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Parental History of Hypertension and Coping Responses Predict Blood Pressure Changes in Black College Volunteers Undergoing a Speaking Task About Perceptions of Racism

Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

Address correspondence to Rodney Clark, PhD, Biobehavioral Research Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, 71 West Warren, Detroit, MI 48202. E-mail: rclark{at}sun.science.wayne.edu

OBJECTIVE: This investigation explored the relationship of coping responses and parental history of hypertension to task-induced blood pressure changes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 215 black college student volunteers (median age = 25.95 y). During the speaking task, participants responded to standardized questions about perceptions of intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic group racism. Systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure were measured via an automated blood pressure monitor. Usual ways of coping with intra-ethnic group racism were assessed with the COPE Scale, and parental history of hypertension (PHH) was self-reported by participants.

RESULTS: Findings from the final step of hierarchical general linear models indicated that the main effect of emotion-focused coping was negatively associated with diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.02) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.002) changes. Further, these analyses revealed that PHH interacted: (1) with the coping responses of planning (p = 0.007) and denial (p = 0.002) to predict changes in systolic blood pressure and (2) with the planning coping response to predict diastolic blood pressure changes (p = 0.02). The direction of these effects indicated that among participants who were high in these coping responses, participants who also had a positive PHH had larger blood pressure changes. Regression analyses also revealed that PHH interacted with the cognitive coping response (p = 0.01) to predict changes in systolic blood pressure. The direction of this effect indicated that among participants who were low in this coping response, participants who also had a positive PHH had larger systolic blood pressure changes.

CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of examining the joint contribution of biological and psychosocial parameters to blood pressure reactivity in blacks.

Key Words: parental history of hypertension, • coping, • reactivity, • racism, • blacks.

Abbreviations: M = mean;; SD = standard deviation;; mm Hg = millimeters of mercury;; kg/m = kilograms/meter;; PHH = parental history of hypertension;; PLN = planning;; COG = cognitive;; DNL = denial.

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