A proposed study on how far anger contributes to initiating essential hypertension in Canadian caucasian adults with a family history of hypertension

Abstract

The goal of the present correlational study is to test the hypothesis that anger initiates essential hypertension in Canadian Caucasian adults with a family history of hypertension. The study population will include a cohort of 100 men and women aged 25 to 5 years at enrollment recruited from the University of Ottawa General and Civic Hospitals. Participants who are normotensives will e included in the study given that they have a family history of hypertension. The Spielberger State Trait Anger Expression inventory STAXI) scales will assess the three main dimensions of anger: State, Trait and Anger Expression. Using a semiautomated blood pressure achine, blood pressure measurements will be conducted by the attending nurse. It is hypothesized that during the three year study, articipants with higher STAXI scores will more likely develop hypertension. Results obtained from the present study are expected to ighlight the significant contribution of anger as a modifiable behavioral risk factor in the pathogenesis of hypertension.