title: Cardiovascular reactivity is independently associated with better mental health: results from the nationwide German DEGS1 study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Using data from the nationwide German DEGS1 study, we assessed whether resting blood pressure (BP) and transient changes in BP are associated with symptoms of depression and quality of life (QoL).
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included n=4852 adult participants not taking antihypertensives, who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for assessment of depressive symptoms and the SF-36 for assessment of QoL. Resting BP was defined as the mean of the second and third reading taken at 3-min intervals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  General linear models adjusting for age, sex, and BMI showed that both resting BP and short-term BP changes were associated with higher SF-36 mental component summary and lower Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed that a greater decrease in systolic BP as an indicator for cardiovascular reactivity is related to better mental QoL and fewer depressive symptoms, suggesting a link between BP regulation and mental well-being as part of an adaptive process to mild stressors.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Göttingen, Göttingen bGerman Centre for Cardiovascular Research cDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Monitoring, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hassoun
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Markus A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: Hannelore
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Neuhauser
authors.forename: Christa
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Scheidt-Nave
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herrmann-Lingen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*