Relationship between Coping Styles and Blood Pressure.

It is well known that a prolonged physiologic activation condition represents a risk factor for hypertension (1). Therefore, stress perception and the typology of Coping Style adopted play a central role in the development of essential hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (2). Coping strategies that prompt to face stressful situations are characterized by an increased sympathetic activity, while passive coping strategies are associated with a decreased sympathetic activity (3). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between different coping styles and both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure values. Fifty-one hypertensive therapy naïve patients from Policlinico “Umberto I” in Rome were included in the study (M/F=22/29; mean age= 54.212,41). All participants completed the questionnaire Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) for the assessment of Coping strategies (4) and their blood pressure was measured three times consecutively. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed considering, as independent factors, Gender and Coping Styles and as dependent factors SBP and DBP averaged from the three measures taken. For SBP, the ANOVA Gender x Task Coping showed a main effect of Coping (p<.02): patients who use more often a task coping style have higher blood pressure values compared to those who use it less. For DBP, the ANOVA Gender x Avoidant Coping showed a main effect of Coping (p<.03): patients who use more often an avoidant coping style have higher blood pressure values compared to those who use it less. These results, although are to be considered with caution because of the limited number of participants, point out that coping styles affect SBP and DBP in different ways. This suggests that assessing coping styles in hypertensive patients might become useful.