Psychological dimensions of 'office hypertension'
Abstract
The present study examined the psychological and psychophysiological dimensions of 'office hypertension'. Forty hypertensive Ss were classified as Office Responders (n = 13), Nonresponders (n = 17) or Home Responders (n = 10) based on the observed discrepancies between home and office measures of BP. Psychological tests consisted of the SCL-90, Beck Depression Inventory, Spielberger Self-Analysis Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, Social Readjustment Rating Scale and Jenkins Activity Survey. Psychophysiological assessment consisted of constant monitoring and recording of BP during Baseline, Mental Arithmetic, Cold Pressor and Stressful Imagery conditions. Contrary to expectations, on psychological tests Office Responders did not differ from Nonresponders on measures of anxiety. However, Nonresponders were significantly higher than Office Responders on measures of anger and hostility, characteristics ascribed to the hypertensive personality. On psychophysiological assessment, Office Responders showed significantly greater increases in systolic BP than Nonresponders during a Mental Arithmetic task; however, the groups did not differ during a Cold-pressor task. © 1985.
Publication Title
Behaviour Research and Therapy
Recommended Citation
Gerardi, R., Blanchard, E., Andrasik, F., & McCoy, G. (1985). Psychological dimensions of 'office hypertension'. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23 (5), 609-612. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(85)90109-3
