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Marital cohesion and ambulatory blood pressure in early hypertension

B Baker1, K Helmers, B O'Kelly

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, The Toronto Hospital, Ontario, Canada. brain.baker@utoronto.ca

American Journal of Hypertension
|March 25, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Low marital cohesion is linked to higher blood pressure (BP) in individuals with mild hypertension. This suggests relationship quality may influence hypertension management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychosocial Medicine
  • Hypertension Research

Background:

  • Mild hypertension affects a significant population, often unmedicated.
  • The influence of psychosocial factors on blood pressure is increasingly recognized.
  • Marital stress and support are potential modulators of cardiovascular health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between marital cohesion and ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) in unmedicated mild hypertensives.
  • To explore the role of spousal contact within low marital cohesion on ABP.
  • To determine if marital factors contribute to sustained elevated blood pressure in early hypertension.

Main Methods:

  • 176 unmedicated mild hypertensives (134 men, 71 women) underwent 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABP).
  • Participants completed questionnaires assessing marital and job stress, including the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Cohesion subscale).
  • Statistical analyses examined relationships between marital cohesion, spousal contact, and various ABP parameters, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Lower marital cohesion was significantly associated with elevated nighttime ABP and 24-h diastolic BP.
  • In subjects with low cohesion, increased spousal contact correlated with higher nighttime ABP.
  • Very low cohesion was linked to a ~6 mm Hg elevation in all ABP variables, independent of other factors.

Conclusions:

  • Marital cohesion demonstrates a significant association with ambulatory blood pressure levels in mild hypertension.
  • Marital factors, particularly cohesion, may play a role in the sustained elevation of blood pressure.
  • Further research into psychosocial interventions targeting marital dynamics could benefit hypertension management.

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