familiar, and Environmental (SAFE) Acculturative Stress Scale, and the Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Arterial stiffness was measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV) using the SphygmoCor system (AtCor Medical, Australia).


RESULTS
This study shows that the emotional stress response, measured by anxiety, significantly predicted arterial stiffness (β=.25, p=.008), independently of such confounding factors as age, mean arterial pressure (MAP), gender, body mass index, smoking, education, and income. Anxiety was neither related to age (r=.12, p=.212) nor MAP (r=.14, p=.151). Additionally, this sample of Korean Americans had higher levels of psychological stress when compared to previous findings from studies of other racial/ethnic groups in the U.S.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings demonstrate that anxiety is a significant and independent determinant of arterial stiffness. Given that anxiety was not related to MAP, these findings suggest that arterial stiffness may be a pathway to explain the connection between anxiety and hypertension risk. Studies that scrutinize the relationship between anxiety and arterial stiffness are an important next step for future research. Further studies are also recommended to explore cultural factors and individual characteristics that may affect anxiety in Korean Americans.
School of Nursing, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 105 Westside Drive, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA. jeongoklogan@gmail.com
Jeongok G
JG
Logan
Debra J
DJ
Barksdale
John
J
Carlson
Barbara W
BW
Carlson
Pamela J
PJ
Rowsey
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011673:Pulsatile Flow / Q000502:physiology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D059289:Vascular Stiffness / Q000502:physiology*