Difference Between Clinical and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Levels Correlates With Emotional Intelligence Scale Scores in Patients With Hypertension

Abstract

Objective: The aim of study was to define relationships between emotional intelligence, quality of life (QL) scale scores and the difference between clinical and ambulatory blood pressure (BP) in patients with hypertension. Design and method: We assessed 90 ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) data of patients with stable hypertension and white coat hypertension without serious concomitant diseases. ABPM monitor (Spacelabs 90207) was applied after the washout period. We defined daytime period as 8.00–23.00, nighttime – 23.00–6.00. The clinical-ambulatory BP discrepancy was assessed as the difference between mean clinical BP and mean daytime BP levels. After ABPM session patients completed the emotional intelligence questionnaire (EmIn) (Lyusin D.) and QL questionnaire (J. Siegrist et al.). We analyzed the following EmIn scale scores: I - emotion self-awareness; II - management of one's own emotions; III - control of emotional expression; IV - understanding others’ emotions; V- management of others’ emotions. We used Pearson correlation coefficient for statistical analysis. Results: The initial mean (M ± SD) daytime systolic BP (SBP) was 140.1 ± 12.8; diastolic (DBP) - 86.1 ± 10.5 mm Hg, age - 51,3 ± 15,3 years. We found the following significant negative correlations between III scale scores (control of emotional expression scale, of EmIn) and the difference between clinical and ambulatory BP for SBP (r = -0,25, p < 0,05). QL components did not correlate with the difference between clinical and ambulatory BP. Conclusions: The emotional self-control scores (III scale of EmIn) was negatively associated with the difference between clinical and ambulatory BP levels. Probably, a high level of the emotional expression self-control may prevent blood pressure rise at the doctor's visit, and as a result can reduce the clinical BP level and decrease of the clinical- ambulatory BP difference.