The Effect of Alexithymia on Morbidity in Hypertensives

Given the contradictory results reported in the literature on the relationship between neuroticism and blood pressure, it was decided to reexamine this topic. This was done with a large sample very homogeneous for age, sex, food intake and life style and basically unselected in terms of medical history. In the frame of a blood donation program blood pressure was measured in 810 conscripts. In addition, subjects completed either form A or form B of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). Data from a total of 624 subjects were suitable for evaluation. No significant correlations were obtained between systolic or diastolic blood pressure and scores of neuroticism or extraversion (r =––0.10 to 0.06) nor did groups with different blood pressure values differ substantially in terms of these variables. This supports work showing that there is no essential connection between blood pressure and emotional lability as measured by the EPI.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 68%

The Relationship between Neuroticism and Blood Pressure Reexamined

Köhler

Scherbaum

Richter³

et al. 1993

“…An inverse association between irritability and systolic blood pressure reactivity among persons with a family history of hypertension, may reflect the presence of alexithymia [32], Persons with essential hypertension have been shown to score higher on alexithymia than normotensive individuals with cardio vascular disease [34], The degree of hyperten sive morbidity has also been found to be high er among alexithymie individuals with essen tial hypertension than among nonalexithymics [35]. Alexithymia may be underesti mated when based on rating scales, as subjects with difficulties recognizing feelings, may have problems filling in questionnaires about it.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Double-Blind Study of Psychosocial Factors in 40-Year-Old Women with Essential Hypertension

Nordby

Ekeberg²,

Knardahl³

et al. 1995

Most studies on essential hypertension have been performed in men. The aim of the present study was to describe psychosocial characteristics of 40-year-old women with never-treated essential hypertension. Psychosocial factors like childhood traumas, economy and education were studied, and psychological assessments of irritability, hostility, ‘John Henryism’ and type A behavior pattern carried out. Hypertensive premenopausal women (n = 29) were compared with healthy, age-matched, normotensive women (n = 18). Neither the women nor the examining physicians were aware of the subjects’ blood pressure status, and the setting, thus, was double-blind. All women were investigated in the same phase of the menstrual cycle, and in a random order. The hypertensives’ parents more often had hypertension than the normotensives’. The psychiatrist who conducted the interviews correctly classified the majority of subjects as either hypertensive or normotensive. Alexithymia and difficulties in coping with aggression were more prevalent among the hypertensives. Hypertensive and normotensive women did not differ in most of the psychosocial factors previously found to differ between hypertensive and normotensive men. Our data may imply that psychosocial as well as genetic factors may contribute differently to the etiology of essential hypertension in women than in men.

“…Since then, the alexithymia concept has established for itself a place in the literature [5], and alexithymia has been described in drug addicts, patients with alcohol dependence, victims of sexual abuse and persons suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder [6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. It has further been assumed that alexithymia enhances the risk for psychosomatic complaints [4, 11, 12], and many publications claim a relation between them [4, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Amsterdam Alexithymia Scale: Its Psychometric Values and Correlations with Other Personality Traits

Bermond

Vorst

Vingerhoets

et al. 1999

Background: This article describes the construction and validation of the Amsterdam Alexithymia Scale (AAS) and explores some of the nomological net of alexithymia. Methods: Four correlational studies are presented. The internal structure of the AAS is explored by factor analyses on items. Correlations of the AAS with sex and (Guilford) intellectual abilities are established. Mean scores of three different professional groups are compared. Correlations between the AAS and several clinical and personality scales are determined. Students served as subjects in all studies (347