THE ANGER MANAGEMENT IN THE DIFFERENT FORM OF HYPERTENSION

INTRODUCTION: It is well-known that high levels of anger represent a significant risk factor for arterial hypertension (AH). However, no study has evaluated whether different forms of AH are associated with differences in the levels and the expression of anger. METHODS: One-hundred and Sixty people, undergoing ABPM and clinical measurement of blood pressure, participated in the study. The participants were divided into four groups: Sustained Hypertension (SH; N = 41), Untreated Hypertension (UH; N = 44), Masked Hypertension (MH; N = 30), White Coat Hypertension (WCH; N = 45). All participants compiled STAXI for the assessment of anger. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in the State and Trait Anger, in the Anger Control and the Anger Expression-Out. On the contrary, the levels of Expression of Anger (F1.155 = 4.16; p = 0.007; pn2 = 0.07) and Anger Expression-In (F1.155 = 3.28; p = 0.02; pn2 = 0.06) were lower in patients with ICB than in the other groups. The results showed a similar psychological pattern for some types of AH (SH, UH, MH), while the psychological profile was different in patients with WCH. In this group, we can see a reduced tendency to suppress and retain the anger, which is reflected in a reduction in the expression of the same. CONCLUSIONS: According to previous studies that have highlighted a significant role of anger in the exacerbation of hypertensive symptoms, these findings suggest the importance of psychological interventions aimed at improving the anger management in patients with hypertension. Furthermore, the different control of anger observed in the four groups of hypertensive patients suggests how can be relevant to consider the type of hypertension to plan ad hoc psychological interventions for the different forms of AH.