(Hypertension. 2000;35:561.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Scientific Contributions |
Hypertension Incidence Is Predicted by High Levels of Hopelessness in Finnish Men
Presented in part at the 4th International Conference on Preventive Cardiology, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 29 to July 3, 1997, and published in abstract form (Can J Cardiol. 1997;13[suppl B]:317B).
From the Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich (S.A.E., G.A.K.); the Human Population Laboratory, Public Health Institute, Berkeley, Calif (D.E.G.); and the Research Institute of Public Health and Department of Community Health and General Practice, University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland (J.T.S.).
Correspondence to Susan A. Everson, PhD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 S Observatory St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029. E-mail severson{at}umich.edu
Abstract—Recent studies have
reported that hopelessness is an important factor in
cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, including
ischemic heart disease, acute myocardial infarction, and
atherosclerotic progression. This study examined the relationship
between hopelessness and incident hypertension in a population-based
sample of 616 initially normotensive, middle-aged men from eastern
Finland, an area with high rates of cardiovascular
disease. Participants completed a medical examination and a series of
psychological questionnaires at baseline and at the 4-year follow-up.
Hopelessness was measured by 2 items assessing negative expectancy
about the future and one’s goals. A logistic regression model with
adjustments for age, body mass index, baseline resting blood pressure,
physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, parental
history of hypertension, and self-reported depressive symptoms revealed
that men reporting high levels of hopelessness at baseline were 3 times
more likely to become hypertensive (systolic blood pressure
165 mm Hg and/or a diastolic blood pressure
95 mm Hg or confirmed use of antihypertensive medication) in
the intervening 4 years than men who were not hopeless (odds ratio,
3.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.56, 6.67). Men reporting moderate
levels of hopelessness were not at a significantly increased risk of
hypertension (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.79, 2.07).
This is the first study to identify a significant relationship between
hopelessness and incident hypertension. Research is needed to explore
the neuroendocrine and central nervous system mechanisms underlying
this association.
Key Words: cardiovascular diseases • depression • hopelessness • men • psychology • risk factors
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